Almost 2 hours in and I still cant beat the first boss - Am I missing something or am I this bad?

This is my second souls game (Only got to the 2nd boss of Bloodborne before other games got my attention) and I really want to enjoy it, but Im having a hard time on the very first boss. Ive gotten him down below a quarter only once and Ive been playing for almost 2 hours now.

Is there something Im missing, am I bad, or is it just supposed to be this hard? Ive been rolling, heavy attacking, guarding, occasionally parrying when I get one to hit and stay locked onto him. Im playing a Knight and started with the health ring.

Tl:Dr - Tips for a noob