richard_close2u saw my post in BLIM3 and suggested/requested I also post it here for general consumption, so here is my progress and a few personal tips added after.
I am just trying to complete BLIM3 but have had to skip loads for U4, U5 and U6 as I lost all of October due to a on long planned holiday in Australia and a further 2 weeks due to feeling unwell on my return on 5 November and other stuff. The last 3 units have not been great for me. It took me till early December to feel I was back to where I left off at the end of October. I have therefore rejoined BLIM and am doing BLIM4.
This first recording I did at the start of BLIM3 on 13 June 2025.
This is the same backing track ‘Heavy Shuffle in A’ recorded 16 Dec 2025. I just went straight into it cold and played whatever came out of my fingers to speak.
Advice to newbie BLIMmers, for what it’s worth:-
Do not panic when you see what’s in Unit 1, ask questions if you need guidance or help…
Try and keep to a daily practice regime, even if it’s only 30-60 minutes a day, you will make progress. (If you don’t regularly practice then IMO there is a risk of wasting time in catch up mode. )
Focus on the parts Justin puts in the practice routines and treat everything else as bonuses, especially if you have little time to practice.
If you can get over it video yourself, feedback from Richard, Dave & Justin & fellow BLIM peers is well worth it. (I took the plunge and got honest advice and pointers on what I needed to improve on and how, it was invaluable to get!)
Join a Study/Buddy group and meet regularly(weekly if possible), to talk about course challenges and support each other, being isolated doing a course like this is not great IMHO.
Keep a Practice Routine log/diary, I did it in BLIM3 It helped me focus on what I had done and had not, what I needed to focus on and was my Jiminy Cricket.
Hi Adrian, I have to agree with Richard, well done and great advice. I must add that I can see a great improvement in the second recording, mate, so keep going, mate. It goes to show these Blim courses work and they work well, cheers HEC
Thanks Phil, sometimes I don’t feel there is much of a difference, but I am beginning to feel I can play with more fluidity and spontaneity, but I think it is a bit sporadic. I am still trying to nail a piece from month 5 of BLIM and getting it up to full tempo is proving to be quite difficult. I will get the in the end, too many interruptions at the moment I am afraid.
finally had some few more minutes to listen closely again and can only echo, what the others said: The progress you made with BLIM 3 is so obvious even after the long break.
Your sounding much more fluent but, even more so, much more confident in your playing. Thanks for sharing your journey here alongside with some valuable tips. I am really happy to be one of your studdy-buddies.
