Module 14 Practice

Beginner Grade 2 Module 14: Beginners: Get a PRO Upgrade!
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Time to set up effective practices routines for the FINAL module of Grade 2! :)


View the full lesson at Module 14 Practice | JustinGuitar

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I’m kind of lost right now, so used to having those routines and videos, not sure how to continue :confused:

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Only 4 days into the new routine and I already getting a bit bored. Any tips how to switch things up?

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how many songs have you learnt?
best way out of being bored is use what you learnt to play music.

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Hi @Bitilein
Your post is now 7 days old so you may have already succumbed to and died from tedium! haha :crazy_face:

If not, let us know what you have in your practice routine and we can suggest ways of livening it up.
Cheers :smiley:
| Richard_close2u | Community Moderator, Official Guide, JustinGuitar Approved Teacher

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Does anyone have any songs they can recommend to practice that use either these slash chords, or percussive hits?

Edit: Actually scratch the percussive hits, I just realized Justin talks about Proud Mary by CCR, so I’ll give that a try.

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If anyone is like me and needs extra song lessons in Grade 2 that use the electric guitar, I have made a list from the song lesson videos from grade 2
(18 song lesson videos on the website in grade 2 where Justin is playing an electric guitar):

Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smokestack Lightning
Sweet Child O Mine [EASY CHORDS]
Closing Time
Should I Stay or Should I Go
Sugar
Basket Case
Sing
Anarchy In The UK
Walking The Dog
Eye of the Tiger
I Belong To You
Call Out My Name
we fell in love in october
Molly’s Lips
All Your Love
Nothingman
Break On Through

My background is mostly acoustic guitar and when I was in Grade 3 and tried to play grade 3 songs that use electric guitar, I realized that I needed much more practice on electric. So I plan to learn from all of these song videos and shore up my weakness on the electric.

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I’m not sure what songs to use in this practice routine. Is there an easy way I can filter songs with slash chords?

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The Songs page has filters but unfortunately not for slash chords. You can filter grade 2 songs and see what is in there. Sadly, it is a bit of pot luck finding ones with slash chords at the moment. https://www.justinguitar.com/songs?grades=2

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In this lesson Essential Slash Chords these are above and in the lesson about easy slash chords lesson will probbably also be some and … hopefully you can continue with more easily songs … this first ones are not that beginnerish but I see it is also a grade 2 lesson…sorry if to hard …I take another look :blush:

Greetings

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I’m at the end of Grade 2 and I’ll probably go the rest of the year with consolidation. I was wondering just how much time I should spend on a weekly basis trying to improve my strumming, chord changes and playing without looking. If anyone who has gone on to Grade 3 could share a practice routine that helped them in those areas, I like to hear your thoughts or ideas.

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Put a lot of time into the chord changes for sure. You want to have them down solid. Its ok if you dont have your barr chords solidified, but the open chords those you want to have nice at the targeted one min changes and then the chord perfect and make sure each string is sounding out. The strumming 1patterns its certainly nice to have done some work per the routines in grade 2, but they will be hit heavy in grade 3. My above and beyond was practiced in my songs mostly. Old fatlithful would be the pattern that would be a good one to have down other wise a nice up down in half or just quarter notes for you level is ok.

This was my daily practice routine for my grade 1 and 2. I combined them both. I dont include my song practice in my dailies. Some do its not a bad idea at all and super easy to add in.

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Ontime, thanks for the response and your practice routine. I’m going to try and use it to be able to advance my playing to get ready for Grade 3.

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So I’ve been on the final module of grade 2 for around a month now.

For those of you who’ve been here and moved through you’ll know there are some specific techniques that are meant to be practiced at this level.
E.g.
Standing up and playing
The percussive hit
Slash chords

But in addition to that, the focus is on consolidation. At first I was really enjoying the freedom of not having curriculum to follow and working on the things that I’ve learned. I suppose I still am to a degree. There are just so many things that I want to improve on and consolidate I’m having issues with my direction of practice now.

I realize that for those of you that have been playing for decades you likely have this exact issue and had maybe figured out habits/systems for more focused practice. Or do you let your interests in songs/artists guide you?

I’m trying to build repertoire and sort of using that to guide me.

Learning a song with a percussive hit (stand by me)

Several songs I like use slash chords already (mostly learning passively as they show up in songs over time)

I’m not great with riffs in general and the captivating skill of strumming and using single note picking embellishments is of course something to be desired. (Learning wish you were here in it’s entirety)

I’ve spent a lot of extra time on barre chords throughout the last year and I’m enjoying the challenge of playing songs that utilize open chords and barre chords together (wicked game by Chris Issac, loving you by Paolo Nutini)

The biggest challenge I’m having currently is learning songs with faster tempo…. I wanted some up beat tunes and modern tunes that utilize a 110bpm speed and 16th rhythm strumming. Or some are even faster like 150bpm… this has been confusing my brain and right hand but I’m slowly improving and trying to relax. I could honestly make whole topic about just this and the different things I’m trying. Going back to thinner pick, using more wrist and lest arm for a smaller strumming radius, metronome practice etc… there’s a lot there.

So essentially I do an AM practice session right when I get up and then a less structured evening practice session mostly based around songs.

My Am routine is currently:

A minor pentatonic scale 3min
C major scale 2min
E minor scale 1min
Practice making barre chords 5 min
Theory review with the app, (note locations) 5 min

I do this with no pick so it’s quiet and doesn’t wake up my better half. I’ve been doing this routine or some variation of it for so long that I feel it’s getting to easy and not contributing to growth anymore. But not sure what to do with it yet.

In the evening I’m more flexible but mostly will play through the songs I am 80% comfortable with while standing or sitting to start. Then I’ll work on one that I’m actively trying to learn.
I think I need to add some structured metronome practice to this as well.

So essentially right now I play through some songs I’ve learned (80%) then I work on the songs I’m learning (20%-70%)

Thank you if you read all this. Any advice and critique on this would be greatly appreciated. Starting to wonder if I should get an actual teacher or if I should just keep going.

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Redemption song would be a good song to start working on for your rep. Its got the C/G base slash chord. Has somd good open chords which also allow for nice flowing barr chords if you want to practice them in cool song with a slow tempo. I have seen a video where Bob Marley plays an early version of the song using bar chords while describing different versions of the song. I know you said you were not great with riffs in general. Yeah who is at that level. I wasnt, and I am not yet still but Redemption song has that sweet opening lick and it is completely doable for you I bet. Its right up at the 2nd and 3rd fret and real basic. Give it a go. It is super cool. Its a good song everyone knows it if and can sing along.

It incorporates all the things you mentioned… mostly.

I think you are doing great. If you are having a hard time finding songs to learn dont be afraid to look at harder songs with no issues. You very well may be able to play many of the 3rd level songs simply because you are not afraid of the B barr chord. Keep jamming bro. You’re killing it.

:victory_hand:t2::love_you_gesture:t2::sign_of_the_horns:t2:

Edit

  1. Forgot to say, awsome you are are standing and playing :call_me_hand:t2:

  2. As an aside, you will be super stoked when you get into grade 3 man things really really start opening up for you. TBH when you start feeling stagnated or bored and feel like you need to look for things to learn beyond whats present, I would go right into grade 3 videos and go for it. You will state learning so many cool and usable and amazing things. Grade 3 is really a proper step up. Have a great day.

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This is a sure sign to ditch this routine, as is.
I’m always in the camp that ‘practice’ should be uncomfortable; it should be at the edge of your comfort zone. If it stops functioning like that, then its not serving you anymore.
Being very specific with practice items has always worked better for me.
Eg. Instead of ,‘practicing the Am pentatonic’, it would be something like ‘Am pentatonic, play in 3 note sequences, ascending and descending, 3 mins. Note any error sections.’
This helps to gain laser focus, and helps highlight specific weaknesses.
It’s a mindset and planning thing, but in my view, extremely important.
Re the playing at faster tempos, Justin’s Strumming course may prove very helping for you here. It’s a tremendous course.

Cheers, Shane

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Thanks for the advice friends. I’ll consider trying redemption song. And I’ll ponder changing up the AM routine
-James

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