guitar players??

It's easy to get frustrated, just keep at it. If it was easy everyone would be good at it.

at1010 said:

Once I learn to play better, then I can actually sit outside and practice at hotels

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Be sure to place a jar & a sign saying your blind or something ! ha ha

The calluses take time. What really sucks is when you lose them and have to start building them all over again. Some strings are "easier" on soft fingers than others. You don't need a really heavy set of strings unless you are playing a style that requires them. I've played nothing but mediums and never wished for more and they are a lot easier on the fingers. Also, have your instructor or local guitar shop check the action on your guitar. This is the height of the strings above the fretboard. The higher it is the harder it is to fret the strings and make a clean note. You can take the action too low and that leads to a "buzzing" of the strings as you play. I have one jazz style guitar that i can rarely play bar chords on b/c the action is so high except when I'm well practiced.

The chords and getting your fingers used to the odd shapes also takes time and muscle memory. There are many variations of the "C" chord, so perhaps another chord shape would be easier at first. I can play the C chord in at least 4 or 5 ways just off the top of my head. They all sound virtually the same, but there are some differences. The main reason why I choose one shape over another is dependent upon the song I am playing and where my fingers are coming from (previous chord) and where they are going (next chord) and I just go with it. There are some good apps if you have a smart phone for tuning and chord shapes that show the different ways if you are interested let me know and I'll get the names.

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/BC-135-FingerWorkout.php Is a basic warm up exercise for something other than just practicing chord shapes. I still do something pretty similar every time before I play. It'll also help building the calluses and strength/flexiblity in your fingers.

Once you learn the basic open chords of C, A, Am, D, G, E, and Em (and maybe even F) you'll be amazed by how many songs you can play. It gets easier once you can do something less repetitive and more interesting.

Hope that helps.

Completely normal

One thing you can do is move your thumb further under the bottom of the neck. This will move it further away from your body and allow you to bring your fingers down on the fretboard in a more vertical direction. The buzzing is from your finger just barely hitting another string. When I am learning a new chord or chord shape it happens. The key is to figure out how to move the offending finger to get the sound you want without the buzzing sound you don't want. What works for me may or may not work exactly for you. Eventually you'll figure it out and it'll become second nature.

You'll get it, and the callouses will come. Keep at it. Soon enough you won't even be looking at your neck while you're playing. The muscle memory comes pretty quick. I just started playing banjo again after about 15 years away from it so I had to reteach my right hand to pick with just my thumb and first two fingers instead of the thumb and first three fingers and sometimes pinkie that I finger pick a guitar with. It makes a difference in hand position and how to transition rolls into and out of chords so it's something I had to do if I wanted to get serious about picking a banjo again. Didn't take long at all. Like you said, a little bit, every day. It'll come together.