So Nicole well discovered. And what is your ultimate destination in this guitar journey? Are you turning into a Blimmer perchance? Peter
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That’s a very good question. It might well be that I will be blimming along happily in five or ten years from now.
The book I told you about that I bought more than 20 years ago and of which I never even really read more than say 30 pages (it was so dry) came with a CD of very early Blues recordings… Of course I had bought the book because of the CD. I wasn’t playing guitar at the time. But it all starts to make sense now.
It’s hard to describe how I feel. Probably the best comparison is that I feel like I felt as a child when I learned to read. I couldn’t read well of course at first but I could identify some simple words… and that opened the door to a huge world of wonders out there. I knew that I would learn to read better with time and that this would enable me to discover at least some of these wonders.
On Tuesday I played around with picking notes of the Pentatonic Em scale in first position. Without backing track, just listening to the sound I was producing, repeating certain lines.
Yesterday I then thought, so what if improvising only starts in the next module ( I think). Searched that backing track and tried. I soon noticed how limited I was with only playing the notes in the open position and jumped an octave, then back and forth for some time trying to find out how these repetitive lines sound in these two different octaves, or what would happen if I would sprinkle a note from the different octave here and there
Most likely, it wasn’t all too pleasant to the ears of a random listener (my husband didn’t agree to listen for a longer time), but I knew that I was playing with notes in the scale that would suit the backing track. I think it’s @stitch who often talks about how important it is to make music. And that’s what I was doing
So, where will this take me in the end? I don’t know. We will see. I won’t take stress about it. If there is one thing I know that I’m good with when it comes to music, then it’s listening closely, listening attentively, wanting to understand. And I do think that’s an important skill should I ever start blimming many years from now 
(This became a wall of text. Still, I hope I managed to capture some of the magic I felt yesterday
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Fully understand. Some of the early books I bought (pre CD) came with a little thin vinyl 45 stuck to the inside cover. It all makes more sense now with retrospect.
E minor pentatonic is fantastic because all the open strings fit. Try learning the whole scale all the way up the neck. Leave the low E open as a drone backing, picking it with the thumb…
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One fine day I will try just that …
I will get to the moon, one pattern at a time 
I’m so happy to read this. Music begins with the ears and the internet has made people think they need to use there eye.
Using your ears puts you lightyears ahead on your musical journey.
This is also a good Idea. Adding more patterns to early won’t make you a better player. You’ve already figured out the next octive by listening, that’s a good thing. I think you will naturally figure the rest out in time just by listening to what sounds good.
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Wait…that’s “the” Les Paul?
YES. He was also a pioneer or even invented multi-track recording hence tape machines and headphones…How Highs The Moon?
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Very high of course. I know that I know nothing, or next to nothing and that’s exactly where I’m supposed to be at this stage of my guitar journey 
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It’s a little obscure, Nicole. I shan’t say, not being a member. Safe to say you have word two right.
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I have meanwhile figured it out, David ( watched the recording) And… I will be silent as well, since you can never know what these Boozing Bar Players are up to 
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So… I did it, I started Grade 2, module 9 today. I went through the premade practice routines plus random additional items 1.5 times which each of my three guitars. My husband said you did nothing else today than play guitar and eat. (For the record, I also drank coffee and water and took care of my personal hygiene. Otherwise he is correct 
)
I still don’t understand, what clicked in my head. It’s a complete mystery. I can get all strings of the F-barre chord to to ring out cleanly. Reliably enough. With all three guitars - the semi-hollow, the acoustic, and the electric.
In fact, playing barre chords with the Godin is a breeze. It’s a side note only that Bm sounds fine. Perhaps worth mentioning that I can manage a Gm. Won’t need that now though unless I decide to invest some time into Fools Garden’s “Lemon Tree” now. It’s tempting, but I should probably be reasonable 
I tried sliding the F-Barre chord shape around to G and A or back and forth between F and G. While that’s a lot of fun, I will also need much more routine.
Needless to say that my changes from open chords to Barre chords are clumsy and slow. It will take time. I’m not taking any stress about it. I know it will get better in the foreseeable future.
And now? Strangely according to the self-evaluation guidelines set out here (https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/module-9-practice-schedule-b2-911) I could already move on.
Not gonna do that though, instead I will still spend some quality time in this module
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Well done Nicole, sounds like a really productive day ! A boy isn’t it a treat when something clicks and you wonder why the heck it took so long ! 
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It’s also the chords for “All Along The Watchtower”…A, G F
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And he’s not talking about working out what BBP stands for 
well done, Nicole, you’re doing well. Keep it up.
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Phew. Glad about that one!
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See. Can’t have people thinking I would only play guitar and smell bad 
@TheMadman_tobyjenner @Socio Thanks 
Thanks. At some point, looking back this will likely be a small thing, but right now it’s opening the door wide for finally slowly but surely, step by step becoming better at guitar.
Ach James @socio, I’m also really happy that I know now for sure that it’s not Bolding Blues Players 
@rorystrat Hmm, more candies 
Tempting, very tempting… Still… I have to remember my vegetables… 
Seriously though … four weeks of vacation ahead. Today I have to start building a somewhat realistic plan for all my building blocks: Grade 2 practice; revisiting Strumming SOS 1 (playing with pick); getting serious about the Finger Strumming Course (playing without pick); simple finger picking (simply because it’s so deeply ingrained in my memory from many years back); song practice (those that I really want to play and that might not be included in Justin’s Tabs); continued work at the Em Pentatonic scale; practical music theory (I’m at the end of Grade 3 but should probably start over); singing (Discover your voice course has been on ice for more than a year)… 
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Wonderful Nicole, learning is like that sometimes, no progress for a while and then a breakthrough. I’ve also found once or twice that I couldn’t do something, moved off to other things, and when some time later I returned to the thing I couldn’t do, suddenly without more practice I could.
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Looks like that is what happened in my F-barre chord case as well. Stuart @ziggysden made an excellent post about this in Silvia’s LL.
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