Disregard this content from last year please.
Great stuff, thatās what I call dedication. ![]()
My routine is mostly playing whatever I feel like. I also spend about a quarter of it working on my challenge / dream songs and soloing.
Welcome to the forum.
Your last sentences make my blood freeze. I am so, so sorry for your loss.
Welcome to the community, Scott. Did I understand correctly that you started playing guitar approx. eight months ago? You list a lot of exercises and training different skills ⦠Is there a certain style of music you enjoy? Or a set of songs you like playing? ![]()
Scott,
Screw practice, sorry for loss lifeās too shirt. ![]()
Hello Scott,
Is that the routine for 5 hours every day?
Thatās alot of ground to cover in one day, but then again, everyoneās motivations and circumstances are different.
Just donāt burn yourself out man.
Re the routine itself. The only thing Iād add that has really helped me is to practice in one specific key each week.
So, in my structured practice, I do all my scales, interval work, chords, triads, arpeggios, improvs, solos etc , all say in B major for one week; then C Major the next week etc. Going around the Circle of Fifths can be one good way of doing it.
Apart from helping to nail down your keys, chords in keys etc, I believe this really does aid in developing valuable connections across different areas, and discovering the interconnectedness of it all.
All the best,
Cheers, Shane
Oh, Scott, Iām so sorry to hear that. Canāt imagine how tough that would be ![]()
I hope guitar provides you with just the right type of escape, so you can free your mind for a while and focus on this wonderful, creative pursuit.
Take care ![]()
Hello Scott, I feel very sorry for your loss. Tough times you are going through. I wish you all the best to get through, hopefully guitar can give you a bit of relief. Youāve setup an ambitious routine, always good to have a plan!
Sorry for your loss. Iāve know my other half for 48 years and no idea what I would do in a similar situation.
Shane. No idea how long you have been playing for (quite a while I would think) but at this point in my JG lessons (mid Grade 3) I think that we have only been taught 3 scales and B major isnāt one of them, and we have only touched on triads, arpeggios and improv.
Hi Scott,
I canāt imagine what kind of dark time you must have gone through and what you are still living in⦠I wish you the best with the guitar and may it continue to help keep your thoughts/brain a bit ānormalā
Greetings,Rogier
HI Scott, welcome to the community forum. I am very sorry for your loss. I hope that you find comfort in some of the songs that you learn and in your explorations of the guitar.
Scott, Iām so sorry to hear about your loss, itās heartbreaking. ![]()
On the other hand itās good you found something that gives you some comfort after what you have gone through. Music and making music can help us heal sometimes.
Wish you all the best and take good care! ![]()
PS: Itās quite an impressive routine and amount of practice time you have!
Scott, I thought the doctrine āno pain, no gainā was revealed to be ineffective long time ago?
Keep the wound clean and let it heal, will you? Put an adhesive bandage or two
Go easy on those barre chords for a bit, they will still be there next week as wellā¦
Ill be okay lol thank you. Pain is good. One it means youāre getting stronger, and two its awesome when you pick up the guitar and realize you can do whatever now because you put the time in when it was uncomfortable. I take breaks when it hurts too much. Most of my finger trauma yesterday was from trying to lie my finger over the b and not high e. A thousand angles and pressures. The chord is written E1 a3,d3,g2, b1 high e 0. Eventually I gave up the barre and just fret the b1. Only omitted note is low e. And that has to be good enough. You can do it with a crazy barre with your pinky on the 3rd fret A and D strings, using your ring for the b on fret 2, and index and middle for fret 1ās b and low e. But I was exhausted from trying. So omission of low e it is. Roflmao.
When I started I just always alternate picked cause it seemed more practical than always down. I never messed much with chords. I wanted the strength to barre first. So as soon as I could, I started fingering every chord I could find. Suggest some hard ones. I dont fool with fingerpicking yet, suggest a song if you like. Dont make it too hard, dont know full songs, just sections and exercises. (Can play sweet child intro, but not the song, etc.) Songs will come later, but trying to learn more completely these days. Fingers ![]()
I think, I know something that might be hard for you - and itās not hard chords or difficult riffs, melodies or solos.
How about you make an experiment. Try to let go a bit of all this enourmous pressure, you seem to be putting yourself under. Music is so beautiful. Itās the most beautiful language on earth. And for the most part, this beautiful language is made up of songs. Just imagine, how good it will feel to be able to play a whole song. It doesnāt matter how easy that song is ( and beyond the surface many an easy song is not that easy after all).
Try to have an open mind, when I suggest the following:
Take a look at Beginner Grade 1. Follow the modules to the letter. Take your time. Progress according to the plan Justin lays out so well. Once Beginner Grade 1 is done, continue with grade 2 etc.
But: Start learning the songs Justin suggests immediately when going through Grade 1. If I am correct, you will soon get a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. And you will get to play songs, songs, songs as e.g. often advocated by Richard @Richard_close2u
Too easy you say? No, I dont think it is. Only A and D chords at the beginning and you are able to do so much more complicated stuff? So what? If nothing else - given that you are so dedicated - you will find ways to spice up these open chords. I can even make it more difficult for you: Start a Learning Log and document your experiment. Reflect there how the guitar skills you
already have, will help you on your journey through different grades.
Is that enough of a challenge for you? ![]()
I LOVE that idea. Doing it tonight. Thank you so much!
For the record: I strongly disagree with the idea that experiencing pain would be correlated to making progress.
See. I said it would be difficult for you. You are proving me right
I still think following a āprogram like thatā can give you a wonderful set of tools for eventually daring to tackle something as complicated as Megadethās āTornado of soulsā or Eric Johnsonās āCliffs of Doverā (which are some of the most difficult songs that come to my mind right now).
I beg to differ. Letās say randomly and aimlessly alternating between two chords does not feel like playing a song. Add in rhythm and using strumming patterns purposefully and it will already start feeling more like a song.
Check this lesson for example, itās sure difficult to get the song ārightā, even when there are only two chords
Even Fleetwood Macās āDreamsā is mainly alternating between two chords. Check out the lesson here:
Everyone has a story how they got started. I recall Peter @rorystrat, an accomplished player, recently mentioning having started with single notes and scales but now recognizing the value of chords as fundamental building blocks (Peter, please correct me if Iām wrong.)
Scott, in the end itās entirely up to you to decide how and what you want to learn. All Iām saying is that following āprograms like thatā will help you being able to play full songs. Iām sure community moderators and approved teachers Richard @Richard_close2u and @LievenDV can offer further advice how to proceed in your specific case.
Meanwhile, seeing that we are still in your introductory post, I repeat my challenge to you. Work through the different grades and start a Learning Log reflecting your thoughts, insights and struggles ![]()
Nicole @JokuMuu is right, when I was a kid playing chords was frowned upon; one was expected to just play lead lines. And I too sat on the sofa picking out the melody to anything on TV. When I discovered I could get a rock-chick girlfriend without being a rockstar part of the purpose went. When I was widowed I went heavily back into guitar. I think it was a distraction but helped somehow in the healing process. Now I live by the chord.
What I mean by what I said, is that if I cant play unaccompanied and people know what Iām playing it doesnt count. What Iād be doing is learning how to alternate chords in time. In my humble opinion. Which still matters. But itās not playing a song. I can play a 3 or 4 chord progression with nothing else. Most likely you have no idea what im playing. No matter how I strum. Its a different kind of practice. I have paid for justin all year, even though i dont use him anymore I still do. Hes cool.