As some of you may know, I’m just starting out, very much a first-grader on this journey. It’s been a fantastic experience so far, but also quite overwhelming with the amount of information available.
I know I’ve asked a few questions already, and I really appreciate the help. I’m still finding my way around the website, but I’m doing my best to follow along using the app.
I have a couple of very basic (and possibly silly) questions:
When I search online for answers, I often come across Justin’s explanations, which are incredibly helpful and usually point me back to the Grade 1 lessons. I’ve 99% on the Grade 1 course, but I don’t always remember everything, even though I took notes.
Are there multiple Level 1 grades available that I should be aware of?
Some of the searches are pointing me back to Grade 1 lessons, but I don’t remember doing them. However, all my completed lessons are marked green.
I got some fantastic advice about strumming, but I still find it extremely difficult. One of my searches led me to Justin’s “SOS Strumming” lesson.
As an absolute beginner, is it okay to start working on that in parallel, or should I hold off for now?
A little background:
I’ve been practising for about 4 weeks now. Chords like A, D, G, Em, and E7 are coming along nicely (at least for me!).
In the last two weeks, I’ve also been learning Horse with No Name. I think I’m getting the chord changes down, but my rhythm is all over the place—it feels like I’m the only one struggling this much.
If possible, I’d appreciate a little guidance or a pointer on what to focus on next.
Thank you so much, and apologies if this is too basic or off-track
I’m just feeling a bit lost right now.
Completing Grade 1 in 4 weeks is rather fast which could mean things that you have learned have still not quite fully set in. It would be worth your time to review the Grade 1 lesson material during the consolidation period and learn many songs using the chords and techniques that you have learned to ensure that you build solid foundations. As for the strumming course to me there is no reason why you can’t undertake the strumming course in parallel with the main beginners course.
Morning Lucsi. Some of the lesson you come across doing a google search could be the older lessons. Justin did a total website rebuild of grade 1 and 2 a few years ago and is your best place to take the lessons.
As for the SOS lessons I’d wait until your finished grade 1. Justin covers basic strumming as part of grade 1.
I think a lot of grde 3 has been redone as well also.
I have never used to app personally. What I understand is, while it can be used stand alone that it is best used as a great supplement and song accompaniment type player. While using the main web site as the primary learning and lesson source It is just such a vast repository lessons. I really like how its set up and I know the structure. Thats my take at least and everyone learns different.
I can see your confusion. Grade 1 has 7 modules and each module has 10-12 lessons.
Don’t worry about asking question or seeking help with lessons that’s what the forum is here for. It’s full of very helpful members who are doing or have done Justin’s courses.
Never be sorry for asking questions. Its important not just for you but also for future student artists who may have the same problems and need help and are afraid to ask.
Hi Lucsi! Feel free to ask, your questions may help others too!
As for the SOS Strumming Grade 1 lessons: I’ve done Strumming Foundations, Strumming SOS and I’m currently working through the lessons of the Finger Strum Course.
Out of my experience, I can say, that Grade 1 lessons already cover quite a part of Grade 1 of Strumming SOS. There is no reason you shouldn’t do the course in parallel, but, what I found really beneficial, was to do the course during Grade 1 (lessons) consolidation period. I think, you get the most out of it, when your chord changes are already really smooth and on auto-pilot, so you can be fully concentrated on rhythm and strumming, without having to think too much about switching chords at the same time. And it’s a great repetition and extension of what you have learnt in the lessons.
A second aspect: when you’ve already finished Grade 1 of the Beginner Course, you should have a little repertoire of songs at that point you are able to play pretty fluent, so you can use them for applying different patterns from the Strumming SOS course.
I’ve started the strumming SOS course. I’m also still working through Justin’s Grade 1 course, though I’m near the end of it.
That said, in the past year and a half, I’ve had instruction from a variety of places so I didn’t just strictly follow Justin’s lesson plan. For a number of things, I’m well past Grade 1. But there are things Justin introduces in grade 1 that I have little to no work on, so I’m working through it now to “catch up” with the real objective here of tightening up my rhythm.
At home in a quieter environment, I don’t really have any problems playing a number of rhythms. They’re not truly automatic, though, and I have to think about them probably too much. That becomes really obvious when I play with one of the jam groups and I have to dumb things WAY down to keep with the group.
Given how the overlap seems to be between the two courses, I’ll agree that working through grade 1 on its own is probably best because Justin introduces a lot of rhythm concepts in there. then start up the strumming SOS stuff around consolidation/near the end of Grade 1. Looks like strumming SOS takes it a bit farther, too, so for me, at least, it’s going to be something I continue to revisit over time as I go, rather than diving into the whole thing at once.
I think it’s well worth doing the SOS strumming in parallel with grade 1 or as @Helen0609 mentioned, as part of grade 1 consolidation. I did the latter and I think that investing some time in getting relaxed with different strumming patterns and working on timing is essential and well worth it. I’m learning more complicated strumming patterns now but go back to the basic exercises from the SOS course with a metronome for practice.
Hi Lucas–a 66yo beginner here too (though I started 9 months ago).
as @Socio wrote–, and I think he understated, 4 weeks is fast to get to the end of grade 1 from zero background, and as a non-juvenile (their brains are so plastic). In but 4 weeks your brain most probably cannot form those neural pathways necessary to advance. This adventure you’re on is a very long commitment. Gotta give the old brain lots of practice – with the emphasis of lots being days, not hours in a day–there are many, many studies about the “post processing” your brain does while not awake, repetition, sleep hygiene, engagement…
Justin App really has 1 major advantage over the website
It has a “karaoke” tab where you get to play along to songs, with backing tracks and, usually, vocals (that you can turn on/off) and especially it allows you to slow down the speed of playback (while doing a pretty good job of maintaining the pitch of the backing tracks). It’s also easier to just back up a bit to work a session again and again if needed.
This ability to slow replay down is really key. One of Justin’s mantras is practice makes permanent You are developing neural pathways through practice.
You gain FAR more practicing correctly, at a slower BPM (beats per minute), than you do playing along to a song at the “correct” speed and making mistakes, repeatedly.
Suggestion
Don’t abandon the app for the website, but rather use them together:
Website
** Use lessons (and the text/discussions associated with each lesson)
** Use the “Practice” tab to get feedback on progress and motivate you
** Watch Justin’s videos on songs–newer ones are better than his earlier ones–he is a master teacher/master learner–and his videos are strong evidence of that.
** Continue to use the community
App
** Find songs you enjoy playing
** Slow the playback down so you can play along with few/no errors, and then skootch up the speed as you develop the dexterity/memory/ability
** This leads to more FUN, and helps keep you engaged.
** Find songs that are challenging and learn those too
[note: I found it hard to memorize a song using just the App–the karaoke’s goal is to make it easy by displaying what comes next–I could slide by without internalizing/memorizing the whole of the song ]
Beginner Grade 1 has 75 lessons plus essential consolidation. Each lesson requires at least one day of practice time but by the end of Grade 1, in Modules 5, 6 and 7, I would say that to do the learning justice and really get solid in the basics, each lesson should respectfully be given several days or a week or more, each of the seven modules probably starting at one week for module 1 up to several weeks for module 7. I would even (albeit exaggeratedly to make a point) go so far as to suggest treating each module number as a guide to the weeks required.
Modules 1 to 7 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 28 weeks. That is more than six months just there.
Grade 2 has 68 lessons. And as the learning ramps up the technical challenge and skill, each lesson and each module will require extended time to really get to grips with. I would suggest a similar approach.
Modules 8 to 14 = 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 = 77 weeks. That is more than a year.
Okay - those cumulative totals are on the high side. But I would rather encourage that over the opposite of not taking enough time.
that gives you an idea of why people think you re going ( too ) fast
[note: I found it hard to memorize a song using just the App–the karaoke’s goal is to make it easy by displaying what comes next–I could slide by without internalizing/memorizing the whole of the song ]
just dont look at the screen
I often just listen to the backing track without looking
