Can't correctly pronounce the high tone

[Chrisdoc]

My last post was meant to be a reply to whatever_works. Having trouble quoting.

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[Chrisdoc]

To the OP,
 
Since you don't mention a teacher, I gather that you have been teaching yourself Thai.  If so, why did you believe that you could learn Thai by yourself?  Had you ever taught yourself a foreign language successfully?  Do you speak any language other than English fluently?  Had you met other foreigners in Thailand who became fluent in Thai on their own?  I am guessing the answer to all of these questions is a resounding "no."
 
So, the "tip" you are asking for is this: your method of self-study was always bound to fail.  I myself can speak all the Thai tones correctly, although I still make mistakes.  Thais frequently tell me that I speak ชัด.  One Uber driver even went so far as to remark that I spoke Thai more clearly than the Thais, but he was being excessively generous.  Thais have very low expectations of us.
 
I worked at it for a long time with qualified Thai teachers one-on-one. They corrected me every time I misspoke, not just for the tones, but for long vowels, grammar, usage, and all the rest.  In those days I was studying 15 hours a week.  It took me more than a year before I "got" it and could produce the tones correctly even if I continue to make mistakes.  So, figure at least 1000 hours, maybe more, of correction.  The Thai tones, by the way, are a great pleasure.
 
If you were to go about it in the right way, you could learn Thai and its tones, too.  Otherwise, you should probably take up billiards or something.
 

Regarding the Uber driver's comment,a girl in a bar the other day said I spoke Thai well and I was a handsome man.

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