JokuMuu's Learning Log

Hi Deborah
You’re absolutely right :sunglasses:, and I’m also reading this with a big grin, especially because after Nicole had that lesson she posted that pentatonic thing…Come on, that’s just funny. :blush: :smile:…and just to be clear… .very understandable to me, as I already confessed this morning :blush:

Greetings and Thanks Nicole still looking at those papers on the back with all the things gibberchaddernonsens I have written down there :laughing:

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Great. If you’ve got that Emin Pentatoninc Pattern under your fingers in that position you can play the opening riff to “Shakin’ All Over”. That’s all it is:

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Ha, ha, ha… :joy: :rofl: I honestly realized that only after the comments came in yesterday. It’s funny in fact. For some reason I was firmly convinced that my noble goal of “slowing down” does not apply to my scale excursion. That this at least would be completely out of the equation ( I hadn’t discussed anything about scales with Jari (guitar teacher) on Monday).

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Thanks :slightly_smiling_face: I will have a look…

well its a bit like learning rocket science at the nasa just to build a little volcano for school

true , It made me laugh :rofl:

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I think from what Peter @rorystrat said in the following post, you are closer than you think.
But don’t worry too much for now, park that video but bare it in mind. To me the representation of scales in intervals/degrees as shown here (rather than finger placement) is a god send and something I learned in the old forum. If you can see the position of intervals relative to one and other and recognise the repeating patterns, the whole fretboard opens up. All you need to know is the Root, everything else is relative to that.
Learn that and you will access all 12 Keys. Simples.

Keep doing what you’re doing !

:sunglasses:

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@TheMadman_tobyjenner Toby did you honestly think that this at the latest would not make me take another look at the video @rorystrat had shared? :nerd_face: :innocent: :nerd_face:

I think I understand the beginning of the video a bit better now. C major is C minor’s parallel key. Accordingly fret 8 in the video serves as " equator" for C minor Pentatonic pattern 1 and that what Justin calls “major Pentatonic Pattern 5” for C major Pentatonic.

I can see how useful this is. I really, really need to continue with PMT soon. Confessedly I dont see the scale patterns in finger placement. I tried to see them in notes. Indicating the finger placement is useful of course, but it doesn’t really explain anything…

Works with Minor Pentatonic Pattern 1 already. Randomly noticed that when I played Em Minor Pentatonic at fret 12 that this is of course the same pattern as minor Pentatonic pattern 1 Am, Justin introduces in module 12 just in a different fret with a different root note.

All the more reason not to stop being curious wnd inquisitive, while slowing down and trying to correct bad habits.

That would be very slow chord changes, remembering to mute the thick E-string (hadn’t paid much attention to that before), working on one and a half songs (not gonna give up on the Dusty Wind :wind_face:), and slowed down fascination with the Minor Pentatonic scale.

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Yes that is correct and as I said earlier the Pattern 1 is the key that unlocks a wealth of guitar possibilities. With the Pattern 1 “Equator” on fret 5 you have Aminor Penta, on Fret 8 it’s Cminor Penta, Fret 10 is Dminor Penta (the saddest of keys) and 12 fret, as you already know, is Eminor Penta. All this also helps to learn where the notes are on the fingerboard.

I would not be too concerned with major Pentatonic at the mo though; Justin only ever glosses over it.

@JokuMuu Have you tried the “Shakin’ All Over” riff in the Eminor Penta open position yet as per my challenge?

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@rorystrat I confess, I haven’t yet. This week it has mainly been slow open chords changes with attention to string muting. That then applied to the song that I’m still working on… And given that that one has changes from Em to F (I’m trying with the thumbover version) to stuck 3 &4 G … And a change from Dm to stuck 3 &4 G in the chorus, I was (and will be) a bit busy with that :melting_face:

I will check your link now…

EDIT:

I had to cheat and found a lesson - even if that wasn’t strictly for the Who version of that song. I am intrigued. Always wanted to try a pull-off. Picking with palm muting will be useful as well. Thank you for the idea :bulb::slightly_smiling_face:

Sorry for the hi-jack Nicole. :grinning: I’ve been messiing around with that intro riff, it’s great fun. Thanks @rorystrat

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Have you tried playing Em using fingers 3&4? That way you only have to slide those fingers up a fret when forming your F.

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Next stage, the opening riff from “Back in Black”; pretty similar apart from that awkward bend on the second fret of the G string - and a bit quicker!

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No problem at all :slightly_smiling_face: I couldn’t wait yesterday and tried - unplugged since 22:30 already. You are right. It’s easy to remember as well. Going to stay on my list for quite some time.

I have. And it should be easy since I’m coming from C … I can do it of course, but muscle memory still says it has to be fingers 2 and 3. Using fingers 3 &4 here is the goal, but I will need more time for reprogramming my brain :grinning:

@rorystrat Awkward bend? Luckily that does not make me curious at all :laughing: :innocent:

I know, Justin teases bending in module 13. I have been fighting with myself whether to go for it or not. I guess in the spirit of “slowing it down” there is no harm in patiently and slowly trying? :sloth:

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Yesterday was the second of my three “test” in person lessons. This second lesson was especially critical, since I had decided I would make up my mind on how to proceed after this lesson

*** Warning. Wall of text incoming ***

How did it go?
I came home reflecting many things. That’s a good thing, I suppose. Jari (teacher) has a way of not giving me any explicit tasks but making me realise myself what I should work on. That as well is a good thing, I guess.

Insights gained

  1. Stop causing additional stress to yourself by appearing on site literally last second. Be there ten minutes before the lesson starts and allow yourself to catch your breath and calm down.

  2. Try to be less nervous. Yes, playing in front of a teacher is even more stressful than recording yourself. Still, try to be more confident in what you can do. If that requires closing your eyes to concentrate, then please feel free to do so.

  3. Find ways to train your ears. It’s difficult copying strumming rhythm without being told explicitly what to do. It’s difficult figuring out chords just by looking at what your teacher does while you are playing yourself. Thus: Train your ears both for rhythm and chords.

  4. Fire and water go together well. Jari not only being a teacher but also a studio musician excels at qualities that I’m rather desperately missing. Playing cleanly. Rhythm like clockwork. Perfect timing. There is so much to learn and in order to improve don’t forget about fundamental insight 5.

  5. Slow down. It will take time. Correcting bad habits will require slowly and patiently overwriting old muscle memory with better consciously learned techniques.

  6. Don’t give up on the idea and vision of making songs your own. On this issue, your in person teacher is on the same page with you, which would show that he is a good match for you.

Things to work on

  1. Air changes and slow chord changes. Target is to make each chord sound as clean as possible.

  2. Changing to and from the “old fashioned four finger F” which Justin teaches in the old beginner course (but for some reason doesn’t teach in the new one anymore). This will be an important step for learning to change to F-barre faster.

  3. Work on strumming patterns slowly (= 80 BPM). Being able to play a certain strumming pattern fast does not mean that you are playing it well. Be aware to let the listener know “where is beat 1”.

  4. Practice a simple finger picking pattern slowly (= 80 BPM at the highest). Pay attention to all notes ringing out at the same volume.

  5. Sure you can play the open Em pentatonic pattern Em, the open C major scale pattern and minor pentatonic pattern 1 in general. Now, forget for a moment that it’s not only about speed but also about sound values and clean playing. Accordingly: Invest time in practicing these patterns slowly and cleanly.

  6. Make use of the simplified “minimum movement exercise” Jari showed you. Start and finish each practice session doing this exercise for two minutes.

Summary
It’s fascinating how much I learned from a short 30 minute lesson, which was - to a big extent - filled with discussing things. But then, learning is a two-way street and being able to communicate well with my in person teacher will be very important.

How to continue?
I just booked an additional 16 lesson package. This will cause enough external motivation to prevent me from giving up on guitar and the community should the stress at work again become too much. Hopefully - in addition to continuing following Grade 2 - this will help me to get better at guitar

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This is understandable, but I wouldn’t be bothered by it myself, remember that the teacher is happy that his students can’t do much yet and still have so much to learn, otherwise he would be unemployed as a teacher :smiley::blush:

Recording yourself can be seen by the whole world Brrrrrrr :scream::grin:

:sunglasses: :grin:

Greetings and good luck now the working life is back :grimacing:
:sunflower:

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Ha, ha, ha :joy: That does of course explain, why he wants me to slow down as well :joy:

What did I miss? Should I have to be back at work now? :face_with_spiral_eyes: :face_with_spiral_eyes: :face_with_spiral_eyes:

Luckily it’s back to work for me only on 2.9.24 :beach_umbrella:

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:joy: :rofl: :joy:
Ooooooo…I thought I remembered you saying at the end of last week “back to work next week” so my fuzzy brain immediately added that it would start the next Monday or at least within this week…o o no, that’s great, don’t go now :joy:

and enjoy the freedom it for a while :smile: :sunglasses: :sunny: :tulip: :rosette:

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Hi Nicole, your update was really a great read, anything you wrote makes sense to me. I’m happy to know things are going well. It’s good he makes you realise what you should work on, this way you’re really self-aware and motivated to practice a certain thing.

You’re on the right track :100::blush::muscle::muscle::blush:

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That’s what it feels like. Yes. :slightly_smiling_face:

There was a funny moment yesterday at the end of the lesson, when I told Jari that I want him to “take over”. He just looked at me and said he long since had done so.

I hadn’t even really noticed…

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Hello Nicole.

I’m not surprised that you’ve booked more lessons. It sounds like you’ve found a good teacher.

Point 4 on your insight list-
This is why he’s the teacher and you’re the student. Don’t be intimidated by how good he is. He’s showing you how to do it and what it should sound like. As you get more comfortable with playing in front of him, your “rather desperately missing qualities” will improve.

Point 3, things to work on-
Be aware to let the listener know “where is beat 1”.
:sunglasses:
:grinning:

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