31 Comments
Apr 15, 2022Liked by Paul Hackett

Thanks for a great review. Here are my own ‘two cents’ worth on TAC, as a current paid subscriber. Personally, I absolutely love it. It is exactly what I needed; fairly short lessons that have really advanced my guitar playing (AND my understanding of the fret board). Previous to signing up for TAC I focused on learning to play complete songs (…on that note, I would highly recommend Desi Serna’s program). I think it goes without saying that actually playing songs is what most budding guitar players want to be able to do. But I think what any beginner guitarist will soon realize (…as I did) is that playing complete songs (with all of the inherent individual skills required for them to actually sound good) requires a solid foundation. I think it’s like trying to learn how to drive a car - without wanting to first learn what the brake and gas peddles do, how to steer the car, etc. That’s not the fun part - but of course, you can’t learn to drive without it. I’ve found learning guitar to be the same. We just want to ‘get in and drive’ (play songs) - but to be any good at it, we need a good foundation. TAC has got me excited to pick up my guitar again every day, whereas before I felt like is was in a bit of a ‘slump’ and not enjoying playing as much. However, I would recommend TAC in addition to another learning program (or perhaps private lessons) that DO have more of a focus on learning full songs. But as above, I really feel that TAC will help me enormously with the fundamentals needed to play full songs well. As such, I have no regrets whatsoever and feel TAC was well worth the cost. Again, just my ‘two cents’…

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Great feedback, Scott. So glad to hear you've found an approach that works for you. Practicing guitar can be like work and usually isn't fun. Having more than one course to work on is a great way to split up your guitar time. A foundational course and a fun one is good balance. When I was a novice player I found it frustrating that I could learn a new song and very little of it was transferable to other songs or styles. A structured approach that doesn't involve jumping around from song to song will get you a lot more mileage out of your practice.

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Mar 14, 2022Liked by Paul Hackett

Light bulb moment ! As soon as i read cult, i went right on this is what TAC is like. I got very little out of how the program was run. I tried speaking with his close staff and ended up almost being pushed out. I have thought about going back ,but not after reading this review. Good job on supplying the straight goods on TAC, For me i have found Shut up and Play to be a better way to go for songs. Thanks for this review it is very accurate.

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Thanks. I'm glad to hear you got something out of the review. A big problem for me with TAC is their insistence that it "works" and you have to "trust" the system. I tried really hard to get it to work, but it never felt like making music. It's probably the least musical guitar course I've tried.

I haven't seen Shut up and Play before. I will go check it out.

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Sep 3, 2021Liked by Paul Hackett

Thanks Paul. Very interesting review. I have gone back and forth on TAC. Full disclosure, I am currently a paid member, but have been less than diligent about the daily challenges, fo many of the reasons you mention. Frankly, one of my biggest issues is that the 10-minute challenges don't ever get you to the point you are playing songs. Different daily exercises only teach you snippets that, maybe, you can use later somehow.

Found Active Melody recently. Haven't gone too far, yet.

Have you looked at anything from Desi Serna? Just curious.

William

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You're welcome, William. Thank you for your kind words.

Habit forming is hard, isn't it? I already practice guitar 6 or 7 times a week. Why is it so difficult to incorporate those 10 minute challenges into my routine? Probably because they just felt like snippets. They didn't add a lot of value to my playing.

Active Melody feels very much like one-on-one lessons.

I haven't take any Desi Serna courses. That gives me something to look into this weekend.

Appreciate the comment. Have a great weekend.

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Thanks Paul. I know I have mentioned before that I still love going back and listening to David Hodge's podcasts. Another site I would be interested in your take on is TrueFire. They seem to have a lot to offer.

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Feb 18Liked by Paul Hackett

Great review! What would you suggest for a senior who is musically inclined and played woodwinds at a high level many years ago but is a true baby beginner at guitar. Is there an online program that would be a good first start? I know that there are many out there and eventually I will move in to others but I’m frankly a little anxious about starting and just spinning my wheels and losing my momentum. Any suggestions?

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Hi Nick, I'm glad you found the review helpful. Finding the right course for you might take some trial and error. It depends a lot on what your goals are. Do you want to learn skills or learn songs? If you want to learn songs, what style?

On the free side of things, Justin Sandercoe has free lessons for many different levels and is most people's first stop for free beginner lessons. Your Guitar Academy has a free 30-day course for beginners on YouTube, which is well-produced. The 30-Day Beginner course inside Tony's Acoustic Challenge is still really good for staying focused and taking smart steps in building core concepts. With all the free information out there, it's really hard for beginners to stay focused.

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Jan 27Liked by Paul Hackett

I am so pleased I read the review Paul, problem I have is I don’t know what I am in terms of guitarist. Firstly I am elderly as in 62, I am a home carer so I do have much time little cash, therefore important that I use cash more wisely than time. Thing is two years past when I was a spritely 59 I found two things, firstly Justin Sandercoe who as well as being a great teacher, is also a huge philanthropist, helping me with the cash issue although I subscribe to his app. Secondly I found Chordify and this is the fun part in playing guitar with the greats. So over these two years I play every day maybe up to several hours I have a list of 1700 songs I try and learn new things all the time but in reality I don’t know if I am a beginner intermediate or what. So I looked at TAC thinking it was for me but after reading your review I’ll save my pennies, I feel that it would be a bit slow for me , I have probably reached the stage where I have to find things to learn, my next target has to be lead improv I can play all the scales so now need to do something with them. The thing I did get from TAC or rather Tony was don’t practice. I don’t I just love playing music.

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Dec 30, 2023Liked by Paul Hackett

If you are an intermediate or late beginner player this program is unworthy of your time. The word play is actually more interesting than the lesson. I remember one week Tony concentrated on Mississippi John Hurt, a great blues player. Candy Man is one of favorites blues pieces of John hurt. In fact, I still have his album I bought years ago. I thought we were going to get somewhere that week, but it was tease. Every weekly themed lesson is fragmented in small bits rather than significant substance and no follow up. It’s one size fits all approach. It felt frustrating. I wanted Tony to give me a song to play after so many months in TAC. In fact, I remember writing in the comment section, “Are you kidding me” after a ridiculously simple lesson after seven months in the program. Doesn’t Tony think I’m making progress? Why are you giving me such a simple lesson? I’m a solid intermediate player who needed a real challenge.

But let’s move forward. Let me recommend some names for your guitar playing. I couldn’t do without these wonderful teachers. Here’s my list: Paul Davids, Rob Swift, Beto Lacaze, Paul Tran and TrueFire. Most have beginner lessons. And there’s always a great and consistent challenge. TrueFire has all levels and styles with some of the greatest guitarists players and it’s fun and serious. And the price for their programs or Patreon aren’t costly. When you realize you can keep up with these guitarists you’ll feel real good.

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Well said.

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Dec 27, 2023Liked by Paul Hackett

I really would like to know what is going on in the guitar world. I thought TAC was the answer but all of a sudden I am not sure. I will take Paul's recommendation on the 30 days from TAC. Money is not the problem but I do hate to waste it. I think I will be viewing this site for a while to , hopefully, not waste any money.

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Jan 1Liked by Paul Hackett

I'm in the same boat. I just signed up yesterday but reading this piece has me a little wary about it. It's been really hard finding a program that I can stick with and hoped this was the one.

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Finding a course to stick with is tricky. We tend to choose programs by instructors we like. This approach can let us down because we'll never sound like them. No matter how hard we try to sound like someone else, we'll always come out sounding like ourselves. The material and content should matter more than the presenter.

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Aug 3, 2023Liked by Paul Hackett

Enjoyed your review. Reading through these comments, I agree that Active Melody, Desi Serna and David Potts are all great resources. I have also liked Tomo Fujita’s Guitar Wisdom. Been really tempted to try David Hamburger’s Fretboard Confidential too.

In the end, anything that gets you playing the guitar more should help you grow somewhat. Thanks again for your review.

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Glad you found the review, Will. You mentioned a few other good instructors. I've noticed the best instructors spend their time on crafting lessons instead of marketing. Good courses and instructors get their name out there through word of mouth.

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Dec 8, 2022Liked by Paul Hackett

Just happened to find this review now. I've been a member of TAC for 7 months, and for the most part have felt very satisfied with the return on my investment. I wasn't a raw beginner when I joined, fortunately, as I'm not sure the program would be much help to someone just starting out. It's true as well that you won't be happy with TAC if your main goal is to learn songs. But for honing skills and gaining musical knowledge, it's a great resource. Best of all, the daily challenge feature gets you to commit to playing every day, which is a habit I never managed to nail down before TAC. Paying the extra amount to take the Fretboard Wizard course was very much worth it for me. Tony P has a way of explaining music theory principles that I found much easier to grasp than on many other sites I've tried to learn from. Of course there are a multitude of other great learning resources on YouTube and the web generally. Two of my faves are Truefire, where you can buy and download individual courses for very affordable amounts (watch for their promotions), and one that another commenter mentioned, Songnotes.net, which is great for learning songs and technique/practice ideas. But the best part of Tony's Acoustic Challenge is the member forums, as you can develop a real connection with fellow guitar geeks and get advice and encouragement as you go along.

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I'm glad to hear from Tony's happy students. Practicing everyday can be a challenge, especially if you're not sure what to work on. There are a lot of choices online, and finding something that you can stick with is the best way to build skills and knowledge.

Last time I looked there were more than 450 lessons on Songnotes.net. There are a lot of details in those lessons and probably something for everybody.

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Sep 3, 2021Liked by Paul Hackett

Thank you for peeling marketing hype from the TAC program by candidly sharing your actual experience. I appreciate Tony’s perspective in many of his YouTube videos, but the internet is full of “just do this 10 minutes a day” programs that lure new guitar players into false or misleading promises of guitar god status.

In another review you recommended “Country Guitar Online.” You nailed that one. I don’t care to “play” bluegrass, but Devin is, without a doubt, one of the best online guitar instructors.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to share these experiences!

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Hi Bill,

I'm not a huge country music fan, but I still get a lot out of Country Guitar Online. Devin is such a great teacher.

Another really great lesson site is Active Melody. All the lessons are by the same teacher. And one new lesson a week is more realistic and helpful than daily challenges.

Have a great weekend.

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Your practice will depend on your goals. If your goal is playing songs then that's what you'll need to practice. It sure sounds like you've got enough songs to keep you busy. How do you group them? By artist or style?

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Last year I purchased a 12-month membership in TAC thinking it would be a motivator for me to play again after 10 years away from the guitar. Prior to that I had played guitar for 10 years or so picking up and putting down the instrument over the years. Like many comments here I found TAC to be disjointed and uninspiring. Don't waste your money on this. The daily challenges didn't build on each other and didn't improve my playing. The exercises themselves weren't musical and rather simplistic phrases which in theory you were suppose to improvise with. No guidance given. Very much a cult environment that alienated me. Let's face it at the end of the day want we really want is to be able to play the songs we love better. There was none of that with TAC. After 8 months I stopped using it even though I has paid for annual membership with intention of not renewing. At end of 12 months they auto renewed me without any prior notification. I contacted them and they said they couldn't refund my money since that's their policy even though my membership was less than a month past due. I was stuck with membership for another year. Never used it. Thankfully my membership is now cancelled. I found ActiveMelody.com to be better. My favorite is PlaySongNotes.com since David Potts combines learning songs with technique to play them. His focus is acoustic guitar.

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Thanks for the comments, Frank.

I've heard from people who have unintentionally renewed TAC more than once. It's a real bummer.

But on the positive side of things, you've found two really great sites in Active Melody and PlaySongNotes. I'm a fan of both sites and recommend them to anyone. Active Melody has a realistic weekly schedule and works for players of different levels. David Pots teaches a wide variety of songs and goes into great detail on how to get them sounding just right. Both teachers get you playing real music which is a much more rewarding way to spend the time we have.

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I have been doing TAC for 7 months and no songs under my belt. Yes, I have learned techniques being a true beginner. I find it is a marketing ploy. To learn a song front to back I am imagining maybe another 2 years. I practise the course 6 out of 7 days. Minimum 2 hours a night, usually 3. I just want to learn to strum a song for those camp fire nights. I dont need to know hammer ons and pull offs, percussion and learn scales up and down. The 30 day challenge(the beginning) ropes you in as it is insightful and fun. I am so discouraged right now. I did the fretboard wizard at the sale price of 147.00 instead of 400 and something. Good thing cause I would be furious. Hey some folk can play but they cant always teach. I find it more self indulging as it really needs to have better editing, slow down cause the student cant read his mind. I am not a stupid person and capable of learning a song in a fair amount of time. Just spinning my wheels to no where land with TAC. I will go it alone or try some of the suggestions listed here. Glad I looked this up. I know its not just me.

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Does TAC course work for left handed newbie?

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It doesn't matter if you're left-handed. The instruction is the same.

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I recently stumbled upon TAC on facebook and succumbed to watching the video which, of course, costs nothing, and I was intrigued. However, I decided to find a review of TAC and after reading Paul's review and some of those who agree with him, I think I'll stick with Artist Works. I'm on my second year with them and it has me playing actual songs. Plus, because of what I've learned I've been able to join two other guitarists on Sunday morning for worship. Even though they've been playing longer than me, there is still room for a beginner to play rhythm and Artist Works helped me get to that point. Artist Works is video-based and also self-paced: you practice and study as much or as little as you desire, but it's cool to do video exchanges with your instructor. Hence, like Scott Yates, this is my two cent contribution. Thanks.

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Thanks for sharing. That's great that you're actually making music. It doesn't matter what level you're at, if you're playing with others and making music you're in a good place. Artist Works always has special offers and deals going. They are worth checking out for all the reasons you mentioned. Rock on.

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Read the fine print, they will auto renew at $197/year if you don't cancel prior to your renewal date. Renewals are made without express permission or notification.

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I keep hearing about this. It wouldn't be bad idea to give refunds to people who ask right after getting the auto-renew. Who likes getting hit with an auto-renew they forgot about? Send a few reminder emails in the weeks leading up to it.

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