Glad you’re back Todd. Plenty of people start, and then don’t stick.
I can’t take credit for the rock songbook thing - I’m a copycat, I saw @alexisduprey doing it, and it looked like a great idea. Doing the beginner songbook sounds like it would give you something to work towards.
Todd
Like JK good to see you back. Take your time do what is right for you and in your own time.
That’s an awesome goal and really fun to do. Great songs in those books too. Good luck!
Nope, but you did cross my mind , glad to hear your keeping up the practice , even with the busy crunch.
, keep going.
R.
Actually, I did wonder, at one point, where you’d gone off to! Keep that boredom at bay, do tell us how you find the F chord, I just can’t wait (not) till I get there! 
Hi Todd, 
I have clicked your avatar with some regularity over the past 10(?) days to see if I had missed something and fervently hoped that you hadn’t entered another somewhat dark period… nice to read that it has to do with other things and that you still occasionally hang your guitar around your neck … and if that is sometimes a bass guitar …well you will be forgiven by the guitar gods 
Greetings… 
Hi Todd, nice to see you again! I already asked myself, if you are still playing and joining the community. Life gets in the way from time to time for all of us and as long as you play…
Cool, you’ve added a bass. Hopefully you’ll post a video playing the bass soon!
Same here. It seems, quite a lot of us have already missed you . Good to see you back 
.
If you’re feeling bored with module 8, I don’t think it makes much sense to stay there longer. When I was at this stage (not long ago, actually), I moved on to module 9 but alternated my practice routine (one day mod. 8, the next mod. 9, then mod. 8 again, and so on).
Don’t forget - the most important thing is to have fun 
.
Well, thanks, you all, for your kind responses! 
There were two big reasons for my ‘lull’ in progressing. One was the end of the semester, which I mentioned in my last update. The end of the semester is often a busy time. So, I really felt the ‘crunch’ at school, and put my personal hobbies on hold.
Second, honestly, the riff from “Wish You Were Here” did not interest me much, and looked a bit difficult. In my mind, I had to practice that riff before I could move to Module 9. So, not being very motivated to attempt the riff, I put it off.
So, I repeated the Module 8 practice for… three months? A week or two ago, something changed. (It’s Summer, with a small break, and now new college classes.) So, I tried the “Wish You Were Here” riff a few times, as well as learning MxPx’s “Chick Magnet” riff on the bass. The “Chick Magnet” riff includes some hammer-ons, which I haven’t gotten to yet in the JG program, but I figured it out.
Last night, before bed, I watched the Module 9 lessons and played along. It’s all pretty straightforward, except the F-Chord. That one wears out my hand very quickly, and will take plenty of practice to play efficiently. The “Californication” riff isn’t too hard, and I was able to play through it a bit already last night.
Frankly, I think just watching the lessons got me more excited to start progressing again. Justin’s so friendly, it adds an emotional pull.
Edit: A fun note on Module 9. In the lesson on F-Chord “Cheats,” he teaches us the FMaj7 chord. Strumming it, I noticed how the three fretted notes didn’t sound all that “weird,” but it was the open high-E string that gave it the… Major7 sound. So, I tried raising that high-E by a semi-tone, fretting it at fret one. So, I just accidentally discovered the “Mini-F” chord, which Justin teaches right after that. 
That made me feel like such a music theory big brain.
Today, I have completed Practical Music Theory - Grade 2. I actually completed the lessons quite a while ago. I decided to take the test today, to continue on to Grade 3. I passed.
I did have to re-take it the exam, as a 100% is required, and I missed one question. The question asked for a “group of notes that works well together.” I did not choose “Scale” as the answer. Scales are notes that work well together, but I didn’t think of that as definitional of a scale. It seems that could also describe a key or a chord, for example. Anyway, on to Grade 3!
Well done Todd, good to see you moving forward.
My advice when you come across a song that does not gel with you, walk right past it !
Back in the old Beginner’s Course there were no riff lessons at all and it never held anyone back. If something just does not float your boat, don’t put the brakes on, if you’ve ticked off all the other boxes in the module. You can always come back to something later on if you have a change of heart/mind !
Todd, good to see you are able to move forward again and making progress. I know that Module 8 was put in by Justin (as he admits) to give your fretting hand a workout before learning the F chord, so if you are getting bored just move on. When you finish grade 2 you will be reviewing and filling in the gaps in your learning during the consolidation phase.
Good to see you back Todd! And congrats on passing your Grade 2 theory test. I really need to get back into the theory course. I started it and stopped at grade three. I just find it so hard to focus on theory, even though I know it will further my skills in the long run. It’s inspiring to me to see you go back to it and dig right in! I think I need to set myself a schedule or something 
Good to see you back amongst it Todd.
Ain’t nothin’ like a bit of practical music theory to get the blood pumpin!
Onward and upward 
Cheers, Shane
I have started a thread in the AVOYP area for my playthroughs of the entire JustinGuitar Easy Guitar Songbook. So as to not double-post, I will post a link here whenever I add a new video there:
My first performance, below, is “Give Peace A Chance.” Any constructive feedback is welcome! Thanks!
@sclay Thanks, Shane! I appreciate you!
@Jenndye429 Thanks, Jennifer! I think you’re right, about the schedule. That’s something I need to do. In fact, I would say that a lot of things in my life would probably be improved if I was better at making a schedule for myself, and sticking to it. I’m a BIG procrastinator.
@SteveL_G99 Thanks, Steve! That’s good to know, regarding the background of the module! I can see that it’s a good bridge to getting towards the later levels. On top of the F Chord, we also get into C Major Scale in Module 9. Having done the “play all of the natural notes in the first three frets” exercise from Module 8 seems to really be a good way to prepare for the major scale. It’s sort of fun, in a pedagogy sense, looking back and seeing how the various exercises work towards later skills.
@TheMadman_tobyjenner Thanks, Toby! You’re the… madman! That is great advice though. I can see how the riffs are probably helpful, both to learn some skills, and as a bit of a treat, something to keep people going. But, like you said, I also shouldn’t let one hold me back if I’m just not into it. For example, in a couple practices, I’m already getting the Module 9 Riff down (it’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers “Californication” one).
@NicoleKKB Thanks, Nicole! It’s nice to be back. Also, I totally agree. We are here for fun, after all!
@Helen0609 Thanks! The bass is fun for sure! It’s interesting, in that so much is similar to a guitar, but, obviously there are differences in technique. It’s fun to change things up!
@roger_holland Hi Roger! Thank you so much! I appreciate you!
@LunaRocket Thanks for the kind words! Well, so far, I feel I am progressing on the F-Chord. I’ve had a few little practice sessions with it, and I can make it play cleanly now. It’s still not easy, though, and I’m sure it will take many weeks to be able to change to it and move it around. (Justin says so in the lessons, that this is a chord that we will spend many weeks slowly improving on.)
@Libitina Thank you so much! I’m glad to be back.
@alexisduprey I have decided to begin with the Easy Songbook… because I own it. I feel I should use it, since I’ve already paid for it. lol. But, after that, I will go into the Beginner Songbook. I own Volumes 1 and 2 already of that as well. So… I have many songs to potentially learn!
@jkahn Thanks, man! Glad to be back! I always appreciate your posts. You make a good point there, about not sticking. I’ve read that one of the brands, Fender perhaps, actually did a study, and it seemed like the 1 year mark was really important. People who keep going for one year tend to really stick with it. So, for them, that meant more money. Those who played guitar over a year were likely to be converted into long-term customers and spend many more thousands of dollars with them.
The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.
I’m still in university, and sometimes just feel too overwhelmed. This semester has been the worst yet. Still, I have done a little guitar practice recently, and I thought about the forum here.
I like how some of the lessons have been updated on the app, as I decided to go back and do the new ones so all of my prior modules show they are complete again. I guess I’m a completionist.
Hi Todd,
I’ve been thinking about you every now and then in recent weeks and hoped that you hadn’t ended up in a mental dip… good to read that it’s “just” busy, good that you’re picking it up a bit again…
Make that "A little practice recently " into …"I keept going on and did stop not playing but busy to type " next time please 
Greetings ,Rogier
Thanks, Roger.
It has been a difficult semester for sure. I have been overwhelmed at times. Way more workload than usual. Sometimes it has put me in a mental crisis and I’ve had to talk to my professor.
Really, I need to work on time management. I have a habit of procrastination. If I organized my time better I would probably not feel so overwhelmed.