I had to throw the “y’all” in there because, y’know, Texas. Anyway, I picked up the guitar almost two years ago at the tender age of 55. I took a few lessons in my mid-teens but didn’t stick with it, then spent the next 40 years telling myself I should give it another go, so I finally did. I found Justin thanks to the folks in one of the guitar subreddits.
I’ve made it through Grade 2, and have found myself in that “end-of-beginner’s-course field” that Justin talks about at the end of Module 14 - meandering between a dozen different skills that I want to improve upon and not really mastering any of them. I’m trying to figure out when I should move on to Grade 3. Part of the challenge is that I want to learn it all, I want to master it all, and that’s a lot to ask. And after playing acoustic (Yamaha FS800) for a year-plus, I compounded the challenge by adding an electric (Epi Les Paul Studio) to my arsenal, so now there are a bunch of buttons and knobs to figure out between the guitar and amp, in addition to my actual guitar skills. And I still want to spend quality time with the acoustic. So, right now I’m trying to consolidate my consolidation routine to something manageable so that I can feel good about moving on to Grade 3.
I’d love to find some local players that are at about the same development level to jam and practice with. Although I’ve been using justinguitar for almost two years, this is the first time I’ve ventured into the forum, so I don’t know if there is a category for people looking for jam buddies. That would be a great service.
I’m looking forward to conversing with and learning from y’all as we go forward on this journey.
Welcome to the community. Nice to hear from you. I remember our family’s first visit to Texas when I was about 7 years old, we all came home wearing cowboy hats.
I started playing at the age of 53 some 10 years ago now. It’s been a real hoot and worth every bit of effort. What made the difference for me was learning to play my first song all. the way from start to finish. After that it stopped being hard work and started being fun.
I also joined a local acoustic music club in my first year and that helped immensely. It was such fun to jam with others and learn to lead a song in a jam, that sort of thing. The club has an ethos of encouragement and fun which made a lot of difference to me.
I suggest considering making some recordings and sharing those in #record-yourself-progress-performance:audio-video-of-you-playing as part of consolidation. Doesn’t need to be fancy, just a simple recording made with a phone. Will get you feedback and encouragement. That will help with consolidation before embarking on Grade 3.
Hello, Scott. We are in a similar space in the guitar journey. I finished Beg 2 a short while ago and then made a few recordings as part of my consolidation. I intend to make regular recordings as I consolidate, but I did move on to lesson 15 and am now doing a sort of dual effort of consolidating and teasing myself with some new exercises. The way Justin has restructured lesson 15 there is ample time to hone those Beg 1 & 2 foundations while learning some new stuff. Be warned though, Beg 3 requires a quantum leap in time committed; especially the way I chose to go. Basically one hour in the morning on lesson 15, Music Theory, Tabs and one hour in the afternoon polishing and updating songs I have been working on from the earlier lessons. The fun never ends!
@DavidP and @Richard_close2u I appreciate the pointers to other community resources, I’ll definitely check them out. I have made a couple of recordings of my playing, whether I’m brave enough to share them … well, we’ll see!
@tony I think heading home from your first visit to Texas sporting a cowboy hat is a pretty common occurrence. And boots! Finding a local acoustic club or something similar would be great. Austin is a town that prides itself on its music scene, so maybe I’ll be able to find something similar.
@ChasetheDream I did peek ahead at Module 15 and got a sense it will be a bigger time commitment, but I think you are right that continuing to consolidate while I move through that module will probably be the way to go. Just another reason I should retire so I can devote more time to this!
Hey now… I’m in North Austin (Round Rock to be exact). I just started, but who knows where my path takes me. Similar story here. 47 years old, bought an acoustic maybe 20 years ago and never really did much with it. My father passed last year and my older brother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s… Decided I had to give it a real shot now or I’d die with regret. Sounds a lot more morbid than it is really. Spent my whole life loving music, but never did anything about it. So this year is the year, I’m a bout a month in and have really enjoyed it. Justin Guitar is great, tried a few others but none seem to motivate me as much.
Anyways, i’ll keep an eye out, either for motivation or if I do “catch up” at some point, could be fun to hang out a bit.
@javierdlopez We are very close to each other, I’m also in North Austin (Avery Ranch, to be exact, near Cedar Park). I’m sorry to hear about your family’s challenges, but if it gives you the motivation to pursue something you’ve always wanted to do, then something good can come of it. Good luck on your journey, Justin is a great teacher, and yes, I’d love to hang out and play a bit whenever you feel it!
Sounds like you’ve made good progress, ha and good purchases ! Yes its a funny old stage at the end of the Beginner Grades and probably more so following the re-write and extra material. Nothing wrong with taking your time consolidating and applying what you have learnt, while thinking about what next. Just move onto Grade 3 when it feels right for you.
Welcome Scott, good to meet you
I’m a couple of modules off finishing grade 2 and feel like I’m already in your same scenario of wondering which direction I’m going to go in. But the main thing is I’m always smiling with a guitar in hand!
Have spent some time in Houston on work but not been back there for a while, Texas is an awesome part of the world.
Looking forward to hearing more from you!
