Final Product

The first 4 songs are just me picking simple tunes because I thought this would help me feel more comfortable with changing fingerings and with the guitar in general. The last one I play is a song and I worked on it as I learned the chords and although it still isn't up to speed, I am able to do it a lot quicker after learning simpler songs and practicing a lot.

Songs:
1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
2. Aunt Rhody
3. Amazing Grace
4. Scarborough Fair
5. Free Fallin'

Switching Between Chords and Avoiding Mistakes

As I have progressed in my learning, the skill that I have found the hardest is switching between chords quickly. At this point, I somewhat have the 8 chords I learned down, however I am not exremely confident with them so I think that is one thing I could do to help switch chords smoothy. I also would like to work on identifying the finger positions chords have in common to make this process easier. In addition, the link below has more tips on changing chords.

I also found another link that was very helpful that talked about the 7 most common mistakes people make when playing guitar. I think this will help me avoid bad practicing habits and be more productive while learning guitar. In addition, some are more advanced skills so they are things I am looking forward to learning in the future. They are as follows:
     1. Not Setting Goals (this will motivate me to imrpove my guitar skills)
     2. Noodling Away Practice Time (focus on new material rather than going over stuff that is super familiar)
               - Set aside Noodling Time!
     3. Strumming/Picking from the Elbow Using all Downstrokes (inefficient: engage wrist!)
     4. Poor Muting (fix to help sounds bleed over one another, makes it sound more clean)
     5. Not Using the Tips of Fingers for Chords (with tips: helps them sound not buzzy and more clear)
     6. Not Learning How to Tune Well (learn how to tune by ear because a tuner may not always be available!)
               - 5th fret method
     7. Not Applying What You've Been Practicing (apply it to real music! does no good to just learn them)

Lastly, the last link below helps not be a lazy guitar player! (you might be a lazy guitar player if...)

SOURCES
Changing Chords: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtz6TOlljbM
Mistakes to Avoid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n49-3i_Cg8c
Lazy Guitar Playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NkyPB_y3Ow

Strumming

There are many different ways to strum the guitar. Below are the tips I found helpful and some of the techniques I tried while learning:

Strumming with a pick: Index finger and thumb
Strumming without a pick: Finger position is very important!
Different strumming patterns: Many different songs include different strumming patterns. Here are the ones that I found are good for beginners to learn.
    1. Basic Down-Up Strum
    2. Mute Strum
    3. Calypso Strumming
    4. Pop Rock Strumming
    5. Basic Fingerpicking (plucking) Pattern

SOURCES
Strumming Patterns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv-639c_A9k
Fingerpicking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj4SBVqsPIo
Strumming Technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq9QamxAUHc
Strumming Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq-iMoeYIjI
Without Pick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv3s0oC0tOo
Pick Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMILz1RV_fk

F Major

SOURCES

Image: http://www.justinguitar.com/images/BC_images/142-FMaj7-chord.gif

Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfQ3hvstZzk

G Major

There are many ways to play the G major chord (included in the links below)

SOURCES

Image: http://www.guitarsintheclassroom.com/Chords-G.gif

Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlDXIVxYxBw

Instructions: http://www.wikihow.com/Play-the-G-Major-Chord-on-Guitar

E Minor Chord

SOURCES
E Minor Chord Image: https://ericdelucamusiclessons.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/emin.png
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puct4HkXsaE

E Major Chord

SOURCES
E Major Chord Image: http://deftdigits.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/open-e-major-chord-diagram-204x300.png
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yOtp8XCdaA