Video of me practicing ‘Handle with care’
I think I got it correctly at 12 minutes.
2 Likes
Well done, feels like you are getting there and quite fast.
February ‘23
Coming up on 1 year anniversary. First 4 months mainly playing electric working on technique. I think I was was a little intimidated so I spent more time reading than playing (a lot of music theory, and making my own transcriptions from Justin’s lessons). My 1st Goal was to play “don’t look back in anger “. I realized it was a little above my abilities. I did concentrate on the solo’s and the beginning of “yellow lead better “. I was focusing more on scales major and pentatonic.
I hurt my wrist and couldn’t play for 6 weeks. During that time I started using the ear interval trainer app. Which definitely improved my ability to recognize notes and different intervals.
Past 6 months practicing on acoustic. I purchased a new acoustic and it was a word of difference. (My 1st acoustic was junk). I started working on campfire songs and xmas songs. For 2-3 months mainly xmas so I did have a clear goal.
I have been struggling the past month on which direction to take my playing.
I decided for now to go back to electric. I have a couple pedals I’ve never used and it’s time
Goals reached in 1st year
— I can fumble through about a dozen songs.
None are at the level for me to perform yet, but
It feels like I am getting there.
*Songs *
Hurt
Wish you were here
Handle with care
Heart of gold
Mad world
Runaway train
Learning to Fly
Heroes
Comfortably numb
Friday I’m in love
A couple of xmas songs
— spider, finger gym, pinky exercise (up and
down the neck)
— 60+ chord changes/min
— disappearing metronome @ 60, 80, 100,
120 bpm. I’m able to count the # missed during
practice, instead of the # of strums made in
time
— playing distracted (watch tv reading
subtitles) during strumming practice, finger.
exercises, songs
— Chords A, Amin, Bmin, C , D, E, Emin, F, G
A &D Sus, stuck 3&4
Avop ‘Handle with Care and ‘learning to fly’ Handle with Care 2/3/23 my version - YouTube . “Learning to fly “ sort off 2/3/23 - YouTube .
2 Likes
Happy almost guitar anniversary Jason. I remember your don’t look back in anger video since it’s one of the songs I eventually want to learn. You’ve made a lot of progress, really enjoyed your 2 AVOYP. Especially handle with care, your strumming is really consistent with good rhythm.
Hi Jason, congratulations on the coming up 1 year guitar anniversary. You have progressed more than you acknowledge. Keep the enthusiasm and dedication.
So much fun playing with pedals. Just messing around figuring things out. I tried to stay in key. Not sure which one. Bmin ish ? Also playing chords up and down neck, triads, 3rds,
1 Like
March 2023. Update
Started playing my electric guitar more using my pedals having a lot of fun doing it. Still working on the looper and how exactly to implement it into practice and getting the timing right
Still practicing finger gym spider pinky work out strumming. And added the 1 and 2 bar picked finger style exercise. Really need to improve the picking out individual notes.
Yesterday I started the grade 2 Strumming SOS course. I plan to follow it very strictly.
1st video for grade 2 strumming
Changed how I hold the guitar again to make my strumming arm at more of an angle. It was very parallel to my guitar.
I also found Justin’s jam track YouTube channel
I was having fun with this last night. I like how the video showed the chords and different ways of playing them. It was a fun jam.
I still look way too stiff when strumming or playing. But my timing has gotten so much better. I love making the metronome disappear.
3 Likes
March 2023
I wish I was a guitar savant there is just so much I wish I can do.
Even updating my log seems impossible. I don’t know what to right. Other people have awesome logs. I’m just going to stick with making videos and hopefully there will be progress.
Some thoughts
- Grade 2 sos course has great lessons that should really change my playing. I feel like every song I play sounds the same. I think I have been adding fills and dynamics to my playing.
- My Technique practice has stalled. I am still doing it religiously. But I’m not sensing any improvement. OMC stays the same.
- been playing more up and down the neck. Getting away from open chords
- Finally playing electric more.
- Trying my pedals especially reverb(just got). And looper. Still working on timing
- Standing and playing a lot more. This eliminates a lot of the the ‘ am I holding guitar correctly?’ problems.
Repertoire:
Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
- my new song
I started a Joke. - FNM
- need to go back to
Still Waiting - Sum41
- I need a get up and rock song
New Practice Routine
Still deciding on what chords for OMC.
F#min > C#min
AM7 > Asus4
G > everything
2 Likes
Plateaus can be frustrating, Jason, but I think are just part of how we learn. Keep on with the practice and enjoy your playing, and in due course I am sure improvements will come.
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‘Learning guitar’
My own parody song. Yesterday I was thinking I do not know 5 songs I could play. I don’t know why I decided to make a song about how I don’t know any songs. This is what I ended up with. Never thought I would write anything.
Cheers!
Feedback always welcome.
4 Likes
Inspired by Learning to Fly 
I couldn’t make out a lot of the lyrics unfortunately! But dude… your playing has come a long way! You got the rhythm down, nice chord work and playing sounded great!
I think you’re better than you think you are. So many of us look at what we want to play, and our challenging practice sessions, and wish we could be better. And then we watch videos of other people’s performances… not their practice!
Tone of your guitar also sounded great.
Thanks @jkahn
I think this my best performance. Came out a lot better than I thought. I was shocked
I updated video with lyrics. Put in wrong edit before. I always mess something up.
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Hi Jason, congratulations on your first original. Taking borrowed some of the 
or phrasing from somewhere else is just part of the exploration.
Jason I think same as JK you are far better than you think. Let’s look at positives - you hear the rhythm and you keep it as your arm movement clearly indicates. That is good! You clearly can strum more than one strum per bar, slowly getting there with good old faithful. I think based on that video where you slip up is when you don’t know the lyrics by heart. Try playing the same song without singing and record yourself, check if you can notice even better flow (which was already pretty good considering you are only one year in).
You can also play while standing up, that is very good thing to know so early in your learning journey so good job!
Overall don’t beat yourself up, you are really doing great in my eyes 
with more practice you will definitely get even better! All the best Jason
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Thanks. I’ve been playing standing. I think it’s so much easier and better for me. To keep my strumming consistent. And I’m not so concerned about how I’m holding guitar. It feels more natural and it doesn’t look as stiff as when I’m sitting
Cheers
April 2023. Update
- Playing with fingers closer to frets.
- lossened fretting hand
- playing standing helps me to not crane neck
- using looper for drones and loops
- triads
- Bmin
- playing with drum backing 90bpm ‘Fade to Black’
April practice
- Notes on neck
- Finger stretch exercise
- pattern 1 major scale
- B and Bin
SONGS
‘Somewhere Only We Know’
‘Hallelujah’
Still Waiting’
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‘Hallelujah’
Not really sure I am going with this song.
I tried playing several different ways. For some reason I decided to go finger style.
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April 25 2023
Just had my lesson with Justin,awesome!!!I thank you. I definitely got some direction where I should be going to reach my goal goal. We went over how to play soundscapes, layering in style Gilmore from Pink Floyd.
-What we covered-
(What I can remember 3 hrs later, should have done this earlier)
Creating layers:
Chord tones, stay in key , major scale, modes, Sus triads,
First loop rhythm, two bars, soloing over using major scale, Sus triads
In the key of G was using the G major scale up and down the neck need to learn the patterns to be able to do that
My strumming was good both of my acoustic and electric thank God
What to practice next:
-Major Chord Maestro Module
-scale patterns
5 Likes
You had a Justin lesson? Awesome. Lucky guy!
While it’s still fresh in my memory.
Some after thoughts, questions . Wish I could remember every detail.
Triad, sus chords, fingering.
Suspended Triads
Was I supposed to end layer with a sus triad so I’m able to keep playing and go anywhere??
Or make layer using Sus Triads??
First layer chord or chord progressions? Either.
Next layer rhythm? Or do you get the rhythm playing the chord/s on the first layer?
Use major scale to improvise over layers.
Create a layer using suspended triads?
Need to find Sus triad finger placement where I can easily change not moving finger.