JohnnyZNN's learning log

[JohnnyZNN]

I’ll also start keeping a log of my progress here, if only for myself so I can look back later on how my guitar journey went.

Ten days ago (Wednesday, December 17) , I received my Ibanez Jiva10 (maybe not a typical beginner’s guitar, but it was the one I immediately loved) and a secondhand Boss Katana 50 mk2.
I had already watched the Beginner Grade 1 Module 1 videos several times beforehand, so I could start the Practice Routine right away.
I plugged in the Ibanez, set the Katana to 1.5 watts, and set it to a clean sound, and off I went.
It immediately became clear that I wasn’t a natural talent; the A and D chords were far from perfect, not to mention Anchor Finger Practice and One Minute Changes.
After a week of multiple sessions a day and the well-known sore fingertips, everything is going much more smoothly. The chords almost always go well, but not very quickly yet. I can’t yet manage to place all my fingers simultaneously, but I’m sure I’ll get there.
Anchor Finger Practice isn’t yet problem-free, so I’m practicing that extra each session. One-Minute Changes are above 40.
So I decided yesterday (day 9) to start Module 2.

The E chord went pretty well right away. I often listen to music in the car (I have to drive a lot for work) and I’m always tapping my steering wheel to the beat, so Strumming On The Beat works pretty well for me, although tapping the floor with my foot and moving my pick hand up and down without picking is still a bit awkward, but I’ll get used to that too.
Today I played along with the beginner songs in the app for the first time.
I started with Dance the Night Away at the slowest speed.
That went pretty well; not all the chords were smooth, but I had plenty of time to change chords, because the song was so slow and dragged on.
Then I tried playing along at 100% speed, which didn’t go as well, but was much more fun. I think I even had a smile on my face.

Now on day 10 I’m quite happy with my progress, I didn’t expect to have achieved this after a total of 6.5 to 7 hours of practice.
I still have a few days off so I’m trying to do at least 3 sessions a day until I have to go back to work and will probably only be able to do 1 session a day.
I’ll try to make my chord changes and playing along with songs a bit faster and smoother and then start on Module 3.

[starman_70]

Hi Johnny !
Good Job starting a learning log. It’s helped me immensely. Sounds like your well on your way, but be careful of overdoing it for now. One session a day is plenty for the time being. Consistency is more important than quantity IMHO (I’ve been playing piano and guitar for many years–mostly piano until recently ).

I’m jealous of your guitar gear. Do post a picture! And a video. I’d love to see your rig in action.

Best of luck on your journey!
Paul

[JohnnyZNN]

I added a picture of my gear to my post.
Maybe a video someday if I can play a song or something.

Thanks for your advice, I also think a session a day is better. I find that during the first session, all the exercises work best, but after that, it gets a bit sloppy.

[starman_70]

Nice gear!

[JohnnyZNN]

Thanks!

[JohnnyZNN]

I’ve been practicing for about a month and a half now. This is about the point I feared my guitar would end up hanging on the wall as an expensive ornament. But thankfully, that hasn’t happened.

I’m still practicing faithfully (almost) every day and still enjoying it. I have to force myself to grab my guitar and practice, but once I get going it’s hard to put the “her” down.

Meanwhile, I’ve reached Grade 1 Module 3. It’s going pretty well. Chord Perfect Em and Am chords are going smoothly, One-Minute Changes from Am to E and from Am to Em are above 50, Anchor Fingerwork is also going reasonably well, as is the Seven Nation Army riff. It’s so much l fun to play something recognizable.
No one will recognize any song I play in 10 Min Song Practice, but it’s fun to play along with the app and it will undoubtedly be useful later in the course.
Strumming is still a bit awkward, One-Minute Changes from Em to D are just above the required 30, but they sound far from good compared to the other One-Minute Changes I do.
So I’ll have to pay extra attention to both exercises.

I also bought some measuring tools, took the plunge (after watching many YouTube videos) and adjusted the neck relief and lowered the string action a bit. This made the guitar much easier to play.

[JohnnyZNN]

I knew this would happen eventually. A second guitar.
While I don’t regret buying the Ibanez for a second, it’s clearly a shredding/metal guitar.
The pickups refuse to produce a clean sound, which makes it difficult to hear if I’m playing the chords correctly while practicing. There’s always a bit of overdrive.
So I figured I needed a second guitar to practice on (at least that’s what I convinced myself, ).

Today I went online to look for a used guitar.
I briefly considered an acoustic, but because I often practice in the evenings (don’t want to annoy the neighbors) and because you can’t adjust the volume on an acoustic guitar, I ended up looking for an other electric.
When I saw this Vintage v100AFD Paradise Tribute Les Paul, I was sold.

After watching some reviews on YouTube, I jumped in my car and picked it up.
It’s a copy of the Les Paul Slash used on the Apetite for Destruction album.
Do the pickups deliver a clean sound? Absolutely. Now I can hear what my chords sound like.
Is the guitar easier to play than the Ibanez? No.
The Vintage makes me work harder.
But it has a different neck and thicker strings (10-46, while the Ibanez has 9-42), and I’ve only had one practice session on the Vintage, so I still need to get used to it.

But since this is a learning log, here’s an update.
I’m still practicing almost every day, but I’m taking it easy, so I’m only at Module 4 and occasionally doing some exercises from previous modules.
Finger stretch, the Dm chord is going well, and I’m managing 30+ changes in One Minute Chord Changes, although not all of them sound without muted strings, so that still needs work.
I don’t have much trouble with the Sunshine of Your Love riff, nor with The Old Faithful Strumming Pattern. Although I haven’t used it in songs yet.
Playing along with the songs remains fun, even though the chord transitions aren’t always smooth. I can start Module 5, but I’m not bored with the exercises in Module 4 yet, so I’ll keep trying to improve those.

As I mentioned before, I was afraid I’d given up playing guitar by now, but nothing could be further from the truth.
I’d hoped to be a bit better at it than I am now, but I still enjoy picking up the guitar (now I have to choose which one) and start practicing.
And that’s what matters most to me.

Thank you Justin and everyone else who helps with JustinGuitar.com for everything you do!
although it is an expensive hobby