Justin's Beginners Guitar Method...
Still at 30 minute schedule, your fingers should be able to take a 30 minute session by now without getting too sore, so it just if you can find enough time to do it all. As usual, if you can't find the time, break the routine into two sessions and do 15 minutes each day. Just make sure you work onall the routine topics and not just the things you like!
Stage 5 Practice Schedule
| Description | Time |
| Finger Workout | 5 mins |
| Chord Practice (Strum / Pick / Strum) | 5 mins |
| 1 minute Changes (or 5 mins AIR changes practice) | |
| --- ? to ? | 1 min |
| --- ? to ? | 1 min |
| --- ? to ? | 1 min |
| --- ? to ? | 1 min |
| --- ? to ? | 1 min |
| Rhythm Guitar Practice (RUST #8 and swinging) | 5 mins |
| Songs / Chord Sequences | 5 mins |
| JUSTIN Training | 5 mins |
Video Lesson
Things To Remember
Finger Workout
Please remember that this exercise is about developing your finger strength and independence and stretch, so please don't do it fast, there is no point!
Chord Practice
Remember that the point of this exercise is to get your chords sounding clear and train your fingers to go to exactly the right spot to get the chord sounding great. Start with a strum and then pick each note individually, except any strings that have the X next to them that you don't play. Try to play the notes with the tips of your fingers. Remember that dead sounding notes need to be fixed and the usual causes are either:
a) The finger is too far from the fret.
b) One of your fingers is touching a string that it shouldn't.
Move your fingers around as you pick out the strings until they all sound good and then strum them again, and as you give them the last strums, tell your fingers that this is how you want them to go to next time. It will look a little strange to anyone that is watching you, but it really helps! ;)
One Minute Changes
The object of the exercise is to get your fingers moving quickly. Although you should be trying to get the fingers in the perfect positions that you have been working on in your chord practice, if they are a little sloppy it is ok, we are working the speed here!
The important thing here is to practice the chord changes that you struggle the most with. In your practice shedule you should write in the amount of changes that you made in that practice session. Make sure youuse your timer, and push yourself to go as fast as possible.
Rhythm Guitar Practice
Just spend your time playing the pattern over and over again, don't try and add the strumming patterns to songs yet, that will be coming soon, and you will do it LOADS better if you follow my advice here and work on the patterns first before you try to apply them.
Songs / Chord Sequences
Just have fun and have a go at playing any songs you like, from my suggested list, or just something else that you fancy playing (preferably ones that just use the chords covered so far). Try to keep strumming basic "4's", one down strum on each beat, and try and keep strumming along and get your changes fast enough to not have to pause between chord changes!
JUSTIN Training
This is important, getting your ears working. Just go through the exercises and give your ears the workout they deserve!
HELP!!!!
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If you need to ask a question about this lesson - there is a topic set up specifically to help you with this lesson. To help you find it easily you can click the following link and it will take you right the topic. You'll be able to see questions that other people had and ask your own questions! Hopefully one of the very helpful members of our community will be there to help you soon, I do go there and answer stuff too - but there are just too many questions for me to answer alone! |
Justin's Beginner Guitar Method




