What to learn next? Should I move to the next stage? etc etc.

[misterg]

Should I get the J.U.S.T.I.N. sound part right in each stage before I move on?  If so, it's going to really hold me back. Or do I just practise that part while I move on and hope it gets better?

I would say move on, but keep practicing the JUSTIN stuff, rather than skipping it. I personally don't think of the JUSTIN training as a pass/fail thing, more as an incentive to listen carefully, both to the exercises and music in general. As your playing develops, I think you'll find it easier to recognise chords and chord sequences.

And am I the only one who gets in a total muddle trying to manipulate my guitar, a pad and pencil and stop/start/pausing my laptop (with itunes) at the same time?

No! 

{typed while you were posting, but hopefully answers your point!}

[Lucina]

Thanks for the help, everyone - I'm much encouraged as the sound recognition was getting me down.  I will keep plugging at it though.

I've now moved on to stage 4, and they're chords I've always found a bit more challenging. Hopefully the one-minute changes will help iron out the problems. This is a great course!

[Blaze]

Hey all, newbie here~ 

Anyway, I've been going through the Beginner's Course (great so far!) but I've noticed as I've went on my scores in the J.U.S.T.I.N training have just got gradually worse. During Stage 1 & 2 I was generally scoring 95% plus overall, however now I've reached Stage 5 and I'm looking at around 60-70%.   

I'm fine with the chord changes and have learnt four songs from the Songbook for Stage 5, but I'm not sure whether I should move on due to the aural side of things not being as good.  All advice is appreciated~

[deerpark1951]

I am a beginner and have reached stage 6.  I can spend  30 minutes on the J.U.S.T.I.N. training and single  chords and chord quality I nail but the CPR is killing me!  I feel like I should be picking up the guitar practicing and not trying so hard to listen.

[jnb]

@ Lucina

Same here. I found the problem is that I could go through the recorded exercises and nail them spot on recognising chord sequences without any problems but there's only a few exercises like that and, like sight reading, once you've gone through it once correctly there's no point in revisiting it. On the other hand try and apply the same exercises to a real song with all the additional instrumentation and voices and I find it nearly impossible. In the end I moved into a lot of solo and classical guitar where chords are less dominant and picking out a melody and counterpoint are more relevant which I can do but unfortunately I'd like to be able to do more of that "busking with three chords and pick up from four bars or someone else playing" style of music. I can improvise around any number of chord sequences and scales but spontaneously picking up someone elses tune escapes me.

And am I the only one who gets in a total muddle trying to manipulate my guitar, a pad and pencil and stop/start/pausing my laptop (with itunes) at the same time?

You've got toes haven't you? 

[Todd S.]

I'm not even a full week into the beginner coarse.  Getting better at the chords and 1 minute changes, up to 20 this morning. 

I tried the J.u.s.t.i.n. for the first time today.  They all sound the same to me.  I'm hoping it is something I'll be able to develop but it has me a bit concerned, can you be music deaf? 

I think I can tell A from D from E when I play them but listening to it through the computer was hard.  Maybe I need to crank the volume. 

[stitch101]

It will take some time for your ears to learn each sound. Keep practicing and listening and it will come.

To help develop your ears really listen to the chords when you play them. Close your eyes so you hear
then with out seeing them.

[mouser9169]

I think I can tell A from D from E when I play them but listening to it through the computer was hard.  Maybe I need to crank the volume.

If you're talking about just hearing a single chord played - most people can't tell what chord (or note) it is. Those who can have what is called 'perfect pitch'. That's something you're born with; it can't be learned.

What you can do is learn 'relative pitch'. That's where you hear the first chord and you know it's A. Then you can tell what the next chord is by how much higher or lower it is than the A chord. Or even if you don't know what the first chord is, if you call that the I chord, you'll be able to figure out the progression, even if you're not sure what key the song is in.

Note: if the E, A, and D chords are played with 6, 5, and 4 strings respectively - that would be something your ear could pick up on - but that's not the same thing as hearing and knowing the notes.

[bradt]

I tried the J.u.s.t.i.n. for the first time today.  They all sound the same to me.  I'm hoping it is something I'll be able to develop but it has me a bit concerned, can you be music deaf?   

A lot of stuff sounds the same at first. Once you've played the chords over and over a lot, they start to stand out more. You start to pick out the small differences in them, and begin to be able to tell them apart. Just pay attention to what they sound like when you play, and really listen. You'll get it without even realizing you have.

[Blaze]

Bleh, whatever I do, I can't seem to tell the difference between Em and E major.  I can whilst playing the guitar, as E major definitely has a far fuller sound, but through the computer they sound identical to me.

[rfriday]

Bleh, whatever I do, I can't seem to tell the difference between Em and E major.  I can whilst playing the guitar, as E major definitely has a far fuller sound, but through the computer they sound identical to me.

I'm currently having the exact same issue with C and Am.  Hopefully it will come with time, but I'm afraid..like you..that they just don't sound different enough through the computer.

[MonkeyMark]

There's no point asking how long it takes to complete the beginners course as everyone is different, learns as different speeds and some practice hours each day whilst others can only fit in 10 mins.

So instead I thought, out of curiosity, for total beginners, roughly how long did YOU take to complete the course or each stage in hours?

[FChris]

Well, for me BC was about 3-4 month, with half an hour solid practice a day, 5 to 6 days a week. Ever since I am working on Intermediate Foundation with less solid practice

[TheCasual]

I'm up to consolidating the BC and been on since the 9th of January this year. I suspect I'll be finished in the couple of weeks.

I think a month a stage is a good amount time on each stage.

[black_devils]

There's no point in rushing through the course I would say 9 months to finish the whole course. People that rush through the basics never really get far..

[TheReplicant]

Started the Beginner's Course at the beginning of August last year and finished it by the end of January this year. So, 6 months. However, I did spend a month consolidating the course as I was doing Justin's Strumming DVD, so 7 months overall.

I think went straight on to the Intermediate Course at the end of February and consolidating that now so 7 months for the IC too. I did the Music Theory .pdf while doing the IC.

I practice 1-2 hours a day everyday (apart from the odd day off when I moved house or had to work late).

I'm finishing up my consolidating of the IC this week and then moving onto the Blues Rhythm DVD.

Before August last year I'd never played an instrument in my life before.

[asura]

It's hard for me to give an accurate value, especially for the average time per day.
I believe it took ca. 1.5 years with 1 hour practise a day.
If I think on some songs maybe 2 years comes closer.

Probably a good chance to be the slowest, but I started with guitar because I thought (and still think) it is the hardest instrument for me to learn. At least I can be sure never to run out of exercises for the rest of this life

[Joerfe]

Around 6 months for me, from February to July. I've been playing (very) little some 25 years ago and the last three years I have played the piano. Maybe that is why I have moved a little faster than others.

[bradt]

It took me just over a year of not so regular practice to get through the BC. I still go back and brush up on it from time to time.

The hardest part is the first 6 months or so of getting the hang of it. Once I got to where I could play a few chords, and was able to play along with a few songs, the learning started getting faster. Now that I am able to play more, I feel like I am making more progress in a month than I did in the first 4.

[mike42]

The course took me about a year to get through, but that was also the old beginner's course so I don't know if the updated one would've taken more or less time.

However, I still go back to some of the lessons to review them and improve on some of the techniques. I've been playing about 5 and a half years on and off, and it's really a never ending learning experience.

Like others have said, be sure you don't rush any of the lessons. Building a strong foundation will benefit you immensely in the long run, and even though it will take longer at first it'll save you time when you move on to more complex techniques.

[Fozjg]

I think I worked through the 9 stages in about 10 months and around 280 hours. Roughly 1 hour of practice on average a day.  Keep in mind I did say "worked through" I certainly hadn't mastered it at all. The unfortunate part is that I'm still at the level as I haven't put any focused practice in since then. I know people say don't worry about the time just enjoy the process but it's nice to know if you put the time in you will reap the benefits.

[JulieSun]

Hello Blaze!

Have a warm welcome and cool that you're starting to play!
I'm much of a beginner myself really so I can only give you as much advice that I learned from others..

First of all, I haven't gotten that far in the book yet, but listening is really important, though your scores decreasing in percentage by the time you progress in the book makes sense.

The lessons are designed to work up your level gradually, learning is going gradually aswell... don't mind that. It's looking good so far

If you feel like you are ready to proceed, just proceed. But if you're noticing you're having any complications because you moved onto the next stage, just take a step back and practise some more from the earlier stages, or take it slowly in the new stage. I personally don't think it's bad to look at higher level stages when you're still beginner.

For me it's motivating to listen and watch those lessons, knowing that I am not ready for them. It drives me to work on those things I find boring or that seem too repetitive. It also gives me a hint of why I have to learn other skills first if the material is too difficult, whenever I am that stubborn to still try them out.

Overall, keep on repeating the previous stages/exercises and playing songs from there, it will help you improve so I'd recommend to not stop doing them!! (even if they seem too easy for you)

Transcribing songs is also very good for your aural skills, you might want to look up that section on the site aswell. Might help you improve double time!

http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TR-000-Transcribing.php

Hope this helps you making your mind up.

Best of luck!

JS

[Neverendr]

I haven't gone through the courses,  though I have learned a few songs, very easily due to the excellent instruction, I might add.   I've been playing for a very long time, 25-ish years,  and I can honestly tell you that I *still* learn something new on a weekly basis.  That's one of the great things about guitar - you can learn a little and play a lot of songs,  you can learn a ton and play a lot more songs,  but it seems that one never stops learning!

For reference, just to compare my time against Justin's courses,  I'm sure it took me a LOT longer.  Probably 18 months of lessons to get to the point that I knew enough to be comfortable playing in front of people.  At least 3 or 4 years before I would have dared to call myself "advanced".  Granted, this was before the internet.

[Majik]

It's worth noting that not everyone starts the BC as a total beginner. A huge problem for total beginners is getting control of the fingers in their fretting hand.

There's plenty of people who come to Justin's courses having a basic level of guitar experience. For my own part, I started playing guitar in my 40s having briefly been taught classical guitar for about 6 months at the age of 10, and having picked up and messed with other people's guitars very occasionally in the intervening period.

I was surprised how much I remembered, and many of the fretting hand movements and the muscle control were still there. I have seen others starting guitar for the first time, and even fretting very basic chords is a massive challenge, and they are often frustrated by the lack of control they have over their fingers; it's almost as if their hand doesn't belong to them.

I think we all experience that occasionally even with a lot of experience; a new chord will come along with a challenging fingering and, somehow one finger refuses to obey simple instructions!

But I think someone with even quite a small amount of guitar playing history will have a significant advantage over someone who hasn't. I reckon this could make the difference of 10-20 hours.

Cheers,

Keith

[grebber]

Hi there.
I'm on stage 1 of the beginners course and so far I'm pretty happy with working on the 3 chords thats in it.
being that i have only been doing it for just under a week i still have problems going from one chord to the next but its going ok. working on 2 songs as well and i have my good days and bad days with them. obviously when i can change chords better they will be better as well
anyways im curious how long you have stayed on each stage.
seems like the this course suggests the beginners course last around 1 year. give or take a few months depending on each persons abilities. going with a year that means i should be in stage 1 for a month or more. thinking of it this way i dont feel so bad that i feel im going slow. my mind understands whats going on but the hands still are slow and stubborn. being new i understand tho.
so how long about was it for you going through your stages.
thanks
grebber