Wow ! Carlos, you have been following my rock songbook project since the beginning ! Thanks a lot!
To answer your question, it depends.
My initial goal was to work on this songbook project in parallel with the Grade 3 course. But, I got absorbed by the songs and did not have enough time to do both at the same time. So I ended up doing a separate schedule like 3 weeks with focus on the rock songbook and then 3 weeks with focus on one grade 3 module.
So, with this schedule, it took me about one year to finish grade 3 and its consolidation. And I started Grade 4 2 weeks ago. The rock songbook definitely prepared me well for Grade 4. All those power chords helps for barre chords practice. And the complexity of the rhythm of the songs help with the rhythm maestro course.
I’d recommend the songbook to anyone that is working through grade 2 and above.
Hey Mathieu! Glad to hear that my efforts made you look at classical music with more interest. There is a lot to learn and appreciate from the old masters. The benefits are obvious plus it is great fun, even the simple pieces.
This is great to read Mathieu! Listening to Classical Music is magical, it’s an experience that I found out only in the past few years…it makes me so good!
I think that when it’s about different Music genres it is all about how able we are to connect to the emotions they express…anger, melanchony, cheerfulness, lightness or heavy feelings… Music is such a special chance we have to connect with ourselves!
A new milestone is reached : 10 out of 15 done. That means : only 5 songs left to complete my challenge !
This book is definitely full of surprises.
Self Esteem : Fast chord changes and complex rhythm patterns. I wish that Justin had a tutorial for this one as other youtubers were definitely not as a clear as Justin. I had to rely a lot on my ears for this one.
Sunshine Of Your Love : Cool blues riffs. Great pratice for vibrato and muting. Practicing vibrato at high speed is much harder than at slow speed.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go : The easiest one of the 3, but it is definitely a really fun and catchy song to play. For a challenge, I incorporated some E shaped barre chords as I am starting grade 4.
Song #8: The Offspring - Self Esteem
Song #9: Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love
Song #10: The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go
It was quite smooth, apart from odd missed/late chord change.
Based on these three songs, I think the change from open to barre chords seems the most challenging to you? However, once you do the switch, the move between barre chords looks fine. I also noticed you play power chords always by barring 5th and octave with your ring finger. Why this way? I find the regular way with a ring finger and pinkie way easier.
You can control really well rhythm dynamics involving palm muting power chords and regular (no muting) power chords. That is not easy at all.
Thank you Boris for being so supportive That’s really nice of you, I appreciate it !
I see that you have a good sense of observation. Your guesses are correct.
Definitely! This book has a lot of power chords songs which helped me build the skills to move barre chords. However, it doesn’t have a lot of transition to open chords. I have a practice item for that in my schedule, but it’s not enough. You convinced me that I need to find some songs in my other songbooks to practice those transitions.
Same ! I use the regular way in my other videos like In Bloom by Nirvana because I prefer it. However, for Self esteem, barring with the ring finger felt more natural. With that specific strumming pattern and chord changes, it seems to flow better for me.
Usually, I start a group of 2 or 3 songs from the book. I practice them alternately for 1.5 to 2 months.
Then, I try to record it once even if I don’t feel ready yet to see how it sounds.
And after watching the first video, I have a better view of where I am at and I can work on the final performance. Most of the time, the first video makes me realize that I’m more ready than I imagined and I give it a few more days of practice.
Hi Mathieu! I’m a bit late with listening to your recordings. Your progress is very impressive to me, you seem very confident while playing and in control of what’s going on and of what is coming. Keep on rocking
Also I look foward to some Blues from you…maybe you posted and I missed it (?) I haven’t been much active in the Community lately.
Thanks Silvia for following my progress ! The blues course did put a pause on my rock practice for the past month. But, your message make me remember that I definitely need to put a few minutes daily on my practice routine for rock as I’m missing it.
I have some cool idea in my head about blues like starting from a drum track on youtube and recording a few guitar layers on top. Starting with a 12 bar blues shuffle rhythm, then adding a more complex rhythm part on top and after that a lead solo. Though, for the lead, I still need to work on my technique as bending in tune feels to me like the F chord 1 year ago A challenge for sure !
Also, I’m learning some rhythm blues standard like Crossroads and Sweet Home Chicago. I might be ready for recording in a month or two haha. One of them is on acoustic which is cool since my acoustic guitar always had a special place in my hearth even though I’ve been mostly playing electric for the past year. The acoustic is where I started
Ahaha nice joke Peter ! That would be an expensive way to keep warm in winter. Or the best excuse to buy a really expensive replacement ? Dream Martin or Taylor
I listened to “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”. Well done! My favorite part was watching how much you were enjoying playing. You are great with the camera. These goals you have will help you learn a lot. On to the next one!
Most of the time, the first video makes me realize that I’m more ready than I imagined and I give it a few more days of practice. 
That would be an expensive way to keep warm in winter. Or the best excuse to buy a really expensive replacement ? Dream Martin or Taylor 
