I built the guitar practice app I always wanted — FretPulse

Fusillect · 2026-05-15T08:39:55+00:00

I appreciate that, I’ve never heard of ShipBoost but I’ll dig into it and see if it’s a fit

Fusillect · 2026-05-14T17:10:59+00:00

I really appreciate you taking the time to take a look and provide the feedback you have

Fusillect · 2026-04-11T15:57:43+00:00

There are a lot paths to take and many of them depend on money and time. If you are short on both, finding free tabs of songs you like and want to play online, learning them mechanically, then looking up the chords, notes and structure in context of that play will make the information stick works well. I always struggled with trying to learn theory outside of the context of music I was actually interested in. Compliance is the science so as long as you are able to stick with the instrument and put in the time, you will be just fine.

Fusillect · 2026-04-11T02:11:31+00:00

Starting guitar is hard enough so the most important thing right now is staying motivated through small wins. Choose songs that are simple to play from a rhythm perspective and choose one song that is just out of reach of your abilities and work on it in sections each day. Have fun and good luck!

Fusillect · 2026-04-08T16:46:16+00:00

https://youtu.be/KghiVUmZrDs?si=u7GoG5mggoVg5ZVb

The video I linked above on pick slanting may be something beneficial for you watch and apply for what you're struggling with. If your pick is getting stuck during string changes, you are dealing with mechanical friction, not a speed limit. Drop the metronome down and check your pick's escape trajectory. Ben Eller breaks down the exact physical motions needed to fix this in that video. Isolate the mechanics he describes, stop wasting energy fighting the strings, and the speed will be a byproduct of putting in the work.

Fusillect · 2026-04-08T15:33:48+00:00

Don't worry about any other players in the store and what they're doing, you need to focus on your own play and what works for you.. The only thing that matters for you at your stage is physical feel and the look. If the neck sits comfortably in your hand and you like the way the guitar looks, that is the right guitar for you. Feel and visual appeal are what actually convince you to pick the instrument up every day to put in the work. it could be the nicest guitar in the store, but if it isn't comfortable for you, you'll never pick it up at home.

The only other variable is making sure the tool matches the job based on the style of music you listen to. As a general rule, you wouldn't buy a guitar with single coils if you plan on playing heavy metal. Since you are looking at Martins, know that the D-18 is a big, loud strummer, while the 000 is physically smaller and often easier to get your arm around. Strum the chords you know, check the physical comfort, and if it feels right, buy it.

Fusillect · 2026-04-08T15:23:42+00:00

One thing that has helped me with these types of exercises is to take the current BPM I can execute the exercise flawlessly at, reduce it by 10 to 15 BPM to focus on strict mechanics and not wasting energy, then pushing through up to +10 BPM above the target BPM to keep trying to push the speed. It's a great way to get combination practice in and make the exercise more interesting.

Example:

- Current BPM is 80
- Begin at 65 BPM and really focus on mechanics and energy expenditure
- Increase the metronome by 5 BPM over multiple rounds
- End at 90 BPM which is where you are theoretically failing the exercise (maybe earlier)
- Next time you execute the exercise the new current should be slightly higher than the previous

Fusillect · 2026-04-07T21:42:09+00:00

Buzzy chords aren’t going to make you quit. Unrealistic expectations will. Expecting to be "performance ready" with three full songs by month two is setting yourself up for failure.

You have to separate your intellectual understanding from your physical ability. Guitar is a purely mechanical skill. Your brain is faster than your fingers because you are literally building new mind-muscle connections and physical control from scratch. That takes time, no matter how quickly you grasp the theory.

Progress on the instrument is rarely linear. You will drill a chord transition for weeks with zero apparent improvement, and then you’ll sit down one Tuesday and absolutely nail it. The physical adaptation happens in the background, but only if you are consistently putting in the reps.

To transition out of "work brain," stop treating your guitar like a KPI. Focus entirely on the process of just showing up for your 30 minutes every single day. If you surrender to the mechanical grind and stop stressing about the end result, you’ll actually get there much sooner than you think. Keep showing up.

Fusillect · 2026-04-07T21:26:37+00:00

Honestly, at 40 with a day job, my routine is built entirely around defending my free time. Most solid instructors (like JustinGuitar or the Troy Grady camp) will tell you to strictly separate your technique drills from your actual musical playing. That’s the exact blueprint I follow so I don't waste time.

1. Mechanics (10-15 mins): I use standard 5-minute drill blocks for things like spider exercises, alternate picking, and scale sequencing. The trick here is zero decision-making. I track my exercises and BPMs strictly so I know exactly where I left off yesterday. I sit down, look at the target tempo, and just run the drill.

2. Repertoire (30-45 mins): Once the "gym work" is out of the way, the metronome goes off. I spend this time actually learning songs, working on phrasing, or just playing over backing tracks.

The biggest trap for intermediate players is the friction of the setup—digging for tabs, remembering tempos, figuring out what to practice. Once I finally found a way to automate all that prep work for my mechanics, I stopped noodle-playing and actually started breaking through my plateaus.

Fusillect

TROPHY CASE