I have this topic as a shortcut on my desktop and refer to it frequently, although the particular post not recently. I do indeed repeat licks, to BT’s even, but can’t say that they are speaking words to me!! At the moment my head just doesn’t associate sounds with words. Will this ever come?
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Yes in time but when they do they might not make sense ! Without to much of a spoiler and if I get put on the naughty step again, so be it BUT !
For the series of licks, Justin presented in BLIM he gave them names and phrases to describe them. Now that works for some folks and not others but to take a lick from Pattern 1 and a very old screenshot long before the website relaunch
Now I guess you’re familiar with the lick ?
In BLIM Justin calls the “I Got The Blues”.
Go play the lick, even listen to the lesson with that in mind, speak it or say it how the lick is framed, with the same feel and emotion. That’s kinda the principal that folk are suggesting here, what do those licks convey to you ? Listen to the other P1 licks, do they say anything ?
Could be anything and to be honest it don’t always work for me. But heck the lick could be
“I need some bread”
and a follow up lick in my head,
“but the bay kers woz closed”
Random madness you are now doubt thinking but its me ?? Hope it kinda helps ??
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When to move on?
Hi ya’ll! I have been practicing these licks for a month and a half now and I was wondering when to go on to the pattern 2 lesson.
What was your metric to decide you could move on?
My decision at this day was to move on when I will be able to do each lick 5 time in a row at 90 bpm.
I practice them every time with backing track and will move on when i feel satisfied of how I use them in this field but this is harder to evaluate.
Best regards, Valentin From Paris France
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Re lick 5 there’s a lot of notes to get in a bar!! I’ve been practicing this at 60bpm (using Justin’s Strumming Machine that counts) and still can’t really get this in incl. the curl! At this point there’s no way I would get all the notes with a faster speed. I guess I could spread this over two bars.
Have been tying to follow Justin’s fingers in the video but not sure I’m doing the first 3 notes right. He starts on 5:1 and the pulls of 8:5 but can’t follow how he frets 5:5 to get the pull off note. I’ve been fretting 5:1 and 2 at the same time to get this but not sure that is right!
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Hi Valentin.
I think you’ve answered your own question. You’re ready to move on to learning pattern 2
You can continue exploring the first set of licks and mix new ones into your playing as you learn them.
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Stuart, slow it down to a tempo you can easily play it. Practice at that tempo until the lick(s) become ingrained, then gradually speed it up.
Justin explains rolling the index finger for the triplet on beat 3
You could use the same technique going from the note on beat 1 to the triplet on beat 2
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If I slow it down much more I’ll be going backwards!! I use Justin’s strumming machine for counting (so I know where beat 1 is) but the slowest that will do is 60bpm. Tried a metronome but can’t keep count!
I’ll give that a go.
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FYI, I’ve had to go as slow as 40bpm when first trying to learn a lick (specifically, the intro of “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crowes). After being able to play the lick(s) SOLIDLY at 40bpm, I was able to quickly increase the speed. The lick didn’t sound anything like the original recording at such a low speed, but once I was able to get the pattern under my fingers, speeding it up made it sound right again.
There are dozens of free metronome phone apps out there that will go slower than 60 and have an accent on the tone of the beat 1 click so you know where you are in the bar, negating the need to count so much. I suggest you try one. The one I use is called “Smart Metronome & Tuner” for iOS by Tomohiro Ihara. It’s free 
YMMV
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I’ve been trying to play the 5no. licks over this single chord backing track https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZPVstFpCzw but can’t keep them in time. I can’t work out when one bar ends and the next starts. Have tried tapping my foot but playing the lick just puts my foot out of time. Can’t do three things at once! Any ideas?
It doesn’t help that YT stutters on playback.
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Are these the 5 P1 licks Stuart ?
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I think for your needs, that backing track is not going to work. Yes, it has a drum beat (1 2 & 3 4 with an occasional drum fill) but no other rhythm. The chord just rolls on and on and on giving no other rhythmic information.
There are loads of interesting backing tracks. In my view, that is not one.
PS
If we’re really going to help you we need to see and hear yoh play.
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How about this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1iVA8Pm3Yc If this is not OK can you suggest any at 60bpm?
I reminded of a Buddy Holly song at this point. 
Well… alright 
In the Lick Tabs, the bends are shown as either “full” or “1/4”, for a tone or semi-tone, respectively. Why is it a 1/4 for a semi-tone? Or have I misunderstood something?
Hi Jon, @RiversideAce
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun
And what, I read in the accompanying text, but also what is said in the lesson, it says that Justin always talks about a “Blues curl” when the 1/4 comes in …
A semi tone should be 1/2 … Are you by any chance mixing these up?
Hope this helps,
Greetings,Rogier
Thanks for the super-quick reply, Roger.
Ah, that makes sense. So the 1/4 bends are not full semi-tones. That’s what I hadn’t picked up on.
Much appreciated 
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Close but no cigar!
That’ll be the day! 
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