Author Topic: What to learn next? Should I move to the next stage? etc etc. (Read 130973 times)

Tim Mason · « **Reply #75 on:** June 26, 2014, 06:34:30 pm »

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When I 1st started this course, I was going slow and attempting to master each stage. Then just started blowing through it since I felt the more my brain knew, the better. Right now at the middle of stage 8 (been chunka chunka'n it for the past couple days). Will probably finish stage 9 tomorrow or day after and then spend a considerable amount of time going back and learning the songs in the stages. I haven't looked at a song since stage 3. But I do practice random chord progressions that I think sound cool.

Tim Mason · « **Reply #76 on:** June 26, 2014, 06:45:58 pm »

It's not a question of religion: it's a practical matter. If you over-reach, you'll mess up. That doesn't mean you can't think about what music is, about how the guitar works and so on. I was intrigued by the term CAGE, so I looked it up. And I read whatever TB-AV or Stitch have to say about it. And, yes, you can look at the theory of scales and so on. But you won't really feel what it's all about until you have the moves in your fingers.

Take the pentatonic scale if you will. I knew something about its importance for the guitarist, but I had no real understanding of its place in the music I listen to, the music I want to play. I've been working on it for about three months. With me, it's slow. Plodding. But I'm now just about getting to the place where I can almost hear music under my fingers.

A while back I was reading a music teacher's blog. She's also a neuroscientist. She reported on a study where it was found that learners whose primary aim is musicality progress much better than those who privilege technique. That sounds about right to me. You probably shouldn't move on from a specific skill until you can do it so someone would be happy to hear it.

mouser9169 · « **Reply #77 on:** June 26, 2014, 07:39:49 pm »

If I were going to use Justin's course as the basis for a curriculum to teach students, I'd tell them it would probably take between six months to a year for them to complete, depending on how serious they were and how much time they put in.

You're right that some things can be learned in different orders. Some very good blues based programs start with the 5/6 shuffle before you even learn chords. Theory can be taught in various places. What's important is that it all gets taught at some point, so you have a solid foundation to branch off from.

TheCasual · « **Reply #78 on:** June 26, 2014, 08:55:49 pm »

I did follow it almost to the letter.

I like structure and method and I learn best that way.

avadon · « **Reply #79 on:** June 27, 2014, 11:46:14 am »

After some months of playing, i knew what the whole begginer's course had, and almost what the intermediate course had, i think that i did it the same way as you did. I didn't play them smoothly, but i did know how to practice them. Maybe the reason that i did that was that i didn't want to sit in front of the pc to practice. I just want to grab my guitar and i'll practice whatever comes to my mind and want to. I liked that, if you like it too, just do it

TheReplicant · « **Reply #80 on:** June 27, 2014, 11:56:13 am »

Personally can't see the point in rushing ahead, only to come back later to really master it.

Why not take things slower and get it right first time? I see no real benefit to doing it your way.

As for your question........I finished the BC in about 7 months, but I practiced maybe 2 hours a day, everyday which may account for the shorter period of learning.

black_devils · « **Reply #81 on:** June 27, 2014, 05:08:10 pm »

It took me 5 months to complete the beginners course, but that was because I had a structured practice schedule and I practiced 2 hours a day lol. Quality over quantity when it comes to practicing, and it seems like you're taking the quantity part to a whole other level trying to squeeze in as many things as you can.

Unfortunately guitar playing doesn't work like that you are doing more harm to your learning than good it's better to just slow down, and understand a stage one by one instead of going through all stages you've only been playing for 2 months! Dude you're still at the early beginning stages you are just going to confuse yourself with all this information if I were you I'd go back to stage 1, and do it correctly.

sayworth · « **Reply #82 on:** June 27, 2014, 07:05:47 pm »

I asked this somewhere else, but in a thread that hasn't been looked at in ages, and this seems a good place to ask....

I have a bit of background (piano) and previous tinkering around on the guitar... but I've just recently started the beginner course.

I was wondering at what point it is good to do ear training... or is there a point in the beginner lessons where Justin recommends it, and I haven't got that far yet? Should I start practicing listening to intervals from the beginning, or wait until later? When?

Thanks!

stitch101 · « **Reply #83 on:** June 27, 2014, 08:11:42 pm »

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I was wondering at what point it is good to do ear training... or is there a point in the beginner lessons where Justin recommends it, and I haven't got that far yet? Should I start practicing listening to intervals from the beginning, or wait until later? When?

The first lesson on ear training is lesson 118. The 8th lesson of stage one.
http://justinguitar.com/en/BC-118-JUSTINstage1.php

Justin also has a course for ear training but you may want to wait until you are further into the BC before
you start it.
http://justinguitar.com/en/ET-000-EarTraining.php

bradt · « **Reply #84 on:** June 27, 2014, 08:28:47 pm »

I think it probably took me around 8 months to finish the course, another few to get some songs suitably under my belt. I still don't consider it mastered, and revisit it from time to time.

I looked ahead some, just as I think we all did, but I followed the course for the most part. There were occassions where I played a chord ahead of its place, and I started working on strum patterns and scales a bit sooner than in the course. I moved ahead on the F chord before I had it down. I still stuck with it.

The way I see it is that this course was created using wisdom and experience gained over decades of playing and instructing. I suppose some may learn better from it than others, but for someone to have just picked up a guitar and think they have a better way seems a bit brash. Sometimes things are a certain way for a reason, and sometimes it is wise to defer to those with more experience. Some of the things in the course may seem out of place, but when you start stacking the skills one on top of the other in the order presented, you start to see how they all fit together.

TheCasual · « **Reply #85 on:** June 27, 2014, 11:37:14 pm »

I didn't quite realise how much of foundation the BC is until I started the IM course

Take power chords for instance that greatly helps sliding barre chords around the neck.

You also learn open A barre chord which really helps with the A major barre chord.

Slurpee · « **Reply #86 on:** June 28, 2014, 02:04:35 am »

I started the bc in January and am now at stage 6. I see your point in looking ahead for background knowledge purpose, but if it comes down to the practical side of things, you should stick to the course imho.

A lot of the things you learn in the bc build on one another and it often just doesn't make sense to rush ahead.

For example there is just no point in trying to play bar chords, if you can't even play some open chords. Likewise for strumming, if you try to play ties or even picking base notes, before you can comfortably strum some simple patterns, you're likely just f***ing up your technique...

It can help greatly to see the stuff that you want to learn in a bigger context, but it won't change the fact that your hands need to properly learn all of it.

My advice would be to still gain as much knowledge as you can, doodle around with stuff that you find interesting and fun, but otherwise stick to the schedule.

Justin isn't considered one of the most influential guitar teachers in history for nothing...

SiegeFrog · « **Reply #87 on:** June 28, 2014, 05:17:09 am »

I started the BC in January of this year, and I think of myself of Stage 6-7. At this point, I've watched every video lesson in both the BC and the IM and some of the Blues lessons, so I know what's coming, but in no way would I say that I'm in any way more than a Stage 6.5 player. Of course, I've fiddled around with some of the IM stuff. If you're going to practice barre chord F in Stage 6, why not try it all up and down the neck? Once you've done that, why not try out the the A shape barre chords? Once he shows you the shuffle rhythm in Stage 5, why not peek at the 12 bar blues lessons in Stages 8 or 9 or the blues rhythm course? But, I'm not fooling myself. 90% of my practice time is dedicated to stuff that is directly relevant to the stage I'm in +/- 1. Right now I'm slowing down to work on songs more because I know consolidation is coming. Plus, chord practice is a little easier now. The first 10 chords are the hardest. The next 10 (not counting F) come a lot easier because your fingers are ready for them. I think you need to figure out what your goals are and the best way to achieve them.

Grimezy · « **Reply #88 on:** July 14, 2014, 04:25:36 pm »

I've been playing just less than 2 months and am quite comfortable on stage 4. I haven't practised every single day nor do I follow his schedule word for word. Some days I will sit and do an hour of 1-minute changes, chord quality, strumming patterns, etc and not even play a song. Other days I will sit there practising songs for an hour or two without bothering with the boring stuff.

I like the structure of the course but don't want to go through it in such a set pattern that I feel I'm being forced to do something I don't want to do otherwise I'll just get bored. I think one minute changes are great and I really notice the difference but I just hate doing them, I find I put too much pressure on myself to go quicker each time and the quality of my chords is effected.

There's nothing wrong with how you're learning, I've looked ahead myself and briefly looked over some topics. That's it though, it's all been very brief. I've not dedicated any proper time to anything past my recommended stage as I feel it will all come in good time. Just go at your own pace, like others have said, there's no rush to finish the beginners course. The skills you learn can be with you for life if you want them to be, I'd rather take my time with the foundations rather than rushing to the interesting stuff and then feeling disheartened.

At the end of the day, I know I only know very basic techniques at the moment, but as long as Justin says that I'm up to the level I should be then I'm happy. I genuinely feel confident with my progress and already my songs are starting to sound good (in my opinion). I probably could move onto stage 5 right now easily but I'm quite satisfied knowing that I'm really hammering the stuff I've been taught up to now rather than being overwhelmed by lots of new techniques.

JackSun · « **Reply #89 on:** July 14, 2014, 09:59:16 pm »

Well just to make you guys feel better, I been playing for about 1 to 2 hours a day for the last 6 years and I'm still not good enough to complete Stage 6 of the BC.

Don't seem to have any muscle memory that I keep hearing about. If I don't practice a chord for a few days I have to learn it all again, guess I'm not really cut out for this guitar thing.

Slateminer · « **Reply #90 on:** July 15, 2014, 04:31:42 pm »

I first picked up a guitar (aged 50 with no musical experience ) Xmas 2013 and started Justin's Beginner Course at that time. I've just about finished stage 3, so it looks as if I'm somewhat slower than most.

Age does come into it I'm sure, and how often you practice, however I am progressing, albeit not as quick as I'd like, 'two steps forward one step back', the main thing is that I'm enjoying the course and the learning process. So at this rate it could take 18 months to complete the beginners course.

One thing I would mention is that it took a long time (about 4 - 5 months) before my finger tips were hard enough for me to complete more than 10 minutes of practice at a time, this has held me back for sure but has now improved to about 30 -40 minutes.

Slurpee · « **Reply #91 on:** July 15, 2014, 08:54:56 pm »

Quote from: Slateminer on July 15, 2014, 04:31:42 pm

however I am progressing, albeit not as quick as I'd like

I can guarantee you, every single member of the forum thinks the same way. We would all love to be masters of the guitar asap =)

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the main thing is that I'm enjoying the course and the learning process.

So true. I mean this a long-time (if not life long) project and it requires so much dedication and discipline if you wan't to do it right. I respect anyone who takes the journey, it can be almost masochist at some times. If you really want to get better, basically every time you finally got good at one thing, you have to move on to something you suck at again or you won't really progress.

I guess this is the reason why many people quit or just stagnate at some point. You always have to keep going, no matter how good you are.

Anyway, just wanted to say you're not the only one in that position. It helps me to think that this is something I want to do my whole life, so there's no need to approach it like a race. If anything, it's a marathon and as you said, the most important thing is to enjoy it.

Drubbing · « **Reply #92 on:** July 16, 2014, 04:37:21 am »

Quote from: JackSun on July 14, 2014, 09:59:16 pm

Well just to make you guys feel better, I been playing for about 1 to 2 hours a day for the last 6 years and I'm still not good enough to complete Stage 6 of the BC.

Don't seem to have any muscle memory that I keep hearing about. If I don't practice a chord for a few days I have to learn it all again, guess I'm not really cut out for this guitar thing.

I would invest a little money into seeing a teacher. It should not take that long to develop some basic muscle memory

Tim Mason · « **Reply #93 on:** July 16, 2014, 11:05:56 am »

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If I don't practice a chord for a few days I have to learn it all again

Do you mean that you've totally forgotten the fingering? That, for example, you don't know where to put your first finger to make a C chord? Or do you mean that you don't place your fingers accurately enough to get a clean sound? If it's the former, then as Drubbing says, you might want to take a few lessons, and sort out where the problem lies.If it's the latter, it could be normal. I spend a few minutes every day going through all the basic chords, and some of them still need work before they ring properly : B7, Dm, A all need constant work, and I need to wake my little finger up before it'll do what it's told.

You mentioned in another post that you still couldn't play an F chord. I think from what I read here that everybody has problems with it. I can get it to work in isolation fairly consistently, but when changing to it in a song, I often fluff it.

I've been playing since last September, and I keep cycling back to the early lessons. But I don't drop the later stuff.

Drubbing · « **Reply #94 on:** July 17, 2014, 02:50:55 am »

He's ben playing 6 years/1hr+ a day though, and still hasn't got through the BC.

I'd have got pro help well before this length of time.

JackSun · « **Reply #95 on:** July 18, 2014, 07:08:01 pm »

When I say I forget how to play a chord after a few days, I mean I have to look at the chord chart again and practice it for a few days to get it ringing clean again. Trouble is by the time I've done that I have forgotten the other things I had learnt and have to start again on them in the same way, and the cycle repeats.

I can actually now play the F barre chord occasionally but it's probably only about 1 in 100 goes. Never quite sure what it is I'm doing differently when it works. But it is just in isolation, takes me about 10 minutes to get my fingers in place so not a lot of use, I just persevered to prove to myself it wasn't totally impossible.

I did take a few private lessons but I wasn't geting anywhere much and it was expensive so I am back to Justins Lessons.

Tim Mason · « **Reply #96 on:** July 18, 2014, 08:29:36 pm »

Have you tried learning songs?

Drubbing · « **Reply #97 on:** July 19, 2014, 01:09:20 am »

Quote from: JackSun on July 18, 2014, 07:08:01 pm

When I say I forget how to play a chord after a few days, I mean I have to look at the chord chart again and practice it for a few days to get it ringing clean again. Trouble is by the time I've done that I have forgotten the other things I had learnt and have to start again on them in the same way, and the cycle repeats.

Given you've been playing 6 years, I can't see how this is possible.

TheReplicant · « **Reply #98 on:** July 19, 2014, 01:47:35 am »

@Jacksun:

If you've been learning 6 years and forget basic open chords after a few days then I'd seriously go to a doctor and get checked for amnesia or some other sort of memory loss.

black_devils · « **Reply #99 on:** July 19, 2014, 02:21:58 am »

Or maybe the reason he can't do it after 6 years of playing is that he isn't practicing properly or maybe he's an on, and off guitar player.