Andy's Learning Log ... (from Indiana)

Community Hub Learning Logs
1

Hi my name is Andy, I have been hanging around this site and loving it for about a year or so now but I don’t post very much … I’m hoping to change that here in 2026!
I’m heading into retirement this year so I’ve got more time for guitar.
I’m still in grade 1 and I’ve been having a lot fun trying out the Solo Blues lessons.
https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/boom-bass-with-licks-sbr-001

Here’s my first video of a practice session doing the Boom Bass with Licks.
BoomBaseWithLicks

Man, I gotta say, seeing yourself trying to play for the first time is pretty jarring, you can really see a lot you never realized.
I think the most trouble I have had with learning this is putting the whole thing together and remembering what comes next after learning a few sections.

The metronome is next for me but I’m not quite there yet keeping up with it.
I really love just picking this up everyday and messing around and I’m glad I found this place.
–Andy

8 Likes
2

Hello Andy,

Welcome to the Community, mate.

Quality environment here, with a great ethos, and friendly people.
Stick close to Justin’s lessons, and reach our here anytime.

You did well on the Bass Boom licks. Just keep at it. You’re movin’ in the right direction.

And yes, seeing yourself, while ‘jarring’ at times,is super valuable. The fact you picked up on a few things is even better.

All the best.

Cheers, Shane

3

Thanks Shane, so glad this place is here

4

A good effort.

Did you make a conscious decision to play with a pick, instead of fingerstyle? I ask because the Solo Blues course is intended for fingerstyle play. And while Boom Bass with Licks is doable with a pick (because the bass notes and the lead licks are played separately in different measures), I think you’ll find the other pieces in the course will need to be played fingerstyle.

If your goal is to learn those pieces, I would recommend getting into fingerstyle sooner rather than later. Good luck!

5

Hi Andy,
a beautiful guitar, and it’s easy to hear you’ve got the blues in your soul! That practice session is going really well, keep it going, I’m looking forward to more blues recordings from you.
Cheers Withold

6

Thanks, yeah, I’ll need to get more and more into fingerstyle but my thumb gets pretty raw that way now and that limits how much I can play. I tried a thumb pick for awhile and I didn’t really like it. I’ve tried the next Steady Thumb Blues song and there I end up using the pick for the base and fingers 2 & 3 for the rest. Guess I’ll need to just get that thumb in better shape!

1 Like
7

Thanks Withold! these blues are pretty fun I have to say.

1 Like
8

Hey Andy!
You probably already know that using a pick & your fingers at the same time is called “Hybrid Picking”… an incredibly useful skill & it’s a tremendous thing to have in your toolbox as you progress!!! Also good to have good picking techniques & fingerstyle ability but hybrid picking is a difficult goal for many to master! Good on you!!!
Good luck!!!

Tod

9

Thanks Tod, just trying to be kind to the old thumb :wink:

1 Like
10

I enjoyed that Andy, and thanks for posting. Love to follow your learning log and see / hear your progress.

Thats a really nice guitar you have there and great tone !!!

Best, Ian

11

Thanks Ian, this is my first guitar, the tone is a small Fender LT25 amp on the jazz preset.
I was wanting to maybe learn solo jazz or solo classic when I bought it but I’m liking the solo blues right now.
I grew up listening to RUSH but I can’t see me playing any of that solo :wink:

1 Like
12

Andy, you are off to a great start! Keep at it, use the Match My Sound to play along with, slowly at first and gradually speed it up. I am currently working on this tune. It has taken me close to a month to get it to about 90% speed.
Something I found useful is to play the ending Robert Johnson bit with the third finger starting on the B (third string) second finger on the D (second string) sliding up for each triplet, ending on the Ab (G#) (third finger, third string) then simply slide down to the D#7 keeping third finger on the third string to get to the third fret, place second finger on second string at second fret and fourth or little finger on the first string third fret. Simple slide to the E chord from there.
Sounds complicated when I write it down, but I found the transition much easier than reconfiguring my fingers to the standard form. Try it and see if it works for you.

13

Hey thanks! Those triplets are tricky, I’ll give that a try, think I know what you mean there.
I found MatchMySound is good for looping but wish it would let you add a blank beat to the end or beginning of a loop. I’m not crazy about the recording score feature, so I’m starting to use a metronome for now. I tried the Follow Me feature too which did track my notes but it doesn’t help with timing.

14

If you click on the back button at the bottom (or right side, depending on orientation) the track will begin with a two measure count in. I find that helps to establish the beat for the given bpm selection. When I want to work on a single section of the piece, I start the program a measure or two before the section to establish the beat.

1 Like