Originally Posted by: Larry NicholsI started when I was 72, 10 months ago. And yea, I think I'm too old but as my wife says,"what else have you got to do?" MY fingers don't work when my brain tells them to, my right hand has a brain all to it's self (a very lazy one too). My fingers want to point inward instead of outward and my voice? Hey I quit singing in the shower 50 years ago because I couldn't stand to listen to myself.
I thought I was doing pretty good so I took my first guitar lesson a week ago. First thing he told me was I was holding the neck wrong! Wants me to get my thumb on the back of the neck instead of using the web of my thumb. Now I can't play squat. It changed everything! I was even beginning to SLOWLY make the dreded "F" chord, now I can't finger it at all with my thumb on the backside. But hey," life's hard , then you die." What else I got to do?

Go with what works for you, don't be trapped by the right way. If you were 50 -60 years younger I would say different. I am guessing by now your fingers simply do not bend or work like they did back then. In fact you may not be able to make some cords at all the correct way, so use what way does.

Something you can do to help train your hands\fingers to be independent when not at a guitar. This is just general dexterity hand training to me.

Sitting in a chair with arms, rest your arms on the chair and lift your fingers up off the chair, using your thumbs to keep your fingers in the air. With your right hand, lower your ring finger while lowering your second finger on your right hand. Raise your fingers and do another combination, just never use the same fingers at the same time. When you get good, start raising your fingers while lowering two or three others. Just get the brain use to your hands wanting to do two different things with different fingers at the same time.

Now you have something to do at red lights. hehe