Hello Community,
Here is my issue in a nutshell. I develop a practice list of instructed items (such as 1-minute changes, etc). I remove items when I have become proficient with them. The issue is that over time, my practice list only contains the holdover tasks that are difficult. I feel that I can’t move forward to the next module while there are still problem items on the list. I then get frustrated and I stop practicing. Thanks and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
3 Likes
Welcome to the community, Mark. Move on to the next module and retain the items that you are struggling with until you become proficient with them.
3 Likes
Welcome to the forum David. It would help if we know how far along you are in the course. In the very beginning of grade 1 moving to new modules while still practicing earlier ones is a good thing. You can mix and match more chords in the OMC exercise which will help with finger independence and dexterity.
Thank you for the advice Socio - will give it a try.
I just went back to the F bar cord after moving on , i went back to it yesterday And Nailed it and the Bm bar cord, So moove on have fun
Hello Stitch,
Under an older structure of the course, I was in the final modules of the Beginner grade and felt that I could not move on to start the Intermediate grade with a list of residual problems items. Thank you for the advice.
Thank you – I suppose I’m just taking it a bit too serious. I need to chill and just have fun with it.
3 Likes
One of the best ways to improve is to practice things you can’t do. I know that is frustrating, especially as it takes a long time for some of those to click. However, you make your practice half fun, half work - have a song or something you enjoy always ready to play, but don’t stop practicing difficult things.
3 Likes
Thank you Boris - sound advice and I appreciate it.
1 Like
David at the end of the old Stage 9 in the old BC there was a Consolidation lesson BC199 or something like that. It was a review of the BC contents and to ensure you took several months consolidating the knowledge before moving onto the IM. Its sounds like you had a few problem areas that needed some fine tuning and that is fine - I had a boat load back then.
What I would suggest, as a way of consolidating and catching up on all the new material Justin has added to the old BC Stage 1 to 9, Grade 1 & 2 equivalent, is to start the new (to you) Grade 1 and use it and Grade 2 as a refresher. You will learn new things, you wish were included first time around and reassess those core BC skills.
Back in the day, from the BC you would have jumped to the old Intermediate, which now forms parts of Grade 4 and 5 and a little of 6 but I’d recommend doing Grades 1 2 & 3.
I finished the old IM back in 2018 went on to Blues Lead and MTMS (all incorporated in the new Intermediate Grades now) but over the last 6 months went right back to the start of Grade 1 and picked up on all the new material, Well worth the effort and learnt sheds more.
I’ve just finished G3 but have put a few new things that were not around back in the day into my practice schedule.
Keep working on those things you thought were holding you back, while you recap the new system. Good chance is by the end of Grade 3 you’ll be ready to pick up on where you were heading, which is now the start of Grade 4.
Sorry for the long post but I know from personal experience moving from the old system to the new system can seriously mess with your head and progress. And I am just about getting my “stuff” together 4 years after the relaunch.
Shout if you need help.
1 Like
Hello Toby,
Thank you so much. Your insight into my issue is spot on! I was indeed at the Consolidation lesson about 10 years ago and had a list of problem areas. I was literally stuck and thought I could not move forward. I recall that Justin gave advice not to move past the Consolidation before you’re ready as it would only lead to difficulty down the road. I’m ready to pick it up again and I just completed the “Onboarding Quiz”. The quiz recommended I start at Grade 2. Just before your message arrived I thought I would go back to Grade 1 and review that material. Your recommendation to recap the early material in G1 is exactly what I need to do. I was a bit hesitant as I know much has changed with the relaunch, but feel much better about it now. Thanks again for your insightful comments and will reach out if I need help. Cheers!
1 Like
David
Good to hear that. At the end of the day its all about the journey but importantly enjoying the ride. I’ve been back to the beginning many times since finding Justin but that is all better than aimlessly wandering around in the wilderness the previous 17 years. Just take your time and you will find your natural level and then be able to build from there !
1 Like
Thanks Toby – will keep that in mind and I’m looking forward to this new journey. I appreciate your help.
1 Like
Hello David, welcome to the community. I am similar to you in feeling that I have to ‘nail’ a skill before moving on. But I’m learning that this can be one way of getting stuck in a rut and becoming frustrated. So, based on my own experience, I would say that if you’re finding something difficult to progress with, have a break from it and try something different to freshen things up a bit. It might be a different skill, a different style of playing (e.g . switch from Blues to Folk or something like that), or just look for a few fairly straightforward songs you love and practice playing those for a change to get the feeling back.
It’s great to move forward technically, but the passion and the feeling is what brought you to the guitar in the first place, so always come back to that if you’re feeling stuck. Just enjoy yourself for a while, then get stuck back into the technical when you have the appetite back.
In terms of Justin’s lessons, personally I feel there is nothing really to lose by moving to something else for a bit and coming back to where you were later (so long as it is roughly at your level). Sometimes you may find that a break from practicing a skill will actually result in an improvement when you come back to it after a bit of a break. Justin himself always says we should make plenty of time for ‘play’ as well as the hard graft, to keep the enjoyment alive.
Cheers, Rich
1 Like
Maybe less structured practice is what you need. At the moment my breakdown of playing guitar is something like this:
80% playing songs
10% exercises
10% doodling around
When I do songs I always have a mix of songs; easy, difficult, in-between.
I have broad goals but also I kind of just vary it according to how I am feeling. Some days I will do the hard yards and work on the difficult stuff but others days I will just play the songs I know well from start to finish.
This approach isn’t for everyone and probably slows my progress down a bit, however I like it because it strikes a balance between improving as a guitarist but also enjoying the progress you have made.
3 Likes
Hey there, welcome to the Community. I am glad to hear of someone else with EXACTLY the same dilemna. Like you, i also have a list of practise items that i just dont seem to be able to master to my satisfaction. I remove them from my practise, ignore them for a while and then return to them, and still fail to make progress. Like you, i am looking for advise.
Hey Mark, welcome to the community. An important part of your daily routine with your instrument should be doing things that you enjoy. For me, that’s songs songs songs. I also have daily exercises that I work with and vary and drop off and add to, like you’ve talked about, but more importantly I have plenty of songs that keep it fun and keep me coming back to it. It’s all about the songs and you’ll hear that repeated throughout these forums by others.
3 Likes
For me, my motivation and discipline skyrocketed when i got a songbook (Justin’s Rock Songbook) and commited to the challenge of working through all the songs and performing them with a backing track.
You may try that. Eventually, you’ll have opportunities to pratice the exercices from the grades in those songs.
2 Likes
Hello Rich,
Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions. When I had become stuck in the technical aspects, I started just playing songs but then I never went back to the technical problems. That’s when I felt that I just wasn’t advancing and just put the guitar down. I appreciate your advice and will give your suggestions a try.
Regards,
-David
1 Like
I didn’t think about switching the percentage breakdown. This is an interesting idea. I was focusing just too much on the technical difficulties. Thanks very much for your comments and will give this a try.
Regards,
-David
1 Like