Hi Steve, thank you for reading and commenting. I’m still using the consolidation status. Next week I intend to post an update with specific details about my consolidation. I think it’s a good idea to include dates.
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2024-05-07
I’m now six months into a combined consolidation of Beginner Guitar Course [Classic] and Beginner Guitar Course Grades 1 & 2 review. Progress has been slower than expected, but feeling that I’m learning or improving is a higher ranking factor than the time spent when assessing if an alternative approach is needed.
C major scale
With the C major scale I’ve been focusing on playing while saying the notes aloud, but I’ve started also to try a little more of just playing it. Playing it in reverse order is not still fluent. Last practice I put on hold the alternate picking C major scale exercise and split the one with all downs picking into three exercises : One for Do, Re, Mi… syllabic note names; other one for A, B, C… alphabetical note names; and other one just for playing it. It worked much better this way.
Blues Guitar Solo
The blues guitar solo of Grade 2 is improving. I can play now most of it with better fluency, except the las two bars that the melody moves down the neck. Justin has a Guitar Pro file for this one.
Come As You Are Riff
The Come As You Are riff is getting better. My brain is now connecting the dots and the fingers are collaborating. After adding the completion date to the status, as Steve @SteveL_G99 suggested, I found that with the current practice time I’m putting on the riffs, each riff is taking me from 4 to 5 months to be ready. Even if I don’t make changes in my routine to make available more practice time for the riffs it’s good to know how long is taking, so I can assess better my progress and soften my expectations. For now I don’t’ want to push harder with the riffs. It’s a lot of fun just as it is.
6/8 Strumming Pattern
For the 6/8 strumming pattern I’m still practicing it at snail pace doing only the down strums to automate them and later add the two up strums. Mixed results so far. I’ve started using Guitar Pro to help me with that.
12 Bar Blues Variations
I’m still practicing the fourth 12 bar blues variation of the beginner course. I’m now trying to play it synced with a blues drum pattern. Playing it on the right beat has been elusive so far.
Two Bar Strumming Patterns
Last practice I dropped from the practice one of the two two-bar strumming patterns that are suggested for two songs I’m learning as now I can play it fluently and I’m using it at least partially in the song. The time I was using for that one I’m now using it for more C major scale practice.
Ode To Joy Exercise
Ode to Joy has not progressed as I expected. I think is mainly due to the very sporadic the practice of this piece has become. Therefore, I haven’t practiced enough how to sync better the melody and the looped accompaniment. I can do now better C-F-C chord changes in the electric for the looped accompaniment. What I was doing wrong was allowing the neck to move while moving my fretting fingers. That was due to having gotten accustomed to my acoustic that has a lesser tendency to move while changing chords.
Blues exercise
This exercise hasn’t gotten too much practice lately.
The Rhythm Push
As I’m using this skill for practicing La Bamba I can now mark this one as In Progress.
Consolidation StatusFor Justin Guitar Beginner Guitar Course Grades 1 and 2:
| Selected Lesson: | Module | Status |
|---|---|---|
| A 6:8 Strumming Pattern | 6 | In Progress |
| Dynamic Improvements | 7 | |
| All Down 8th Note Strumming | 8 | |
| Open E Minor Pentatonic Scale | 8 | |
| The Stuck 3&4 Chords | 8 | |
| Ups to the All Downs (16ths) | 9 | |
| C Major Scale | 9 | In Progress |
| 5 Common Chord Progressions | 10 | Done 2023-10-26 |
| Alternate Picking C Major | 10 | On Hold |
| Beginner Hammer-Ons | 10 | |
| Major Scale Improvisation | 10 | |
| The Rhythm Push | 10 | In Progress |
| Introduction to Dice Songwriting | 11 | |
| Beginner Sus Chords | 11 | |
| Re-Active Listening | 11 | |
| Shuffle Grooves and Strumming | 13 | |
| Beginner Blues Solo | 13 | In Progress |
| 12 Bar Blues Progressions | 13 | |
| Backbeat Hit | 14 | |
| Essential Slash Chords | 14 |
| Riff: | Status |
|---|---|
| Peter Gunn Theme | Done 2023-04-09 |
| Seven Nation Army | Done 2023-08-24 |
| Sunshine of Your Love | Done 2024-01-20 |
| Come as You Are | In Progress |
| Wish You Were Here | |
| Californication | |
| La Bamba (Option 1) | |
| La Bamba (Option 2) | |
| Happy Birthday Finger Style | |
| Enter Sandman | |
| 12 Bar Shuffle |
For The Justin Guitar Easy Guitar Songbook:
| Song: | Status |
|---|---|
| Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way | |
| Blowin' Smoke | |
| Boys 'Round Here | |
| Dance the Night Away | |
| Feelin' Alright | |
| Give Peace a Chance | |
| You Never Can Tell | |
| You Sound Good to Me |
For the Hal Leonard Guitar Method:
| Exercise: | Status |
|---|---|
| Spanish Theme | Done 2023-04-09 |
| World Beat | Done 2023-08-24 |
| Ode To Joy | In Progress |
| Blues | In Progress |
| Rockin’ Robin | |
| Yankee Doodle | |
| Surf Rock | |
| Au Clair De La Lune | |
| Aura Lee | |
| He’s A Jolly Good Fellow |
For the Reader’s Digest The Complete Guitar Course: Learn To Play in 20 Easy-To-Follow Lessons:
| Excercise: | Status |
|---|---|
| A Bad Moon Rising | |
| Stand By Me | |
| Michael Row The Boat Ashore | |
| Jingle Bells | |
| Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star | |
| Edelweiss |
Other:
| Excercise: | Status |
|---|---|
| Two Bar Strumming Pattern for La Bamba | Done 2024-04-26 |
| Two Bar Strumming Pattern for A Horse With No Name | In Progress |
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