Finally got my 5th Grade 1 song recorded! Woohoo
This concludes my Grade 1 consolidation (in terms of completed tasks not practice of course, that will be forever ongoing).
This song was a challenging but rewarding one. Itās my first Rock n Roll song (with a blues shuffle) and it really forced me to use a combination of skills and techniques learned throughout Grade 1 and the Strumming course as well (palm muting, switching between strumming and the shuffle, distortion sound effects, dynamics, builds, etc.). Thanks to everyone who shared feedback on how to get close to the tone I wanted for this song.
Areas that I need to keep working on and improving are:
Palm muting
Shuffle
Smoother transitions between strumming and the shuffle
Not looking at my fretting hand all the time
That being said, Iām really ecstatic at finally playing and recording this one.
As always, any feedback is welcome
Nice work! Your strumming is pretty smooth for where you are in the journey so kudos.
I like ok at my fretting hand a lot, and I gradually try to do it less and less (completely memorizing the song helps the most I think), but the pros do too, especially during solos, so I wouldnāt worry about that too much. Keep rocking
@sairfingers Thanks Gordon! It took a bit of experimenting with Overdrive/Distortion effects for the first time, and was really happy with the resulting tone. I also had to really lighten my strumming as Iām used to strumming harder when playing clean which sounded horrendous with the OD FX, so ended up really putting the Dynamics lessons to good use
@DavidP Thanks David This song really tested my resolve and my slowly developing noob guitar skills. I really appreciated your thoughts and suggestions in the other thread as they led me to experiment with a footswitch, different pickup positions, strumming dynamics, and tweaking the FX themselves. Practicing the Strumming Dynamics helped the most in this case, but I learned a lot about all the other options as well through all the trial and error.
What a great tune! I enjoyed listening to your performance a lot.
You are right, it is challenging and rewarding.
And I had to smile, when I read about the areas you keep working on.
Iām working on this song too, and Iām struggling a lot with the same four things exactly
But (IMHO) you really did a very good job here ā¦ faaaaaar better than me
Did you check out āSummertime Bluesā by Eddie Cochran already?
Justin did a great tutorial for this one, too (Grade 3). It has a similar vibe and a lot of good stuff to practice (palm muting, shuffle, ā¦)
Hi @Gunhild ! Thank you for your kind words Itās good to know that Iām not the only one struggling with those four things
Iāve been learning & practicing this song over 2 months now. It was one of the first songs I wanted to play after Bob Marleyās Donāt Worry (3 Little Birds) but I kept moving it down the list as it required a lot more skills than I had. I even contemplated abandoning it and coming back to it later but I really wanted to learn and play a Rock n Roll song which this song is all about.
Iām glad I stuck with it though, as I love rock and roll and blues and this has them both. What helped me was breaking down the 3 different playstyles and practicing them seperately (the riff, the strumming and the shuffle) and only in the last week or so combining them together in my practice (not to mention obsessing over getting the tone right over the past two weeks ).
Also keep in mind that the above recording was the final result of 4 hours of failed attempts of playing through the whole thing (I still botched the ending but couldnāt get myself to record another take). My wife adores my stubborn persistence streak sometimes, especially when cans or jars need opening
Stick with it, keep working on those areas seperately and Iām sure youāll be happy with the result. And if you get too frustrated with it, take a break and learn another song (or 3 in my case) then come back to it.
Thank you so much for that song recommendation Iāve never heard it before but I love it. Iāll be sure to check out the lesson once Iāve developed the required skills for it a bit more.
Thatās great progress, Firas.
Nice share
My only 2 cents would be
not to worry too much about looking at your fretting hand. Youāll do it less often naturally when you become more comfortable with the positions (and youāre trying to read the lyrics youāre singing )
Try to keep your strumming hand moving at the same speed/rhythm throughout the song. You sometimes stop when youāre not hitting the strings.
Thanks so much @firasR for your encouraging words and your great advice about practicing the parts seperately.
Yes, Iāve experienced already that all of this takes a lot of time and patience ā¦ and āstubborn persistenceā
Of course Iāll stick with it. Iām just a total beginner, but the songs and the courses are so much fun that theyāll keep me motivated. Thatās for sure.
And a huge advantage of the song tutorials is (at least to me) that they often start quite simple with just three or four easy chords and a very basic strumming pattern, and then Justin spices the song up with interesting embellishments or more advanced techniques. I think this approach is very motivating and it constantly pushes me forward a little bit, because I just want to learn all this great stuff.
And yes, you are very right, if it gets too difficult, we can always take a little break and revisit it some time later.
Thatās one more thing Iāve learned here on the website: a song can grow with you as you grow as a guitar player ā¦ well, it is something that Justin had said, but he had put it in much nicer words, of course
Dear Firas, no doubt you are on the right path already, and Iām sure that youāll have a great musical journey ahead of you!
Have lots of fun ā¦ and stick to that āstubborn persistenceā
Thank you for the reassurance and tips @brianlarsen. I can get ahead of myself at times and am my own worst critic Will keep those in mind.
Much appreciated
Thatās so true @Gunhild. Iām grateful for that reminder from Justin and others here on the forum. I also love Justinās approach of introducing the bare minimum skills needed to play a song and then adding little sprinkles and spice to keep us excited about coming lessons.
Youāve definitely got the right mindset for a neverending journey of learning and exploration. Start simple, enjoy the process and journey, and keep adding to it and growing as you go along.
Thank you for your kind wishes and I wish you the same on your journey
That was a good piece for consolidating skills of Grade 1 and sneaking in to a little Grade 2 stuff, I guess. Nice, you kept on it and played around until you got the tone you wanted. I felt the groove and Rockānāroll vibes!
Good advice is already given, so no need for repeat button. Glad, you take it up in addition to your identified points for improvement. Taking advice as well as good self assessment is key when weāre learning and practicing on our own.
Youāre well on your way, Firas! Keep it going and have lots of fun on your journey.
Thanks Lisa and well spotted Iāve moved a little into Grade 2 but not too far ahead while consolidating Grade 1 skills and songs.
I was quite concerned at how good I could get without one on one face time with an instructor, but the community here has really filled that role very well by offering continuous encouragement while making me aware of potential bad habits and offering areas of improvement to consider. The combination of quality instruction by Justin and the tremendous community support is an amazing one, and makes me really happy to be a part of it
Kudos to you, Firas!!!
What they all saidā¦ not anything to add really except that this is my favorite by you so far!!!
Amusing anecdote -
When I was first learning to be an Air Traffic Controller, I went to the FAAās Academy in Oklahoma City. There was a man from Pakistan who was there and we were both staying at the same apartment complex & rode the bus to school together every morning. He spoke very good English but with this extremely thick Pakistani accent. So, he loved Rock-N-Roll in general but Bob Seger in particularā¦ he would sing Old Time Rock-N-Roll & Night Moves VERY LOUDLY on the busā¦ in his turban, long beard & robesā¦ off keyā¦ heavily accented & in some Tribal Dialect!!! The first few days, I couldnāt figure out what he was singing!!! It sounded sort of familiarā¦ after a while we talked about music & thatās when I found out what heād been singing!!!
Anyway, I hope to hear you sing this one sometime! Keep up the good work with your guitar & have fun finding the Fender in London!
@SgtColon Thanks Stefan Lots of great support, tips and advice from the community has really helped with my Grade 1 consolidation. Iām really happy with how my selected 5 songs turned out (honestly didnāt think I could ever play any of them except for the first one ) , and how noticeable the improvements were over the past few months based on the advice folks have given me.
And thanks for the tip of playing standing up. Iāve only done that with songs Iām really comfortable with. Now that this song has been moved into the āimproveā section of my daily practice, Iāll practice it standing up and report back to you on the progress.
@CATMAN62 Thanks Tod This was the most challenging and the most rewarding song of the five for sure! My first song with that Rock n Roll crunch sound that I love and was dying to achieve That story of your work friend is hilarious I salute him for bravely singing aloud in the bus to work Iāve only attempted it in my car, with my oldest daughter. What can I say, she puts up with a lot from me That being said, your story gives me hope, being an Arab without a pronounced accent (which my American wife is extremely grateful for) should make it easier for me to overcome my horrible singing (my English accent is described as a neutral American accent by most people).
Thank you for the kind wishes on the hunt for my first Fender Strat. Just a few more days before I travel to London, and then maybe a week to settle down and sort out some things before I can visit Andertonās! I can almost feel it in my hands
Hi Firas, great performance. I love those old rocknroll songs, no disco for me!
Nice tone set up, just right for this bob seger classic. Listened to your recording a few times and enjoyed it. The power chord syncopated strumming was great, really got my foot tapping. Nice work mate.
Cheers
Dave
Thanks so much Dave This song really spoke to me (literally with itās lyrics āThat kind of music just soothes the soulā) and I love the Blues shuffle part of it especially. I canāt wait to learn more about power chords and blues shuffles in the upcoming Grade 2 lessons. This kind of song is why I wanted to learn to play the guitar. Itās amazing that Justin gets us playing such songs in just the first Grade!
For the tone, I experimented a little with both my Marshall Code 25 modeling amp as well as GarageBandās built-in amps & pedals. I originally recorded it with the Code only then ran it through GarageBand which added a bit more to the crunch tone.
I still love practicing it every night (practicing it standing up as per @SgtColon advice, thanks again BTW Stephan), and will record it again to see if Iāve improved my shuffle and transitions.
Iām glad you enjoyed listening to it as much as I loved playing it
I really enjoyed watching the video and hearing you playing. Iām really impressed by the progress you have made in such a short time. I wish my strumming hand was as relaxed as yours. You started learning a few weeks before me and I think you have made a lot more progress than I have. I was really happy to see you playing that Squier Strat that you modified. I read your post all about how you modified it and I thought that with your modifications, that guitar looks absolutely great. So I was hoping to hear how it sounds.
I have to say that because you started at a similar time to me, itās a real motivation to hear you playing and see what can be achieved in such a short time.
All the best and keep posting the videos!!!
Ian
p.s., what a beautiful collection of guitars you have now: the 2 Strats and the Epiphone LP. Nice!! I promised myself I wouldnāt get a new guitar until Iām well into Grade 2. Iām just getting to the last module of Grade 1. If I decide to buy a new guitar Iāll probably mod my current Squier Telecaster for fun. You have motivated me with that Strat mod.
I think youāve nailed a lot of aspects here.
Tone is really nice - just the right amount of crunch.
Timing is right in the groove.
Nice muting.
And rocking it with some head nodding.
).
)
That story of your work friend is hilarious 
Iāve only attempted it in my car, with my oldest daughter. What can I say, she puts up with a lot from me 