Grade 1, module 4 and I just discovered some songs have different strumming patterns. Seems like a duh moment but as a beginner told to strum on 1 and practice other strumming patterns I was no applying this to songs in practice.
Should I stop and revisit past modules songs with other strumming than just on 1 or continue forward?
Also app has updated adding tab, why this was added late in Grade make me feel like a failure having to repeat past modules.
Thanks dazed and confused
2 Likes
Hi Levi,
Iâd say you had an âAh-Ha!â moment! There are many more to come. 
As for repeating past modules: Thatâs entirely up to you, but it certainly wonât hurt. I repeated all of Grade 2 when I consolidated! Best thing I ever did. There were techniques I learned âwell enoughâ the first time, that really clicked when I went through them again.
Remember, this is a journey, not a race. Enjoy yourself!
5 Likes
Iâm a 7 month beginner myself. What is fascinating to me is how, as our musical âvocabularyâ grows, we begin to notice more, weâre able to notice more. Yourâs was, in my opinion, not a âduhâ moment at all, but rather a âOh cool, look at that: I can understand something that earlier I couldnâtâ.
If even no one else sees them, you might video record yourself periodically while playing. Revisiting the recording later can give you a 3rd person perspective on your playing, and also a bit of a jazz: âWhoaa, Iâm sounding better than I was just a couple of weeks ago!â Positive reinforcement, particularly when self actualized, is mighty a powerful force.
4 Likes
A good question that people ask more than you may imagine.
For any level of ayer who learns new skills, it is always worthwhile revisiting previously learned songs and applying your new abilities to see how they engance the music you make.
Enjoy.
3 Likes
Hey Levi!
Definitely repeat what you know with newly learned techniques!
Once you start to create & build your song repertoire, youâll have a lot of fun applying new strategies & techniques to your favorites! The song youâve learned with simple strumming that you feel sounds âpretty goodâ might sound AWESOME when played fingerstyle! Or something you play with open chords will sound way different if you play it with Power Chords⌠etc. etc.!
With guitar, the ârulesâ are more âguidelinesâ actually. Justin is always saying âIf it sounds good, it IS good!â & this is very good advice! Itâs also very personal⌠if someone else criticizes you but you love âyourâ sound, donât automatically change it⌠analyze what they donât like maybe, but donât agonize over it. As Judi says above:
Have lots of angst-free fun!!! 
Tod
1 Like
I like steak. I like steak with all kinds of sauces. I like to try new sauces with my steak. My guitar journey follows the same pattern.
My advice is a bit different. Iâd say learn new songs with the new strumming patterns, and only go back for songs you really like and plan to put into your repertoire. There are so many songs out there, and if you realise later that one of those beginner songs is something you want to put into your repertoire, itâll be so much easier to play it with another pattern when the pattern is already in your fingers from other songs.
1 Like
Agree with this. Unless the songs youâve learned so far are favourites of yours then I say move on.
It canât hurt to maybe try one or two of them to apply your new learning but I prefer the feeling of progress rather than sticking on the same songs for ages and ages