PC-101 • Goals

[justinguitar]

Questions...

Lesson Link: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/PC-101-Goals.php

[rpreisendanz]

My # 1Goal is to write songs.  My #2 goal is to become more proficient on the Guitar. And my #3 Goal is to have fun. That said, what should I be practicing for my #1 goal?

[licksnkicks]

To write songs though you have to have an understanding of how music works.  Playing and theory would be really 2 good ideas delve into!

[TB-AV]

Many of you posted here asking what goals to set and providing your personal goals. This area is reserved for questions about the lesson.

Please re-read Justin's closing summary as to the purpose of this lesson. The goal setting is for YOU to do. Not ask another. This is a personal thing that you do and observe your results.

You will become better just for having given this some thought! So do it now - grab a pen and write down things you want to do - see if you can define a big goal. Work out the things you would need to be able to do to get there - then work out what things to practice to get your journey underway.

Just try it - everything takes practice - even working out what to practice

And don't forget to have fun!

[riczrock]

HI...I WANT TO PLAY GUITAR SO AS TO COMPLEMENT AND SUPPLEMENT MY SINGING....I ALWAYS WANTED TO SING AND THEN I FOUND THE BEAUTIFUL GUITAR THAT I WANT TO LEARN...I HAVE  CHANGED A NUMBER OF TEACHERS...AND SO MANY ONLINE LESSONS...BUT I CANT FIND A PATH TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL...THEY TEACH ME TECHNIQUES AND ALL THAT..BUT THAT IS NOT HELPING ME..I GAVE GRADE 2 FROM ROCKSCHOOL,UK...BUT IN THE END I HAVE BEEN THINKING WHERE HAVE I BEEN BENEFITTED...CAN U PLEASE HELP ME WITH A METHOD AS TO WHAT TO DO IN SUCH A SITUATION...AND I AM COMFORTABLE IN PLAYING BASIC CHORDS STRUMMING AND SINGING ALONG....SO WHATS THE NEXT STEP...PLEASE HELP ...

[jacksroadhouse]

No need to shout, mate, we all have good ears around here

Actually, this is the right place for you. If you want to learn to accompany yourself singing, go through Justin's beginner's course (just in case you missed something in other places) and through the intermediate course. That will give you the tools to play decent song accompanyment. If you can spare a quid or two, you can also check out "Really useful strumming techniques" (RUST) I & II, they are very helpful with rhythm. If you're past 8th note strumming, then start with RUST II.

Of course there are lots of places you can go from there. Even the vaguest possible hint as to your musical style would be helpful in order to give you advice on that

[riczrock]

thank you :)jacksroadhouse....
i like/play/listen to avril lavigne,alanis morisette,jordin sparks,alicia keys,theory of a deadman,lenka,regina spektor,one republic,lady antebellum,pink,goo goo dolls,switchfoot,nelly furtado...
i m bad at those songs which require picking...and that too speedy,,,for example-say goodnight by bullet for my valentine,the call-wherever you will go...
i would like to cover alexi mudroch one day when i acquire his skills...
i cant find the chords by ear...
and i have tough times in figuring out the scale i should sing in...i cant find any lesson to teach me that...!
if you could figure out something about the music i like/play...and where i could go from where i am now,,,......I'll be greatful
 

[jacksroadhouse]

Okay, that's what I call room to manoeuvre

Well, I stand by my opinion: you should use the beginner's and the intermediate course to acquire the basic skills. Don't be too selective about this, the two courses contain very basic skills that you'll need anyway (assuming you're not there already).

As for picking, you might want to check out the folk fingerstyle course. I know, it seems diametrically opposite to the music you want to play, but the techniques taught there are very useful to play songs with very simple means and to make them sound great. If you haven't tried this, you really should. The most basic picking patterns can make you sound really good and they leave enough room in the brain to actually keep singing well

Figuring out chords by ear takes time and practice. Check out Justin's lessons on transcribing (there are more to come shortly) and aural training. Those should help you along the way. And whenever you're struggling too much, you can always check out the chords on one of the zillion-odd chord websites on the internet. Just don't take it at face value too much, internet chord sheets have a tendency to be a little off. But they can give you a place to start, and that Am which is supposed to be an Am7 you'll figure out yourself.

Hope I'm not boring you too much, but I don't really know where you stand, so I mention some stuff just to be safe.

As for the "how to choose a key to sing in" problem: I don't really know any good lessons on that (would be a tall order anyway, I suppose). I tend to just fool around, either transposing a song manually or using a capo, until I find a key that sounds good to me and is comfortable for me to sing in (not that I sing that well, but I try). Though I try to stay in the original key (if there is such a thing) as much as possible. It makes it so much easier to play along with the record, plus I don't get confused between singing/playing a song and remembering it (I sometimes end up in the middle between the original key and my key of choice, which can make dogs howl and cats flee). But I suppose you know all this.

Cheers


Jack

[riczrock]

 :)okay... I've actually put a hand on each of the areas you mentioned namely:beginner's,intermediate;folk fingetstyle,transcribing and aural training....but i haven't like completely completed them...its just i cant stick to the same lesson for a very long time....but that is my own weakness...and i'll win over it sooner,maybe today...


Thank you jack:)

Richa

[rpreisendanz]

Sorry about the delayed response.  Thank you for your advice! Would you recommend Justin's Book on Music Theory? I've been writing quite a few songs, which has been fun, but I want to keep moving forward in an organized and systematic way. I was given an 8 track recorder and have had a blast coming up with stuff and everything I have learned from Justin's lessons has helped a great deal.

Rolfe

[jacksroadhouse]

@rpreisendanz: I don't have it myself (found it too late - but I may still buy it anyway), but fwiw the answer is YES. I think a solid foundation in theory is extremely helpful for writing songs and makes things a lot easier (and not just in terms of songwriting).