Hello! Having been mostly lurking around here since December 2021 (and on the old forum before then), I think it’s time to start a learning log to track some of my progress.
I’ll start with a bit of my musical background. My first instrument (unless you count a few piano lessons when I was about 7) is the drums. I have been a mediocre drummer for about 30 years and have had the privilege of playing regularly with many talented musicians, mostly in church, since I was a teenager. I first took an interest in playing the guitar about 20 years ago just after finishing university. I bought a second hand acoustic (£65 I think) and learned a few of the open chords, but never did anything with them. The guitar then sat around unused for several years, before eventually going in the loft when children needed the space. Fortunately being a fully laminate guitar it survived the temperature extremes.
In the middle of 2021 (I was very busy with work during the lockdowns) I decided to pick up the guitar again and looked up JustinGuitar for help. I remembered seeing some of Justin’s lessons years ago. I asked a luthier friend to set up the guitar properly which, when combined with some lighter strings, made it much easier to play. I started Justin’s new beginner Grade 1 course and enjoyed the structure. The practice assistant helped and I made some progress. When I got to the end of Grade 1, I decided to treat myself (with my wife’s permission) to a new guitar. After far too much research and trying out a selection in some shops, I bought a Faith Legacy Earth OM. Brand new, all solid wood and for quite a lot less than the SRP. Far too much guitar for my very limited skills, but something to grow into and enjoy along the way. I had decided that I wanted something smaller than a dreadnought and the OM size felt just right.
I haven’t made particularly rapid progress as I struggle to find lots of time to practice, but I am plodding on and am working my way through Grade 2, currently on module 9. I recently decided that having an electric guitar would be helpful (and fun), so after more extensive research I bought a B stock Sire Larry Carlton S7 FM and a second hand Boss Katana amp. 
I think the years of drumming has helped my pick up the rhythm aspects of playing more easily than average (that’s not to say that I’m very good yet) and most of my effort has been in learning chords and changing between them. I still struggle with lots of chord changes, but I can play them okay in isolation. I can even play a passable F barre chord (I started practicing it earlier than suggested). I think I am more interested in rhythm guitar than lead at the moment, but I am trying to learn the scales and riffs that Justin teaches. I want to be as well rounded as possible.
I recently started exploring theory and have worked through the first two theory grades. Things are starting to fall into place in my head and it’s great to feel like I am beginning to understand how chords (and their notes) work rather than just thinking about them as shapes.
I’m enjoying the journey and I hope that by sharing here I can keep up the motivation when progress seems slow. Reading about other’s progress and from those with more experience has been very useful, I hope I can help someone else as well.
If you have got this far thank you for reading, I appreciate it. I will try to write at least semi-regularly.
Tim
