Suzanne’s Learning Log

Practice GRADE 1-2
F and B barre chords (pull Into the body with arm)
30 chord changes in 1 minute
Counting and Strumming Patterns
5 songs I can play
video of playing
Loud verses soft strumming
Alternate Picking

Practice Songs I might be able to play along
Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric - E A
Strumming - All Down Strokes
Three Little Birds - Bob Marley - A D E
Strumming - All Down Strokes
That’s Alright Mama - Elvis Presley- A D E
Walk the Line - Johnny Cash
Hurt - Johnny Cash

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Hey Suzie, do you know that Justin has a series of lessons for left handers? He calls it Nitsuj (Justin backwards). Justin’s lessons for left handers

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Great, I’m sure you’ll find all the help you need Suzie as well as some comfort at seeing Justin struggle with sore fingers and all the other things that are part of being a beginner. I’d love to hear how you get on.

Here’s a comment from a beginner left hander :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

If you need any other help navigating, please ask.

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Take this approach, lesson by lesson, module by module, grade 1 and then grade 2 in sequence, Suzie, and you’ll slow and steady become a guitar player.

As Maggie said, ask whenever you are not sure of anything. There are many people who’ve been where you are and are happy to help with answers or just encouragement when you may find something a challenge.

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@suzieq hi Suzie, you’ll still need to watch the regular beginner
course lessons. Justin doesn’t teach left handed but he did
learn left handed and has all his practice sessions playing left.

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Hi @suzieq
welcome to the community! I too am a left handed player.
The Nitsuj lessons link that batwoman posted is actually just his practice routines.(watch Justin stumble along like the rest of us at the beginning :wink:)

You will want to start with the beginner course.

Happy learning!

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@Audifox thanks, I think the combination of the right handed course and Nitsuj will help, though I wouldn’t want Suzie to get overwhelmed.

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@batwoman, I just wanted to let you know that the Nitsuj is not left handed lessons.
It is a video log of Justin’s left handed practice routines.

I am taking Justins’ beginner course. I have watched most of the Nitsuj videos, but, it is to watch Justin struggle like the rest of us when learning something new. I don’t use them as lessons. :slightly_smiling_face:

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:medal_sports: funny, I just said exactly the same thing in another reply on another topic. So true!

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Justin Johnson is great, that teaching method for finger style is really good, but I think that it’s maybe a bit too advanced just yet to concentrate on. You may find it a bit too much to combine it with the beginner course.
For the chords you might find a good App that includes LH chord charts on your phone or tablet, place to look is here 9 Free Chord Finder Apps for Android & iOS | Free apps for Android and iOS

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Hi Suzanne and welcome. I would urge you to follow the Beginners Course and learn chords and techniques in the order Justin presents them.

You say you are practising playing ‘Yesterday’. That song contains G5, G5/F#, F#m7, Cmaj7, B7, D7. These are definitely not beginner chords and you say you’ve only just learned to tune your guitar. No harm in stretching yourself with songs you like of course but don’t put yourself off with songs that are far too advanced for your current level of play.

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Hi Suzie, I’m glad you’ve got your guitar in tune and all set for your guitar learning journey. That’s a very good point made by @sairfingers. Try not to set the bar too far in advance. As @DavidP recommends, I’d take it module by module. Enjoy your guitar journey.

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Suzie, the advice from so many to use the structure Justin sets out in his lessons is excellent advice. For every module Justin suggests songs to learn that build on the techniques learned in that module. From past experience I can tell you Justins suggested songs will get you where you want to go quicker than chasing down other songs for now. Your patience will be rewarded when you reach a level of proficiency that will allow you to play many additional songs with less frustration.
Just some friendly advice from another trying to see the individual trees that comprise a forest. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Something doesn’t make sense here Suzanne.

Feb 12th tuned my guitar for the first time ever
Feb 13th working on first 8 beginner chords
Feb 14th 8 beginner chords sounding correct. Having harder time with barre F and B.

I’m afraid I’m another in the camp which says “harness that enthusiasm but consider reining it in a bit”. You can learn a song by rote which bypasses the structure of Justin’s course, but you won’t necessarily be able to “play the guitar” if you tread that path.

I did exactly the same 25+ years ago. I could and still can play a few songs and they sound OK, but I’m here now because I cannot play the guitar.

If you just want to be able to play a finite list of songs then maybe your focused approach is all you need, but if you want to get a comprehensive foundation in becoming a guitarist then I’d recommend the structure provided by the Beginner course.

It won’t be as fast or perhaps as immediately fulfilling, but it’ll have a greater chance of “sticking” in the long run.

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I’m of the camp that everyone learns differently and at different speeds. Jimi Hendrix couldn’t read music but he still contributed greatly to music doing it his own way. I’m not worried about not being well-rounded in my approach. I’m happy just to spend time with my guitar. :heart_eyes: That’s enough for me. :smiley:

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Yes I agree Gordon. :confused:

Have you played before Suzi, is this just an 8 chord refresher ?

Hendrix may not have read music but he learned to play the guitar and did that by studying the great players before him, learning from his peers, in that way he was not self taught but copied others and then developed his own style, as most guitarist aspire to.

In learning those 8 chords did you consolidate the groups of chords by playing songs and applying them or just learn the shapes ?

My advice, follow Justin’s courses as he lays them out. Yes we all learn at different speeds but these are stepping stones and building blocks, which is why they are structured to build a deep foundation.

Learn to play the guitar and you can then play anything.

Just my opinion of course but based on 2 decades of not following structured learning, cherry picking lessons and bouncing around all over the place I got nowhere fast. I developed more in my first 6 months with Justin than the 17 years prior to that and I know many others have done the same with the same result - guitar gathering dust. Learn from our mistakes please.

This really is a marathon not a sprint and you will never stop learning.

Just some friendly advice, take it as you find it.

:sunglasses:

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I think it’s important that you don’t become frustrated with learning guitar again. I think it’s also important that you learn the guitar in a well-rounded approach if you want to be able to compose your own songs as opposed to just learning to play a few songs. That way, you have all the building blocks and techniques ingrained in you to compose something remarkable. I would recommend following the course as laid out but nothing to stop you from learning that additional chord ahead of schedule to play a particular song that inspires you if it keeps your passion for playing guitar burning. At the end of the day, it’s your guitar journey, and only you are in charge of the path you take.

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I appreciate everyone directing me back to the beginning modules :+1: because I wasn’t able to figure out how the practice lesson area worked at first. Now that I know how it works I am using it. :smiley:

I’m still just practicing chord finger placement, chord changes, and then attempting to play along to some songs with only two or three chords.

I think that having a song before me with the chord changes marked above the lyrics will help me with the rhythm. Plus I pay better attention to being accurate with the lyrics!

I feel like before I know it I will have played my first song the whole way through and I am excited about that!

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That was the magical moment for me. It gave me such a sense of accomplishment and after that point the practice time seemed much less of a chore and much more fun. Keep the first song a simple one, you’ll have plenty of time to learn the fancier ones as your skills progress.

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