I bought a guitar recently, along with a teech-yerself-geetar books, and not having taken up a musical lessons since I was a younger lad, I have nothing to compare my current pace of progress to. I am concerned about the pace of my advancement.

It's been five days since I've bought it and I've been practicing the last four. My guitar book teaches me the notes on each string and then proceeds to have me practice small little snippets of songs. Problems arise when I actually try to play the notes. I am stumbling and pausing while reading music; it's like I have musical dyslexia. I fear I might have a learning disability, and it begins to worry me !!! I play a song perfectly, and then the next three attempts I stumble horrifically.

Is this normal? Should I be practicing some other way? How long did it take you fellows before you mastered such mountains as "Jingle Bells", and "Love Me Tender"?