Hi Michael, this is a great update to read. I’m somehow following your journey through your AVOYP and posts so while reading I’ve been nodding at what you wrote. Only 2 years in - and you’re doing great and working on different things and above all you’re enjoying your journey and are happy with yourself which is the main thing and a very fruitfull attitude. I wish you a 2024 full of fun and “work” and progress such as this one you’ve been writing about!
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Jeff @Jeff
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement.
You are right you sometimes forget where you have come from, I see posts about people trouble playing A D and E chords and here am I going through A shaped barre chords, I was like them at one time. Yes, I know A shaped barre chords are in Grade 5 and I am only in Grade 3, but I needed B and Bm chords for a song.
Silva @Silvia80
I appreciate you following my progress, I think that is the nice thing about the community you can see how people are progressing and like you I keep up to date with others.
I know at times I think to myself I am trying to do too many things, I sort of had that in my working life, so it does faze me.
Michael
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Roger @roger_holland
You asked a while ago
So here is the photo of the two of us taken at last nights guitar club. I’m in the blue shirt if you are wondering.
Michael
CC @MichaelBrabs
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I’m just catching up on this thread but have to say it seems pretty bloomin’ good after a couple of years, nice work.
I have no idea when my 2 year anniversary would be, I’ve started, stopped, re-started, paused, resumed etc so many times that it’s impossible to say! Realistically since I started with Justin’s lessons in Sept 2022, minus a sizeable chunk in the middle of last year when I didn’t play for various reasons (health and time mostly) I’m probably nearly a year in
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No 
…But for those who are reading along it can be handy 
…I’ll pick you out of thousands 
and also to @MichaelBrabs ,how nice you are doing this all together 
Greetings
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Matthew @mattswain
Must confess the last two years have passed very quickly, definitely making up for lost time. Having said that at the guitar club last night we each had to say a bit about ourselves to those new to the club. Had one of those moments when I had to think hard, how long have I been playing.
Michael
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Part 14 – June 24
Rather surprising, it is nearly 6 months since my last LL, must have been busy guitar wise and I have been.
Slightly different format this time based generally on Grade 3 Practice Areas.
OVERALL
Where am I, somewhere in Grade 3 and parts of Grade 4 and Grade 5 for E and A shaped barre chords. I have watched all of the Grade 3 lesson but not mastered all of them and have just started to review all of them again and work on the ones I have skipped over. Also going to have a look at the earlier grades to make sure I have not forgotten any aspect. This is the point where Justin indicates you might develop things to suit what you are interested in and I have probably done that. So, looking generally at various areas.
PERFORMING – all posted in the community
AVOYOP – Only managed to get one, I was intending to do more but didn’t happen, the one I did was Ripple by Grateful Dead.
Concert – something different in that the Guitar club were asked if they could perform some ABBA songs at fund raising charity event. I made the final cut so my first booking as a guitarist. Don’t be fooled I was very much the second guitarist and just really just did some basic strumming
Open Mic 24 – made my debut with two songs from Lindisfarne, I think it went well, you can always look back and think I could have done better but for a live one-off performance, it is what it is.
TECHNIQUE
Probably spent the majority of my time on this with having a go at
- Finger Style
- Strumming and picking out notes
- Picked Finger Style
- Palm muting
- Different strumming patterns
- 16th note strumming patterns
KNOWLEDGE
Working through PMT and currently in Grade 5.2 Quad chords
REPERTOIRE
This is expanding all the time not only with the songs I choose but also the ones that come up at the guitar club. The ones I choose are songs I have always liked but also ones where I can try out a technique that I am working on.
At the guitar club you get new songs thrown at you every session and you have to play along with. A couple of weeks ago we had 12 songs suggested to use for playing at the beach, if the weather improves. Only a couple of songs I have played and some that were completely new to me. They ranged from Daisy Daisy to Sweet Caroline. We played each song working alphabetically one after the other, now that is a challenge for an advancing beginner like me but good experience.
EAR TRAINING/TRANSCRIBING
Sort of thinking I really need to get into this after a few false starts. Still doing singing lesson and learning a lot of songs and beginning to feel I am not too bad at listening to a song and being able to follow how the melody notes, so my pitching isn’t too bad according to my teacher. Thinking I might be better to work on transcribing rather than interval ear training.
TIME
I guess this is really about keep the rhythm going at the same tempo. Have done a lot of practice at this over the last months as I felt it was one of my weak points. I had been using for a while an orange tortex pick which I like the feel of. However, I found as it is smooth it moved around a lot and although I was not bad about manipulating it back into place, I was spending far too much of my brain power doing this. So, I have changed to Dunlop Maxi Grip and much happier with this. It doesn’t move around even when I am holding it very lightly and it means I can concentrate on other aspects. Also working through the Rhythm maestro course in Grade 4
IMPROVISATION
Not really doing that unless you count playing along songs with others at the Guitar Club every fortnight then certainly, I do that
Apologies another long one, overall, I feel I have made a lot of progress in the last six months.
Michael
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Time flies Michael but slow and steady wins at the end of the day and you continue to move forward. Good on yer mate ! Onwards and upwards.
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Part 15 – January 25
I seem to have slipped into a roughly six-monthly update so here it is. I will try and keep it shorter and just cover the main things I have been working on.
OVERALL
Seem to have spread myself fairly thinly over a lot of things, might not be the best way to proceed but have learnt an awful lot, but might be in danger of being “jack of all trades and master or none.”
Have gone back to the start of all the courses and working my way through and making sure I am haven’t missed anything.
PERFORMING – all posted in the community.
AVOYOP – Only managed do one, with a couple of Christmas songs, must do more in the coming months.
Concert – Guitar Club Christmas concert again, posted some video up on this.
TECHNIQUE
Probably spent the majority of my time on fingerstyle, Traditional and Folk/Travis, also Picked fingerstyle and hybrid picking.
And what seems to be a never-ending task of improving my rather basic strumming, the problem is not learning patterns, got loads of those, it is making them sound good. Yes, I am doing the Strumming SOS Course.
KNOWLEDGE
Continue working through PMT and currently in Grade 5.4 Harmonic Analysis.
REPERTOIRE
Working on songs that I can use techniques that I am learning.
Songs that come up at the guitar club and the ones for the Christmas concert – well into double figures
Also working on a special song for a performance later in January.
LOOKING FORWARD – Next six months
I think all the different types of fingerstyles is going to be main part of technique as well as better sounding strumming and extending my repertoire.
Michael
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Nice update Michael.
Spreading yourself too thinly is never a good idea.
This is key! Whatever you do, focus on this.
If you keep doing it the same way, it will keep sounding the same, so be it strumming or picking or whatever, play around with it, experiment. You’ll find something.
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Thanks David @BurnsRhythm
When I started to review the last six months that was the conclusion I came to, I had tackled a lot of things, that’s typical of me. I intend to be more focused in the next period.
My strumming is ok but when I see much more experienced players at the guitar club who play the rhythm of the song not just a definite pattern I realise that is only going to come with practice. It is getting better and I think as a beginner you naturally concentrate on definite patterns and as you progress you become more conscious of dynamics, varying the strings you play and adding extra strums. So plenty to work on.
Michael
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Hello Michael, thanks for your update, it was nice to read it!
Sharing this same fear, but there’s too much inspiring stuff out there 
I’m sure the Strumming SOS will help you with feel, the Course is very well designed to build strong fundamentals. The aspect that really makes the difference to my playing is tapping the foot no matter how difficult it has been and challenging it still is sometimes. I don’t know why but in the beginning it was easier for me to tap on fingerstyle, maybe because you pluck the strings individually on all the beats and the ands (patterns) and it’s easier to go slowier, do the counting without getting lost as I used to with strumming patterns.
I wish you a lot of fun and I look foward to follow your progress in 2025!
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Thanks Silvia @Silvia80
You are right, Justin covers a lot of techniques and styles in modules 1 -3 but its not all by any means. Speaking personally, I like to try new things, and I hope that I don’t forget what I already know.
Tapping your foot is an interesting one, when I started strumming, I found it difficult to tap my foot and sing then all of a sudden, I just found I was doing it and have not looked back. It has been similar with fingerstyle, at first could not tap my foot and play the patterns, change chords etc but then about a week ago I just suddenly found that I I was tapping my foot. Strange!
Michael
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Hey, Michael, interesting Log. I was surprised I hadn’t been here before as I try to keep up with quite a few others, even if I don’t reply. I only skimmed through but you’re doing very well, I may even be a bit jealous, lol. Good luck this year.
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Thanks Rebecca @LunaRocket
It is difficult to keep up with things. I joined the community in December 2021when it was just getting off the ground and posts where much less. There are so many now you cannot respond to everything. I try to look at all LL and AVOYP and respond if I have something valid to say.
Michael
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Michael, I read through all of your updates in your learning log and see that you have made a lot of progress over the last few years, starting as a beginner. I think that going back and reviewing all the lessons is a good thing. I have done that twice (or more) for grades 1 and 2 and will review grade 3 again. I think that the main thing that has helped me with learning songs and strumming is playing along to as many song lessons on Justin’s website as I have time for. My goal is to eventually watch and play along to all the song lessons, but that will take awhile. I look forward to hearing another of your AVOYP posts.
Steve @SteveL_G99
I admire your determination to read through all of my LL. Must admit when I started out I didn’t expect I would be where I am now, as been said many times you have to put in the practice time and fortunate I am able to do it.
I agree going over early lessons is very worthwhile as with the knowledge you gained you perhaps get an understanding of things you just have to take for granted the first time around.
Michael
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Hi Michael, catching up here. Congratulations on your past milestone. Good you’re steadily progressing with your guitar playing. Similar problems with rhythm here, but I’m optimistic that it’ll gradually improve (if I keep working on it). The guitar club looks to be a lot of fun and a nice push to improve faster and farther. Keep having fun.
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Thanks Andres @dobleA
You are always learning and improving if you keep at it. Yes I feel very fortunate to have the guitar club, it has made me do things that I would never have done just playing at home.
Michael
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