I had a quick flick through your log, Kim 
Good to see you jumping right into the deep end, pushing yourself, experimenting with new chords, composing, not to mention exploring theory with the good Richard. Be careful you donât burn yourself out or spread yourself too thinly⌠and donât forget the boring, really basic repetitive one-minute-chord changes, which will allow you to play complete songs from start to finish without pauses
I see youâre a Kim Larsen fan. I remember listening to RabalderstrĂŚde as a teenager and my (Danish) dad coming into the room saying he couldnât understand a word that was being sung 
Kvinde min and Langebro still grab my short and curlies and I used Sommerregn in one of my mumâs old 8mm cinefilms as a backing track.
Hilsen etc.
Kim ⌠given where this started (discussions of Dmaj7) I think you may just fall off your chair when you know that those two chords are Amaj7 and A7 respectively.
Familiar??
Haha, that is precisely Justinâs philosophy. Itâs not a âspeed thingyâ 
Weâre supposed to do it slowly and correctly, so it sounds right.
Then repeat.
Ad nauseam.
Eventually when we grasshoppers repeat it enough, we become âfasterâ or âautomaticâ.
Regarding feeling. Well, once you have the right chord technique, feeling comes from timing.
In order to add feeling, you have to subtly vary the timing. You in order to do that, we have to learn how to be able to play in the regular rhythm to add in variations.
I know that kind of sucks, going against the âwild free spiritâ side of things, but hey, thatâs life
Oh yeah, donât forget to keep your individuality.
Too many of us sound the same 
Kim, If you practice 5 hours a day, then you greatly outperform my 40 minutes of practice each day. I understand that you are not playing continuously for the 5 hours or your fingers would be too painful to use. It sounds like you have the freedom to spend hours exploring music and following each musical path that you find interesting.
I understand your philosophy of playing clean and precise rather than fast. You might benefit from using the training technique Justin introduces in the beginning of Grade 2 for Module 8 practice - Perfect Fast Changes. In this training you only play as fast as you can make perfect chords, but you still count the number of changes in a minute so you can track your progress.
The benefit of changing between 2 chords continuously for one minute is to focus on the chord changes, including using anchor fingers. When you play a beginner level song, much of the time is holding down the chord without changing. This training exercise will help improve your chord changes in songs. If you do 5 minutes of Perfect Chord Changes, you might be able to reduce your practice time to 4 hours and still progress just as well.
If your goal is to write and compose songs the theory is good. You will also benefit from viewing and playing along to as many Justinâs song lesson videos as you can. Justin starts each song with simple strumming and chords and then shows how to use more complicated strums and rhythms and sometimes more advanced chords.
Have fun on the guitar. I look forward to see and hearing your progress in the future.
Kim, please accept my apology. Sometimes I try too hard to be helpful. But as you say, I mean well 
I can understand that your wish to focus on composing and not performing means that timed chord changes may not be for you.
I do think that looking at many of Justinâs song lesson videos on the JG website will provide additional training on learning to improve the rhythm and chord structure for songs.
P.S. I havenât visited Denmark, but my university German language instructor 30 years ago was from Denmark. Some day I will visit your beautiful country and the city of Copenhagen.
Well said! Kim Lodro (by the way, for some reason I think this is the way I should use your name, rather than just Kim, but I could be wrong). You may find this from @Richard_close2u to also be inspiring in your song-writing (if youâve not already seen it): Using borrowed chords - introduction + examples
Song writing.
For almost 3 years, I was asking around for some to compose music for my poems, but never got any serious reply. So I have taken up the task myself. The reason I got the guitar and eventually ended up here at Justin Guitar. So lets get to work 
I never had a problem with song writing as such. They come flowing when ever they want.
In this sense, I will not be able to provide any help to others in this regard.
I have used an online tool to help a bit with the rhymes, but in general , they just came like crazy and I had to be quick to write them down, else they were lost for me, unable to recall them.
The online tool is called: rhymezone - Really cool little thingy.
Also via that I learned some slang words and got deeper into English. I prefer solely to use British English but as itâs my second language, I might go wrong here and there and use US English.
Also I can use that tool, in case I need to change some words here and there to make the music fit. But I hope, I will be able to change the music, so it fits with the poems as they are.
My issue now, is to compose some music that goes with the poems. How to go about it?
I think I will spend some time and see if I can find some good videos or text, that can give me some hints. Itâs gonna be a totally new experience for me.
I already have posted one poem. Here is a couple of others. I might just try out one verse first or what ever comes. I guess when first getting into it, it might start flowing all by itself. Thatâs at least the impression I get when listening to all those bands and other song writers. Many of them had help from others in the band or around, but also many have done it 100% on their own.
I will go with these 2 poems first and see if I can come up with something:
No, I was never a Choo-Choo man, no clue how that came about
I once was a Choo-Choo Man
I was a choo-choo man and always had a dream to change
Despite being told it is impossible to rearrange
It came to mind that I have been living in one big lie
Full of disturbing emotions and blinkers for the eye
Everyday I went to work to drive the choo-choo
Liked by all and no one thought I was ku-ku
As long I fakely smiled and held the proper line
Stupidly and narrow-minded and all would be fine
As I suddenly change and become creative
Or sit for hours and look speculative
Many people get confused, run screaming away and think
That I quickly as possible should go to a shrink
Changing attitude and working with the mind
In order to become more wise and more kind
Many think I have gone crazy or just want to abuse
Notice so many weird kind of hidden accuse
When I look at others with my level
Itâs all in my mind wether I see an angel or a devil
I shouldnât judge what others do, say or think
It could actually be me who are on the brink
So since we all run around deaf and blind
Wouldnât it be wiser and way more kind
If we open-minded and kindly together
Helped ourself and others free of the tether
If I tightly and dearly hold on to the past
Itâs impossible to change the mind smoothly and fast
If I think and see everything as impure
Itâs like my mind is drowning in a pile of manure
If I always are worried what others think
I would be constantly insecure and on the brink
I donât want to follow narrow-minded views and stupid desire
I want to find and awaken the original fire
All go uneasy and worry if I act different than I usually do
What they want is just for me to drive the same boring choo-choo
Hold the narrow line strict and proper
Despite itâs all fake and one big whopper
By Kim Lodro Dawa, 8th January 2018
A poem I wrote in response to a good friend who asked me some questions:
Building a fence
Setting up the fence very strong,
Building it tall and very long,
It really never will be enough,
As the maras are very tough,
The fence will cover the inner glow,
Preventing from going with the flow,
Pleasing others will keep you in the tether,
As on a windy day like a lonely feather,
Like a dog sniffing in others trail,
Is a sure way for the mind to fail,
Whether you are with friends or foes,
Others feet are always with smelly toes,
Ego will hold you down very tight,
Just look at it without a fight,
Since there is nothing there to see,
Then just laugh and let it be,
by Kim LodrĂś Dawa - 24th March 2019
Half my poems I will not show on here, as they are not that family friendly. They are pretty hardcore. Those from 2016 and 2017 was during my mental breakthrough. In general my experiences and such shines through. I also have a love poem and stuff like that. Of course a love poem, but not really having the strong feeling I had that time, so might be difficult or even impossible. But these two and others, they are still with the same power, also the poem further up the thread âA whittler in da Hoodâ - But that one was in connection with some special events, so want more experience before taking on that task.
You are welcome to use them and give them other words, make changes or what ever. They are free for all to use. As said before if being used and changes are made, itâs all yours. If they are exact copy, then write the source. I donât want credit or go into any copyright thingy. Just so people know the source. Itâs always good to know the source. Any suggestions are welcome, links to videos or what ever. But else. Let the process begin 
Hi Kim,
For us that we have no formal education in music, putting music to a poem may be more a trial and error process. Hey, but The Beatles didnât have that formal education so thereâs hope for us.
I think you can try singing or speaking the poems the way you think work best, then you can see if the rhythm is 1, 2 (2/4); or 1, 2, 3 (3/4); or 1, 2, 3, 4 (4/4); or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (6/8). It could be other time signature, but the ones I mentioned above are more common. It could be even a combination.
It may be other ways, but I would start trying some common chord progressions and see if one fits better and go from there with your own exploration if needed. You can do single strums in the first bar while exploring the chord progressions and when you have a chord progression that you like you can try different accompaniments, strummed chords, plucked chords, arpeggios, hitting and muting the strings whatever you see fit better.
Other person would go in a different sequence. Can be as many ways to do it as persons trying it, but as your (and my) music and guitar knowledges increase going from wanting to to be able to develop musical ideas could get easier.
Also you can check videos in YT like this:
7 supper common chord progressions and why they work (David Bennett Piano)
Kim,
Let me know if I can help at all with any explanations of how I put the song together.
I wish Iâd learned in such a diligent, structured way - where I am wouldnât have taken half as long!
Cheers
Neil
Now I know this is somewhat sacrilegous, but I am not a huge Beatles fan (I like their early pop/rock n roll singles and far less of the later songs) so not likely to watch the YT video. But I would say that however much theory they may or may not have known, George Martin probably knew a great deal. Again, how much he influenced we will also never know.
I am one of those Reaper users and it has served me well. If not aware, should you have any questions you can post them in #gear-tools-talk:hardware-software-recroding
Keep doing what you are doing, Kim Lodro, learning, practicing, playing.
Bravo on sharing a first song. I also smiled while listening. I liked the use of the rest.
Hi Kim, keep working on those originals. Good youâre finding inspiration in Danish artists. The mix of global and local can fuel creativity. Post as often works for you.
What a line!
Well done, Kim, for taking the bull by the horns and just doing it
Youâre playing guitar.
Youâre singing a song that you wrote.
It has personal meaning for you.
Most importantly of all:
Simply sharing what gives us pleasure is fine
(If you would like constructive criticism from learnerâs who have already been down your path, feel free to ask)
Hilsen
Still unable to play other peoples compositions. Havenât even started training any yet. Actually, I couldnât really care less
But I am still plucking away and having a lot of fun with the music. I stopped theory after getting a good foundation. 12 notes to shuffle around, thatâs basically it. Modes is nothing but another sophisticated way of mixing the same 12 notes. It does help to have some different octaves to choose from, but guitar is very limited compared to a piano.
Though the massive limitation and despite western music in general is very poor, it is still possible to make pleasing music and to express oneself via the instruments.
Today I am very very happy, I didnât just blindly listened to the crowd, when they said, learn songs learn songs play others songs⌠I would have stopped long time ago and never had the wonderful experience on how the fingers all by themselves find the string to pull and how wonderful sounds can come out of the instrument. I am so very very happy, that I didnât start with the boring A, D, G ⌠but found those easy chords that was pleasing to my ear⌠Am, Dm, E⌠That made my start way more smooth and pleasant.
Today I made a short recording, despite nothing really works and fingers are stiff and stomach scream for food. But despite all that, I find it so pleasing and enjoyable, to pick up the guitar and just jam away, with what ever the fingers like to doâŚand funny enoughâŚit more than often is also in line with my thinking and feelings at that momentâŚso with all this, I can gladly confirm, that it is possible to learn to play guitar and other instruments, without having to learn to play others compositions. Wish you all, a very merry jamming happy new year Just to make a recording https://youtu.be/QLN29b19r0g
Is it possible to learn to play guitar, not playing others compositions?
Well, since I am a composer and artist and not a musician, itâs really not for me to decide or judge.
As usual, I record in one take and only once. Not pretending to be better than I am, by recording 30 times and pick the best⌠LMAO. nah, I have nothing to hide. I still sux, but slowly improving. I luv it that way.
Recordings was done via the pickup. I did get a pair of Røde mics, but didnât use it for this recording. I have to play around with it some more. Have been very busy with other stuff, so hadnât had much time for the music part. Things seem to have settled for now, so will most likely be at the music 24/7 over the next months.
Many things have happened since my last video. Some GAS also have come to me. What to do⌠lol
I got myself a Taylor Guitar. What a blessing. Itâs a tiny Baby BTe1, but the sound is just awesome.
Also got a Arturia MKII Keylab 61. Itâs awesome, though also didnât have time to play around with that much.
Studio Monitors also have entered the room, Behringer 1031A.
I am at the moment split between getting a Gretsch or a E-drumset. Not sure what comes first. But I guess both will soon be in my little apartment, which is more of a studio than anything else.
I have completely stopped with the theory part. I got the basics for now and it is actually more than plenty. I compose with my ear and certainly not going into the common key progression thingy. I get so bored from it and that itself makes it pointless.
At the moment I am looking into different rhythm as I feel its time to move in that direction.
My chord shifts still sux big time, but is slowly improving, as I donât practice as such, but more a mix of practice, jam sessions and finding new chords or tones to make some melodies.
I know I will at some time have to do some more serious practice on certain areas, but for now its all just keeping the joy of actually playing an instrument and investigate the different sounds and expressions.
Have no clue where things will go, but have been looking into different rhythms from Latin America and Africa. Got inspired from the Bosa Nova rhythm and have been doing little practice in my own way last couple of days.
Barre Chords also slowly improving. Still takes many hours before I confidently can play something only using barre chords, but already have started composing some short melodies.
The finger picking effort I have made from the very start, have finally started to somewhat work. Now fingers play music for me. Canât really explain it, but the fingers somehow know where to go.
Itâs amazing and its actually first now (last couple of months) that I really have started to enjoy grabbing the guitar and just jam all the way. Itâs so cool when the flow is there. (Let the fingers do the talking )
Thatâs it for now. Hoping youâre all having a good time with your instrument(s). Cheers
Training Barre Chords
When training new chords, I always try to make some melody. Makes it more enjoyable to train and also I then train several things at once. In this case, Barre Chords, Rhythm and Finger Style Picking, ear training, composing and maybe other stuff as well. ---- Always trying to make the best out of my time, so I can noodle and jam most of the time
Backing Track for the Rhythm can be downloaded here.
Used the Bongo Drums in Guitar Pro, only because I was lazy and wanted something done in a hurry.
Things are really coming together now. Well, it also have taken 16 months and some seriously sore fingers at times.
Music is made by the ear, theory writes it. 
----- Wishing you nothing but joy with your Instrument(s) - and of course sore fingers now and then, else itâs an indication you donât pluck those strings enough! Cheers
1st of March 2023 I started my guitar journey, by getting a Takemine GN20 NS, with no electronics.
At a point I started to get pain on the inner side of the elbow, to the extend that I hardly could lift my teacup. It started after I got into more fingerstyle picking. The Takemine is dreadnought size.
The Yamaha Piaggero NP12 Keyboard, I got tired of very quickly.
The Condenser mic I had also really didnât suit me and so with the Audio Interface (Evo 4 from Audient) as well.
I didnât bother to put it on sale, so gave it all away, except the Takemine which I for sure will keep.
In replacement I got an Arturia MiniFuse 2, Audio Interface and is very happy about that choice.
Also I got a new keyboard, Arturia MKII, Keylab 61, which is pretty cool.
After a lot of reading, I went for a pair of Røde M5 Condenser Mics.
None of it anything special, but pretty decent.
In late winter, the pain in the elbow was just too much, so went to the local Guitar Shop (20km away) and got myself a smaller guitar and this time with electronics. As I didnât had much money at that time, I went for a Taylor Baby BT1e. The sound is just amazing and price wise, it was double the price of the Takemine, but well worth it!. I am so happy about this guitar.
I have always been fascinated by the Hollow Body Electric Guitars and if I ever should go get an Electric Guitar, it for sure would be one like that.
Not sure what happened this morning, but after only one cup of tea, I went to the local guitar shop. They had 2 different Gretsch and a bunch of other Hollow Bodies.
It actually didnât take long to decide, so I went for the Gretsch G5422TG. Just couldnât help it.
Already played around with it a bit. Plugged directly into the Audio Interface and adjusting the sound to my liking in the DAW (Reaper). That is so much fun and what a beauty, just standing there! 
Again nothing special, compared to what I have seen from people in this community, but decent gear, I would say.
My experience and conclusion in all this; get some decent gear from the start. It is more easy to sell and get a good price if you choose to do so for what ever reason and if not, you have decent gear that will go a long way on your guitar and music journey.
Thatâs it for now. Hope youâre all having a wonderful time with your instrument(s)! Remember to have fun and joy. So important! - Cheers
For those who consider getting Guitar Pro, I can only highly recommend it!
Justin gives a short intro, in what it can be used for. Also Justin provides GP files to download, as a great help on our guitar journey. Personally I have had so much benefit from that.
Other users have also provided the great benefit of Guitar Pro.
I hardly ever use the metronome anymore. I more than often make a quick backing track with drums in GP. Also the visual aspect, seeing the notes, is for me far better and way more intuitive, than doing it in the daw (Reaper)
When composing I can write out what I compose. Not very experienced in this yet, but excellent tool in this regard.
I have found yet another use for it. When looking through old music sheets, from where I can find inspiration for new melodies and rhythms, yet not able to sight read, I can plot it into GP and have that play me the tunes/melodies. - It is very easy to speed up or slow down and find the sweet spot where the ears think it should be at. - As for learning to sight read at the same time, the mind slowly but surely remember and able to recall.
I got my hand on some books from late 40âs and early 50âs, where it is rare to have the name of the note/chord written or even the tempo. I can then plot it into GP using the piano and then by ear find the similar tones on the guitar. Really excellent for that. Furthermore it can give loads of inspiration for making music, composing, improvisingâŚ
Here some examples and all of them from long time before I was born (Which also have a lot of advantages in this modern world and time) :
One funny thing I noticed, is that many songs from Scotland and England is called drinking songs.
Guitar Pro is just such a versatile tool and can only highly recommend it, especially if you want a little more than just playing few modern songs.
Rollerbridge for the Gretsch arrived today 
Bone Nut and TV Jones Classic pickups might come later. For now I am just having fun with the thing. Damn a beast 
, totally another ballgame than an acoustic.
Thatâs it for now. Hope youâre all having a wonderful time with your instrument(s)! Remember to have fun and joy. So important! - Cheers
Learning to improvise is not only for those getting into Blues. Nor is composing only for those who have played guitar and reached beyond advanced level.
If following Justins Lessons and listen carefully to his teachings, you will without a doubt, notice how he very early on, encourage us to explore and investigate and most important of all, have fun and joy.
Justin have some teachings, where he show how to explore. Keep the same shape and try up and down the neck and listen if something sounds good. Also he teach how to lift one finger or put another down and try out different stuff. Also the ear training Justin gives, is very important. It is with our ears we listen to music!
That inspired me a lot and very quickly, I found some chords I liked and from there I started to learn to play music on the guitar. So the chords A, D and G, I simply skipped training and still havenât really trained, despite being more than 1500 hours on my journey. - A and D, I still find no use for and G, I can find few ways, where it can be useful, so have first now started to implement it into the practice, though I often forget about it (I am certainly not into schedule practice)
Instead I learned Am, Dm, C, E, Em and started to train those and later came A7, Amaj7, D7, G7, C7 and some more. That was much more to my taste and I had joy playing around with those.
It didnât take long for me to make up my own little chord progression; Am, Dm, C, E, and then I had my own little song. Little later and some shuffling around, Dm, C, E, Am, and Dm, C, Am, Em, came along. ( I recently came across some guitar teachers from South America/Latin America that actually use Am, Dm, C, E, as their beginner chords to teach). So it is a totally valid chord progression.
My next step was to concentrate on the plucking hand. I spend 90% on the plucking hand and 10% on the fretting hand. That way I spend many many hours.
The result of that, is that I now can do my own fingerstyle playing, strumming and different rhythms. That also does, that what ever new chords I want to learn, can be played with various strumming patterns, rhythms and fingerstyle patterns from start. As I have just recently started to concentrate on barre chords, it is very easy to make music and not just train the barre chords on its own.
Furthermore, I can now improvise on the fly and composing more than just few chords, is not far behind.
All these things I have learned here, is 100% from Justins Lessons. I have just cherry picked the things, I felt that was for me and what I needed to move on, while keeping the fun and joy.
I am forever grateful to Justin for his lessons.
Last few videos I have posted, is me just improvising on the fly, from some few chosen chords.
Here is a recording I made few hours ago, in middle of night and played quietly, due to neighbours from this apartment.
Sound normalized via Reaper, so sound quality not that good and also the refrigerator was running in the background.
Thatâs how I sit and jam on my own. Sometimes one hour or even two hours, is just gone like that. Just enjoying the sound from the guitar. Every time it sound different. I have made several recordings using the same few chords and they all turn up different. Sometimes strumming, sometimes fingerstyle, different rhythms.
I just luv it and have so much fun and joy from it.
Can only encourage others to give it a try. Find some chords that is pleasing to your ear and fit together. Even if not fast with changing chords, it can be used. I started with 4 beats per bar for each chord, until the chord change was better. When it became second nature with those chords I could fully concentrate on training the plucking hand. Trying different rhythms, expressions, strumming, fingerstyle.
Since I started with that, I have never felt stuck, discouraged or anything in that nature. Only more and more fun and joy have come. Every day for last few months, I have had to strongly restrain myself, not to totally ruin my fingertips and I grow calluses on my plucking hand also
I am very convinced, that every one who have some basic rhythm practice done and can do a few chords with +30 changes per minutes, can learn to improvise on the fly and use that, when ever wanting to pick up the guitar and just have free time.
I can understand why some feel stuck after grade 2, if never have done âfree time practiceâ or donât feel like picking up the guitar, because unable to play anything other, than those few songs they have in their song book.
I can imagine, it must be a horrible feeling, to figure out, that you are still not able to just pick up the guitar and freely just play some music. Certainly no fun and joy in that!
I am contemplating some improvisation challenges, as I see that âGuitar challengesâ have come about, while I was out venture for some months joining up with the local musicians here. Thatâs pretty cool! Very good initiative!
Another thing I was thinking about, is those doing covers and especially originals, that I want to see them perform, at least now and then. If only uploading a soundcloud link and never show anything on video, I will put them on the ignore.
IMO, covers and originals should have mandatory video of the performers. Itâs my personal opinion and why I just keep it here in my LL. I will not make it a request or make any fuss about it.
Thatâs it for now. Hope youâre all having a wonderful time with your instrument(s)! Remember to have fun and joy. So important! - Cheers