As somebody who just picked up a guitar as a starry eyed beginner, I was and AM overwhelmed with curiosity and work ethic. I wanna learn EVERYTHING, I wanna be a well rounded guitarist, in what order should all these courses be consumed? For example should one do all the “Grade” based courses first then pick up one of the skills courses? Are some of the skills lessons taught in the grade courses? how does one go from a starry eyed beginner to a well rounded guitarist. Not just in rock or folk. How does one become fluent with the guitar using these courses? what is the proper order for these to be consumed.
For example I’ll use myself: I love mainly rock and subgenres of ALT rock (Shoegaze, Emo, Grunge ETC) but to be a complete guitarist is better than to be a guitarist who can only play the genre he likes. I wanna be able to pick up a guitar make stuff up with ease, hear a phrase and play it myself, write songs, learn songs by ear, noodle around when buying new guitars etc. What is the proper timeline of courses to reach this stage? And should these courses be consumed one at a time or in conjunction with each other as maybe pairings, one grade + One skill for example. Thank you for any help you offer, and thank you for providing these courses Justinguitar!!
I would start with grade one and do the lessons on the open chords as they come and all the basic stuff. Take the songs in stride. As you work along take easier songs of bands you like and try and learn then if you can and keep maintaining the daily lessons on Justins each day. Just google my, fav bnd , easiest guitar song to learn or look on reddit same info. You will start learning barr chords in grade 4.
I am big into punk and Alt rock so like you not the biggest focus but I want to play it all. You will find all the skills actual apply and you will be stoked in the long run as a better guitar player.
When you get to the end of grade 1 and hit the consolidation phase before starting grade 2, Justin suggests that’s a good time to start the ear training and music theory courses, so that’s what I’m doing. Justin also mentions relevant skills courses/lessons as he goes through the graded courses (or at least, he did that in grade 1), so you can check other courses out at points that align with the graded ones.
Personally, I’m planning on following the graded courses and popping over into the skills courses during that process, either when the course material says to or when I’m seized by a specific curiosity.
My ultimate goals are a lot like yours in that I’d like to at least be comfortable with and have basic knowledge of a variety of genres and techniques, and I figure I can always change how I approach the courses later if it seems like there’s a better way.
Grades 1 - 3 are useful for all types of music. Do that to start with then reassess where to go next. Once you’ve learned the basics you will have a better idea of how to answer your own questions.
