Thank you @roger_holland I am certainly enjoying the new experience.
1 Like
@TonyHS - Now a couple of days have past since you got your new guitar. How is your experience? Still loving and enjoying it, more urge to pick up the guitar and play?
1 Like
@kimlodrodawa yes loving it. Busy weekend so I haven’t been able to play it enough yet ;-( , I will get to play it a lot more next week!
1 Like
@TonyHS - Yeah, time is so precious. So happy for you, that you went for that new guitar. Really cool! 
And next week for you 
1 Like
Hi Tony, congratulations for your new guitar.
1 Like
Congratulations of the new guitar. I bought my first in February and already thinking about the next one. Enjoy
1 Like
Week 16 Review
9 May 2023
As the last two weeks have had 2 bank holidays in them I have not had a lot of practice time. I have bought a new guitar, a Squier Classic Vibe 50 Stratocaster in Black and white. A lovely guitar!
I have also uploaded a video of the Peter Gunn rift as part of Justin’s #challenge2 on his 20223 beginners Facebook group.
Other than that I have been consolidating the things I learnt in grade 1 and I have started module8, the first module of grade 2. The new chords are still causing me trouble at the moment, but it is still at very early stage. I am pleased to realise that my fingers are starting to position themselves ready for the new chord without me have to concentrate to much on them. In fact, if I do concentrate on getting them right they go all wrong 
I haven’t started to learn any new songs yet with the new chords, that will wait until I can at least get my fingers on the correct notes more than half the time, but by the next review I should have started learning a module 8 song. Still practicing hard the two songs ready for playing live in a few weeks time, and I have been told that he is planning another event for me a few weeks later playing with his band. It will be an eric Clapton number which will be in ADE chords to make it easier for me. What have I let myself in for!!!??
Still loving this guitar journey.
3 Likes
Tony @TonyHS
Glad to see you are progressing nicely and interesting that you are part of “The Class 2023”. I am sure some of us in the community would be interested to know this is structured and how you are all finding it.
Eric Clapton with chords ADE my guess would be Lay Down Sally.
Keep practicing
Michael
1 Like
Hi @MAT1953 , the class of 2023 is a Facebook group that Justin set up where beginners who have decided that 2023 is the year that they will learn to play the guitar. The group allows them to keep each other motivated etc. It’s a great group full of friendly people covering lots of different styles and abilities and Justin comes up with challenges suitable for those at beginner levels.
Re Clapton, close, but he has got a version of Further Down the Road using ADE chords. I have listened to the original today for the first time! All I can say is this could get interesting
2 Likes
Tony @TonyHS
I am glad the class of 23 is working out for all you, at the early stages it can be difficult and a bit discouraging but if it is keeping you all motivated then that’s great.
I started at the beginning of 22 but there was no Class of 22 and by the time the Class of 23 came around I was well past that very beginner stage thank goodness.
The EC song you mention I was not aware of but like you have had a listen, that is going to be challenge but for me I find a challenge is what I need to progress.
Lay Down Sally would be much easier, in fact it is one of the songs the group I am in at the Guitar Club are doing at our summer concert, I wish the other seven where as straightforward, but I did say I liked a challenge.
Michael
1 Like
@MAT1953 , yes Lay Down Sally is one of the songs I will be doing in 4 weeks time. The other one is Willy and the Hand Jive. Both nice slow and easy songs
1 Like
Another Milestone passed today
Well I am still buzzing 4 hours after, what for me was a far off dream.
I went round to my guitar playing friend to practice the two songs that I will be playing live with him in 4 weeks time. It was going really well. He noted that I played better when I didn’t read the music and just played from memory. Without reading the music I ‘flowed’ with the music more than when I was ‘reading’ and playing more ‘mechanically. We played the songs again and it went very well.
Next, he decided to go one step further. He wants me to play rhythm on Eric Clapton’s Further Down the Road in August. So he has had the backing track made so that it is uses the 3 chords that I am comfortable with (AD & E) and he started playing it through listing out the chords in the same manner that Justin does. Well after 5 chords he stopped saying them and just started playing lead and left me to it. Much to my amazement I could here the chord changes in the songs and played along for the whole 5 minutes of the track, with no errors!!! So, never played this song before, only ever heard the song twice, no music to read, and I did it!! The smile on my face as I realised what I was doing went from ear to ear and my friend was smiling with me all the way through it.
This is something I thought would be years away so I am so pleased with myself. As I say, still buzzing 4 hours later.
5 Likes
Week 17 review
How time flys, 17 weeks since I picked up a guitar!
Well, quite a week that was.
I am still working on the stuck ¾ chords in module 8, but they have taken a bit of a back seat as I cannot find a song that I like that uses them. As my previous post said, I had a great jamming/practice session and this has shown me the work on the basics can really pay off. I am quite happy with the AD & E chords, they are still not perfect but are quite good. This has shown me that the C & G chords are not in the same league yet, so I have started concentrating on those by learning ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’ by Bob Seger.
Justin, in his video of the song uses ADE, but the app uses CG&D. This is the version that I am going to learn. I have found that using the chords in a song is far better for me than the one minute changes. I will still do the perfect chord practice for all the open chords.
Most of my practice routines at the moment are just playing the songs that I need to learn, either through necessity of going to play them live or to get the new chords up to speed, so the technical part has now dropped to about a third of my practice time. This will change back to 50/50 at a later stage.
The only other thing that I must try to keep practicing is the ear training, though that does get forgotten at times. By the end of next week I hope to record a video of ‘Old time rock and roll’ so that I have a record of my early attempts.
1 Like
Re the previous post about me playing without music, I thought I would try the ‘Further down the road’ again to see if yesterday was a fluke. It appears that it wasn’t.
3 Likes
Well after buying a new guitar a couple of weeks ago, I just had to buy a Fender case for it as well. Just to keep it safe you understand… no other reason… really
2 Likes
Hi Tony,
Those cases are really nice …and a lot nicer than I hope my coffin looks like 
Now you looks like a pro when you open it in front of others
Greetings…
2 Likes
Hey 
…that is just a matter of time…and a little practice
It starts with the stuff you know 
Greetings…
2 Likes
@roger_holland , so true. This weekend I am playing rhythm to my friends lead in front of our wives. This will be the first time playing in front of an ‘audience’. 3 weeks time I will have to do it in front of an audience. I am looking forward and apprehensive at the same time. I know the 2 songs off by heart and now play them without any music. It should be good fun.
3 Likes
Not long ago, you stated that your fingers are starting to find where to go by themselves. You are getting there Tony… just keep going. You are really doing great and it’s so awesome to follow along your progress. - Also you are playing with others already. That is so amazing . - The other day I met up with people who are in a band and maybe I will somewhat join there. Your posts surely have inspired me in that direction also. - and by the way… looks awesome with that guitar case… super cool!!!
2 Likes