I’m glad it’s not just me! It’s good to hear that you were eventually able to break through that plateau. This community has been invaluable in constantly reminding me that I’m not alone in my guitar struggles and more times than not patience and diligent practice will help me break through my own plateaus.
I’m excited to try it! I love all of the songs in the book, and I’ve already been playing 4-5 of the songs with varying degrees of success throughout grade 1 and 2. I expect that if I do end up doing the challenge/study each song will take a month+ to really get them to the point where I could play and post them to a backing track. I’d likely continue doing it past consolidation and into grade 3 as well. Luckily, it looks like past grade 2 Justin’s method really opens up and is less about following a prescribed plan and more about pursuing personal goals and how to approach pretty much anything I want to learn on the guitar.
Good story! I drummed as a teenager, looking back I have no idea how my parents and the neighbours put up with it. I’ve toyed with the idea of getting an electric one at some stage and the wife is not keen on that even .
Btw - B7 is also hard for me. One of the trickiest open chords so far.
Hi Alexis,
Well, that has now become a nice library … nice to see such a well-structured LL, you will look back on it later (and now of course) with great pleasure and pride…
Retroactively wishing you a lot of Happy GuitarandAmpandOtherGear Day`s
Greetings,Rogier
How it’s been going:
It has been ~1 month since my last learning log and the start of my grade 2 consolidation so I thought it was about time to post something here. consolidation has been going great, there’s definitely some focus since I’ve been working on my rock study project and started studying Troy Stetina’s Metal guitar method. Nothing in those projects are technically “new” information/techniques since pretty much all of what I’ve gone through has been covered in Grade 2 but everything is helping me solidify that knowledge. Exactly what should be happening in my consolidation period.
What I’ve been Playing:
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Part of my Rock Study project. I already made a AVoYP that I posted in a previous log but this one I really wanted it to be the whole song, with tight rhythm, and using a backing track. AVoYP here
Whips and Chains - Been working through the example from this book for ~1/2 of the month and actually playing this song the last couple of weeks. AVoYP here
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - Or as I like to call it: “If I Tolerate This I’ll Finally Have The F Chord Down”. Moving this from my rep revision to full on song practice with backing track. I’m still having some difficulty with the F chord so the next month there will be OMC to F in my routine.
The Plan:
Focusing on Chapter 2 of Metal Rhythm Guitar Vol. 1 and If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next for my rock study. Eventually I want to add learning 3rd song into my routine (with the book and rock study songs) but right now there is so much work to be done on the F Chord that I really want to tackle it. There are a ton of songs that Justin has lessons for that I want to get into and I also have another Troy Stetina book “Total Rock Guitar” which has 22 original songs of various genres that I want to learn as well so there is plenty in the pipeline. I’ll just need find some time do it!
New Gear/Purchases:
Sadly my old Desktop PC died on me suddenly a couple of weeks ago. Since I’ve been getting into video production and using a DAW I decided why the hell not and got my self a Mac Studio! I work in IT for a university so I’m used to handling macs and I’ve been fascinated with the studio since it was announced. It’s been great for all of my previous work but really great for Garageband and just small ecosystem things like integrating with my iPhone. Plus, my audio interface looks great on top of it!
Great log update. I think your project to learn the songs in the rock songbook is great. Some of the challenge of learning songs is figuring out which ones to learn - that just takes it away.
I think your playing is developing well from your AVOYPs. You’ve got a good sense of timing and rhythm, which makes me think you must have a critical ear for your own playing. Being able to notice what you need to work on yourself.
I reckon quite a few of us in the community work in IT/software - seeing as we’re on computers all day it makes it easier to participate.
We’re so close in where we are in the course you’re like a kindred spirit
Love the clean desk setup and as I mentioned in your consolidation thread you’ve got an awesome plan in place for the coming months of consolidation. Keep it up, you’re giving me lots of inspiration
Thanks for saying that, some days it feels like my rhythm is great and others I’m like “Why the hell can’t I get this right?!” Lol. Metal Rhythm guitar Vol 1. goes deep in timing and how rests work so it’s been helping a lot.
I have noticed a lot of IT/Software folks here as well. Seems like work from home and working on computers is a perfect combination to start playing guitar!
It’s is definitely overkill for the work I’m doing haha, but it is replacing an expensive gaming PC and I didn’t want a downgrade. I was considering a Macbook, but remembered the Mac Studio from when they announced it. The Specs blow similarly priced Macbooks out of the water so I thought screw it and pulled the trigger.
My favorite part of this website/community is getting to see others on similar journeys to me progress and be inspired by their AVoYP posts. I really think I would not have stuck with it this long without it!
How it’s been going:
On month 2 of Grade 2 consolidation and I feel like I’m steadily making real progress. I’m continuing my Rock Study using Justin’s Rock song book, I’m on song 4 La Grange which I’ll speak to more below. I’ve also been slowing moving forward in Troy Stetina’s Metal Rhythm Guitar method which I’ll also speak more about below. It’s been great going through these 2 at the same time because when I feel I’ve hit a wall in one it seems like the gives me a sense of momentum. I dread the day where I hit a well on both, hah.
Tales From The Crypt - 2/6 songs in vol 1 of metal rhythm guitar. Palm muting mayhem! It’s took me a really long time to get this song right. I started the song at 70% speed and slowly moved up until I got it to 100% yesterday. AVOYP: Tales From The Crypt - Troy Stetina
La Grange - Why does ZZ Tops groove have to be so tight? Makes it really inconvenient to try and cover this song! I’ve been playing it for 2 weeks now and while I feel like it’s improved, it still is a ways away from me posting it. The first riff has a finger stretch that I just can’t do. I ended up moving my fingers a little different than Justin suggests in his video lesson. Same notes though so lets see how that goes.
The Plan:
Focusing on chapter 3 of Metal rhythm and guitar and La Grange for my rock study. La Grange is probably the hardest song I’ve ever attempted to play (at least play the whole rhythm part). I’m going to keep pushing through and I do feel like I’m slowly getting it. The next song after the is In Bloom by Nirvana (one of my favorite bands!). I’ve been playing that song pretty well since the rock module in grade 2 so I think that shouldn’t take too long to get. So I don’t mind spending some extra time with La Grange to get it right. Anyway I’m getting super close to my planned end of Grade 2 consolidation (3 months), yay!
Great update Alexis. You’re development is coming along really well. You’re really nailing the foundations down. I wouldn’t worry so much about deadlines for the consolidation period as from what I have seen your not just consolidating the skills you have learned in the previous grades but you’ve continued to learn new things through your JG rock studies and Troy’s material. I’d just move on when you feel you are ready and/or need new material to keep your practice sessions fresh.
You’ve inspired me Alex, I just went and ordered the Rock Songbook and I’m going to do the same thing you are and learn all the songs . Although I don’t think I’ll post videos of them all, that’s your thing.
Yeah at this point it’s definitely an arbitrary date as I do feel like I’ve consolidated most of the parts of grade 2 that I’m aiming to consolidate (basically all the rock stuff, F chord, some bluesly lead stuff). I did want to go into finger style a little but there is just too much interest in the rock stuff.
I’m going to keep on waiting for the 3rd month simply cause Grade 3’s not finished yet and the longer I consolidate the less chance I’ll catch up and have to wait for lessons lol.
@jkahn Awesome that you’re purchasing the book! It’s so weird cause most of what’s in there Justin already has lessons for free on the website but there is something about going through a physical book that really resonates with me. And then there are some songs that justin doesn’t have lessons for on the website but does in the book like If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next. It’s really great range of songs that cover a bunch of different Rock Genres.
I think there is time later for that to be honest. I think Grade 2 was more of an introduction to fingerstyle as I’ve had spend time learning outside of the Grade 2 material. I have to admit I’m eager to see you playing something else with that new acoustic guitar that you got yourself. Likewise you’re probably eager to see me playing something on that electric that I got myself.
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… nice to see such a well-structured LL, you will look back on it later (and now of course) with great pleasure and pride…
. Although I don’t think I’ll post videos of them all, that’s your thing.