Iām already doing much better with the blues stuff in the next module. Seems much easier to assimilate, for some reason. Kinda weird, as Iāve never been a blues or jazz fan, but there you go.
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It really seems to me that you might be simply tired-out. Try taking a break from guitar and come back after a while. Fresh mind does wonders. Trust me, Iāve been there. There were (and still are) numerous instances when Iām feeling stuck at something, and when I canāt do it, I simply put it on the back-burner for a while and do something else, then after some time passes, I return to tackle it and usually succeed.
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That 12 bar blues has a lot of connections to blues and other music. If you want to try something fun, you can play rhythm guitar for Johnny B Good with the 12 bar blues using one finger power chords. Put a capo on the first fret to get you in the key of b flat, Then count 1&2& 3&4 & (E-5, A-5, and D-5) It takes about 10 minutes to learn.
Could you give me a few more details? I canāt really imagine JBG as rhythm guitarā¦
If you listen to the song, the guitar part you hear during the verse vocals is the rhythm guitar part.
Justin teaches the advanced version (https://www.justinguitar.com/songs/chuck-berry-johnny-b-goode-chords-tabs-guitar-lesson-sb-425), but youāre probably interested in something for beginners. A beginner version is available at:
I donāt think Justin has a tutorial at this level for Johnny B Goode, so Iām sure he wonāt mind my posting it here.
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Sweet! Thanks, John
Hey there,
I think everybody goes through phases where they donāt think they are getting anywhere, so definitely hang in there. I am having the same trouble with the power chords, itās all come to a standstill. So I have started just playing bits of stuff from the app, books and songs section without stressing about it too much, and then just add the practice into that in really small bits. Itās slow but it means I am still enjoying it and not wanting to throw my guitar out the window.
With regard to the memorising, just leave it in your practice list and come back to it later. Itās not going anywhere. My memory is atrocious and I havenāt memorised anything at all, apart from the chords from Whatās Up. I l have played that to death, and still canāt sing and play to it.
Itās all a journey, and there are so many people on here with good advice. The main thing is ENJOY it, there is no rush. You can always go back to lessons to improve on them. If it comes down to giving up altogether or moving on, just move on. Keep the practice items that need work in your practice list and keep chipping away at them.
I find following Justinās Nitsuj practice sessions as I work through each lesson a real help, you might find you are being too hard on yourself.
Keep at it 
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Thatās interesting, I have no interest in blues music but I think I am going to enjoy learning it on the guitar. Not too sure about Jazz, I think the technical side to it might lure me in. Great to hear you are getting on better with the blues section it gives me hope.
Yes that is the one I used. Thanks for sharing.
It happens to me the same with melodies, no matter how well Iā ve memorised and practiced them, my attention at some point just flies away and there the mistake occurs. To motivate myself Iām learning new things thinking that being able to find on the fretboard what is in my head itās also a skill to develop and it needs more and more practice.
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Hi Benedict,
We all get stuck. In my case, it is when I havenāt sufficiently mastered the skills that needed to be in place before attempting the new challenge. It helps to identify them. Then we can go back and spend more time on them and come back better equiped. Even if itās much later on.
Wanting and expecting to progress too fast can end up being frustrating. ĀØ
Also, it helps to break down new songs into individual phrases and learning them one at a time, the time it takes, before adding the next phrase. Just enjoy playing around too!
Cheers, Greg
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Take a few days break from practicing. Let your muscle memory digest what you have been practicing. It works for me.
Hi Benedict,
You are about at the same lesson point I am. There are a couple ideas I use that I didnāt see mentioned.
I can have a short attention span. To combat that, I make sure to mix up my practice with different things each day. For instance, I have two different guitars I trade between each day; I tend to not practice the same songs for more than a couple days in a row; I alternate between Cmajor scale and pentatonic.
I often also go back to successful things and make sure they still sound ok - or touch them back up if I make a mess of it. This usually doesnāt take long.
For me, rotating thru the fingerstyle, power chords, and blues is going to take me a long time to get reasonably competent, but I can keep it interesting by rotating what I do.
Another way I avoid things getting mundane is to stay within the guitar topic, but examine something that doesnāt require strict practice. I recently bought an effects processor. Fiddling with it exercises chord changes and riffs as I search for how to make it sound like i want.
I will also learn something about music theory. This usually leads to me sitting with my guitar and testing out what I am reading. It is not formal practice, but does get my fingers on the strings.
There has been talk in several comments around the forum about how to practice. I have two periods in the day, 30 min morning, and 30-90 min evening I have for guitar. I use the morning for the tedious ābasicsā like scales, stretches, formal chord changes, etc. I use the second practice time for things I enjoy, like playing a song, or concentrating hard on something I want to master.
The comments about taking a day or two off works for me as well. I am often surprised at how little effort it is to play something āacceptably wellā after ignoring the difficult part (or even playing in general) for a couple days.
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You are describing the famous guitar ārutā. Most of us come across it at some point. Most has been said now in this thread, but one thing you should definitely take at heart is to not get bogged down by one song or technique you just donāt seem to able to master. Someone here said to move on and circle back later. I would even go further and say that this way of moving through the course is paramount for success.
I give an example: suppose the F barre chord is so hard that it stops you from moving forward. I promise you, lingering around until you maybe some day can play the chord perfectly is not going to make you a better player, because the next (maybe even bigger) challenge might be just around the corner from the F chord. Staying with this example, I moved on and met even harder chords, dominant 7 barre chords, to name one. These were excrutiating. BUT, guess what, it made my F chord feel like nothing.
So keep this example in mind because I think it applies to most things guitar-related, especially in a situation where we have to be our own manager.
Good luck, youāre not alone.
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Thanks so much, Gert! Are you Dutch, by the way? I lived in The Netherlands for five years, and most of my close friends are Dutch now. 
In any case, I find the best dang thing about Justinās site is the community. Itās pulled me along and kept me faithful over the last few months.
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Hi Benedict
I feel so bad for youā¦if you ever want to talk about it ,you should have vent your heart here 
I hope you broke through your plateau by now.
Greetings
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Iām Belgian (Flemish), but have lived in Norway (Bergen) for the last 20 or so years!
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Ohā¦ sorry, oor! Ik heb je naam gezien en zo dachte āNEDERLAND!ā
I am. And I think my Dutcher friends will be very forgiving. They know how weird they all are 
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Iām on a nearby plateau, and my guitar sits forlornly in its case at the moment. I know thats not going to help, but the extra disillusionment each practise brings makes me avoid them!
Am looking for a teacher to give me a few pointers, aside from that Iām not sure what to do. Giving up isnāt an option, Iāve experienced the joy and want it back.
Good luck, letās hope there a nice steep learning curve on the horizon 
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