Here's the rundown of your practice schedule for the next few weeks!
View the full lesson at Module 10 Practice Schedule | JustinGuitar
Hey people -
Iām on Module 10 and am curious whether I should be capably, effortlessly strumming along with the songs in the app before I move on. Depending on the bpm, most of the time I can get a downstroke on beat 1 (Just learning F, so ā¦ not that. And I still struggle with C, but this roundās weak G fingering might helpā¦), but strumming on each beat and switching for the next is at the edge of my capacity (despite feeling very confident with the strumming practices themselves). ā¦Should I be parked on a module until I can pair old reliable (isnāt that what Justin calls that first strum pattern?) with each song? (Do I have too many parentheticals in this short post?)
Bigger Picture, I suppose that question holds along many of the other practices, eg. riffs, naming notes, understanding intervals, etc. Should I have those down cold each module before āleveling up?ā
Thanks in advance!
Hi Adrewski. If your goal is to play songs by strumming rhythm, then I would say, yes you need to be able to play some simple songs quite smoothly and with good confidence at this stage. Many campfire guitarists donāt even know how to play F chord.
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The simplest answer is why do you want to learn to play guitar? If itās not to learn songs then it would be mighty strange!
Learn songs, learn songs, learn songsā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦
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I think I will use the weak G for the Tom Petty song āWonāt Back Downā because the change between G and C in the song the app is quick.
So, when Justin says we should learn a songāfor example La Bamba, what does that actually mean? Does it mean to learn the parts that he taught during the lesson or we should be able to just play it start to end? Iāve got the riff down pretty well (for this level, of course) and the pushed strumming C-F-G progression isnāt too bad considering Justin says that using F in songs at this stage is only something we can explore but isnāt a focus. La Bamba isnāt in the song app. So how would I bridge the gap between knowing the riff and the chord progression to playing the whole song? The song is fun and maybe finding the tab and learning the rest from it would be a worthwhile educational endeavour, but it is far from one of my favourite songs and seems outside the scope of the lesson. Yet, he does say that learning āthe songā is a goal of the lesson. I similarly felt like I was cheating with "Wish You Were Hereā cause I couldnāt play the whole song. Iāve got the riff and strumming down enough to make me happy. What have you all done with these elements of the lessons?
No advice but I just want to say I sympathize. āLearn songsā- its hard to know what that means exactly. Learn the lead melody? Learn the rhythm chords? Learn the riff? Learn an easy version? I donāt really like easy versions of anything, not on piano and I donāt like the idea of it on guitar either.
On a side note, donāt forget that on the website, there is an entire section with song lesson videos that you can filter by grade, skill, and a few other ways. Thereās hundreds of song lessons there. Iāve been using the website for 7 months and just recently realized Iād been neglecting the free song lessons. Iāve tried a few and found theyāre too complicated for me even if theyāre in my grade level, but having said that, I clearly need the challenges.
Maybe someone will come in with some great advice here. But I have to admit, I havenāt been doing very well at learning songs. I donāt think I confidently know even one song. Well, thatās not true. I think Iām getting Happy Birthday down pretty well.
LIke @artax_2 I donāt really have advice. But Iāve pondered this as well, and hereās how Iāve processed Justinās various pieces of advice so far. As a beginner, ālearn songsā means to memorize the chords, be able to play through the song by memory (I struggle with this) with a strumming pattern that you can manage. Take satisfaction in what weāve accomplished, knowing that as we progress weāll return to songs weāve learned, and apply new techniques. (I seem to recall that there are four lessons on Wish You Were Here - certainly beyond my current skill level!) I really struggled with this especially in Grade 1 (Iām in Grade 2 now) because I took little pleasure in switching between two or three chords using a simple strum!
I approached La Bamba in a similar way to you, @GuitarZen: I learned the riff (fun!) and the pushed chords. Then I played through the song simply, using the pushed chords - which sounds pretty cool. (FWIW, I do see La Bamba in my version of the app.) Thatās enough for this beginner to say āI know that song!ā
One problem I have is learning songs that I donāt especially care for, or that Iām not familiar with. I guess I need more instant gratification than those things provide. Iāll need to work on that. 
I think it ultimately depends on your own goals. Personally, Iām not motivated to do this āstrummingā kind of song learning as Iām not looking to perform in front of anybody and I donāt sing anyway, so playing the same chord progressions becomes a bit stale after a while. Itās great for practicing the techniques of strumming and keeping time, though.
However, I really like transcribing and figuring out melodies and playing along to real recordings. I think itās a way to enhance my connection to the music and helps me understand whatās going on musically.
Agreed. A lot of the songs that are listed are ones that, most of the time Iāve not heard, or want to hear for that matter (not my genre) so it reduces down the list of songs available. It also most feels like being forced to learn these. Saying that I have found a couple that I hadnāt heard before that I use for practice.
I havenāt gotten around to that either!
That has absolutely been my experience with the few Iāve tried in the past.
I tend to just pick one or two of the recommended songs and find others in the song app on my own. I like a variety of songs instead of learning one or two perfectly. The exception is if the songs are in the practice assistant. I treat the prescribed practice routine as non-negotiable but do stuff around it.
Yes, I can see that. I wouldnāt/donāt plan to perform in front of anyone either, but Iām a bit different. I enjoy feeling the music with my strumming and feel that since Iām not very good at [feeling/staying with the] rhythm, the strumming is foundational for me. But if that wasnāt my cup of tea then I imagine the course would have been boring for me so far. Iām Beginner Grade 2 Lesson 10 and the lessons seem good for meāLearning chords and scales and then playing around with them seem fundamental to me as well. Weāre learning theory without learning theory, if that makes sense.
Thanks for the input! I feel more at ease with the process after reading some of your experiences.
I noticed the practice schedule on the site is different than the practice schedule on the app. Should I be focusing on one over the other or it doesnāt matter?
Iām right on queue with @artax_2ā¦.thereās plenty to keep me entertained and busy with productive practice routines yet. But having a song down is definitely not one of my hallmark accomplishments. That said, attempting Harvest Moon on the app is decent chord progression work as I try to get nearer the proper speed. I figure, only 3 months in, campfire entertainment is a long game with a few seasons of fundamental development if I take the patient approach and not make songs a hard line in the sand right out the gate. No sense on penalizing progress at this stage of learning if the ultimate goal is to play songs after they said a tad bit more ārealistic?ā