You're almost a Grade 1 Guitar Player! :)

You did that!

It must be awesome to see your guitar progress through all these weeks. All thanks to your hard work and passion for learning. :)

As we wrap up Grade 1 of the JustinGuitar Beginner Course, let's recap what you've learned so far. This lesson will give you an idea of what you should be confident doing before moving on to Grade 2. Focus on practicing the things you struggle with the most.

Use this information to guide your practice in the next few weeks. If you're not there yet, set them as goals you want to accomplish. Then, track your progress by adding them as practice elements to your practice routine.

Let's first check out 5 things you should focus on to pass Grade 1.

How To Pass Grade 1

#1 You should be able to tune your guitar with a tuner.

If you've been playing for a little while, I'm hopeful that you know how to tune your guitar. It's super important you get this fundamental guitar skill figured out on your own.

#2 Memorize and play the 8 essential beginner chords on the guitar.

The goal is to say the chord's name and play it straight away - without even thinking! These 8 essential beginner chords are A, D, E, Am, Dm, Em, C, G.

Aim to play all 8 chords perfectly. Mute the strings that should be muted, and make sure they all ring out correctly. You should be able to play them from memory, in any order, straight away. Get the right sound from these chords at least 50 % of the time.

#3 Play 30 chord changes in 1 minute.

This makes for 2 seconds on each chord. It might seem like a lot - but it's totally possible. Eventually, you'll be able to do 60 changes per minute, but 30 changes is a realistic goal for now. If you're not there yet, keep practicing using the one-minute changes exercises. Each time you change chords, you're counting 30 chord movements in 1 minute. Do this with any chord pairing you've learned in the beginner course so far.

#4 Play The Old Faithful strumming pattern consistently at 80 beats per minute.

Put your metronome at 80 beats per minute and play along. You should stay with the metronome and play the strumming the old faithful pattern on the right counts. Now, we've talked a bit about adding variations. That's totally fine! Make sure your hand keeps moving if you're adding and removing strums here and there.

Remember, your strums should be automated and continuous. An excellent way to test this out is to distract yourself by looking at something else and see if the strumming pattern continues.

#5 Memorize 5 easy songs.

We've already talked about memorizing easy songs with simple chord progressions. Aim to play comfortably 5 songs that you know from memory that you can play at a party anytime. I recommend simple repetitive chord progressions so that it's consistent all the way through. That way, it's all you need to play the whole song through.

See if Nitsuj is ready for Grade 2

Practice frustration - it's part of the guitar journey. Sometimes things don't go as quickly as you think! Still fumbling on some of the chords, but Nitsuj is super satisfied by his progress at the end! Is it good enough to tackle Grade 2 ? Let's find out ... :)

Watch here - Nitsuj Module 7 Practice 10

Grade 1: Optional Courses & Tips

I highly recommend you complete the Ear Training Grade 1 and Music Theory Grade 1. A lot of people skip over these courses, but it's worth your time and effort. These courses can really improve your guitar skills and musical sense. It'll set your tone for the skills you develop in the next grade and make you a better musician. It's an excellent idea to check them out, but it's not mandatory to pass Grade 1.

To check up on all of these guitar skills, it's a good idea to record yourself playing the guitar and practice. That way, you can see what you need to work on. For some, this might be intimidating - but you don't have to post it anywhere. So instead, keep it for yourself - later on, when you're more advanced - it'll be awesome to look at where you started.

Grade 1: Key Reminder For Guitar Players

When learning the guitar, always be kind and forgiving with yourself. I know it can be frustrating at times, but remember, this is a fun journey! The idea of this test is a list of things you want to do. Think of it as a self-assessment tool and as guitar goals you'd like to accomplish :) Watching yourself progress should be an incredible and rewarding feeling!

Next up, we'll check out more about Module 7 practice and how to consolidate your guitar skills. You'll learn all the practice tools to pass Grade 1 with confidence :) See you there!