costancr

That's a great idea with the pinky, I'll give it a shot tomorrow during practice. Thank you!

Hello all, I was wondering if everyone moved through the course sequentially or if anyone skipped around after a certain point through the course? I'm on the session 6 chords, but a classical guitar kind of fell into my lap, so I started doing some of the basic fingerstyle exercises from session 10 and trying to track down some simple songs. Also I went online looking for some interesting music books and found some from the group Blackmore's Night, but there's a bunch of stuff I have not covered in the course (such as session 7 and 8 material). Should I try and tackle them anyway or wait? I fully intend to finish the whole course, even if I move around a little bit.

Hi all, I haven't posted in awhile but I made it to session 6. I've actually been here for a month or so, but I can't seem to make it past 54bpm, especially with the D/Asus switch. Was wondering anyone's thoughts on pushing yourselves musically. I feel like I know the basic process I need to learn the material on an initial level, but what is the balance between playing right and increasing speed at an appropriate pace? If I play at 56 or 60 bpm and it sounds horrible, do I keep going until its good or go back to solidify concepts at 54bpm?

Hi again, I have made progress in session 5, but seem to have hit a plateau. Started dabbling in session 6 to see if that helps me out. Was wondering if anyone had any tips on changing chords after an upstroke? This is what is getting me on "Turkey in the Straw" in the bonus exercises, and I know it comes later in many songs. Is it just a matter of making my fretting hand move that fast? This and C7 are the big things holding me back right now.

@Triple-o Thanks! Ill give that a shot during my practice this week and see where it leads.

Hi all, I started session 5 a week and a half ago and the exercises are progressing moderately well, but the songs in this session are throwing me for a loop for some reason. Quick question, I know not to pinch the guitar neck with my thumb, and I don't do it during the exercises, but when I get to the songs after the first 2 lines or so I notice myself doing it. I know that will come back to bite me, especially in barre chords, if I get in the habit but I wasn't sure if it was a matter of finger strength and time or if anyone else experienced a similar thing and found another cause? I also remember seeing a thread awhile about not being able to hit G with fingers 234 (I can play the 123 version fine) does anyone know what happened to it? Wanted to read through it as I'm having trouble with the same thing, and I did see the comments above, was just looking for more info...

@DianeB The only riff I've tried sounding out was the intro to "Windy" but I have to say trying your major scale idea was one of the most interesting things I've ever done with a guitar. Between going through the first 4 sessions and now starting on session 5 along with that suggestion you made actually makes me feel like I'm gaining some sort of understanding for the instrument, not just the how-to of playing. (even though I have barely scratched the surface) That was a fantastic suggestion thank you!

Thank you for the ideas! I'll give them a try today.

Hello all. I recently saw this video even though I'm on session 4 of the main course (and I'll probably dip into session 5 a little bit before I feel 100% in 4). I've been following a routine for awhile now that uses most of the tips Steve has in the lesson books, but this is the first time I remember the Creative free Play section being mentioned and I'm not really sure how to go about doing it. Usually the last few minutes of my session have been devoted to running through sharps and flats to try and get those solid. Every once and awhile I'll maybe try to figure out some song melody by trial and error. I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions on where to start for the creative free play part? Or is this something I should worry about after a few more sessions?

Hi, I apologize for the late response as a lot has been changing for me, but I've still been practicing. Still on Session 4 but I am able to play through all of the regular material at the suggested bpm and 90 percent of the bonus stuff. I've hit a block where I can play well with no metronome but when I add one to try and play it, I do horribly. Slightly terrified that means I am building sloppy bad habits because of that. And Fur Elise is killing me. I know the notes, and most of the finger choreography but I can't get it to sound good. @pkotof Those sound like some good practice ideas! I think I'll try to work them in to my routine. I might have to move to start session 5 while finishing up the last bits of material in session 4. Not worrying about the timeline and making sure the material is solid is exactly what I've been trying to think about.

Thank you all for the replies! Focusing on the melody right now definitely took some of the stress out of learning the Session 3 Song Hits material. I still have the Sharps/Flats exercises and songs to work through in the LEarn and Master Course before session 5, so I have redirected my chord learning efforts towards making sure I have the C, G7, Am, and E chords down from the lesson book.

Hi, I am working my way through the first few sessions of the Song Hits and I am still on Session 4 of Learn and Master Guitar. I looked ahead a bit and saw that session 5 is chords. How much time should I be spending on the chords in the Song Hits at this point? The ones in Session 1 and 2 were straightforward, but the ones in Eye of the Tiger and Bye Bye Love are giving me trouble. I can't decide if I should come back to them later or keep wrestling with them?

@NeilES335 @Wim VD1 Thank you for the responses! I think my current plan is to continue on with the course as normal and practice the song hits thoroughly, especially since I haven't started on chords in the Learn and Master Guitar course. Since the first batch of songs in the Hal Leonard book seem to be somewhat simple I'll use that as sight-reading practice.

Hi All, I tested myself today and feel pretty ready to start session 4 today, after a return to practicing for about 2 weeks after a month or so of slacking off. I've been doing some reading in the forum and understand that I need to split this session up. I actually have a question about resources though. I've obtained the first book in the Hal Leonard series that Mr. Krenz recommends, and I have also been working from the Song Hits (of which I am on session 3). I feel like I have a lot of material to work from now and want to go through it all at once, but know that's not realistic, yet I always feel that I am practicing one song at the expense of another. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Sounds good! Thank you both for the input.

Hi all, Yet again, I have failed to stick with the course for a few months. I trailed off in the middle of session 3 of Learn and Master Guitar and the same in The Song Hits. I'm guessing it's worth starting from the beginning since I wasn't very far in. This might be a dumb question, but I was hoping for anyone's thoughts about where to start again? I really miss playing music, as I played trombone for 9 years, just struggling to make it past the beginning.

Hi all, I moved onto session three over the weekend, and I am well on my way to working through it (session four is where I gave up on my first attempt to go through the course). I was wondering if anyone had any tips when playing open string notes that are followed by other open strings or fretted notes on a different string. For example the B-G in "Yankee Doodle" or the first few notes of "When the Saints Go Marchin' In." I can play the first note fine, but when I move to the next one or the next string, the initial note either rings through the second one (which does sound interesting, especially on "Amazing Grace"), or I mute the initial one and play the second, but there is an awkward split second of silence between the two. Am I just not fast enough? I know Mr. Krenz talked about muting strings in session 2 or 3, but I can't seem to make it work for the session 3 songs

Hello Everyone, I'm about a week and a half into session 2 and I have started to find that I play better when I play at 65bpm than 60. Although I know that hitting notes quickly is important to make music more fluid, I don't want to just become a "fast" player (I know I'm only on session 2 of a very long journey). I wasn't sure if anyone had a similar problem or if this was something I shouldn't worry about right now?

Thank you both!! I will move on to the next session ASAP.

Hello, I think this is my first time posting on the forum. I have gone up to session four of L&M Guitar, but had to stop for a few months because of shoulder surgery. I decided to start at session 1 again to rebuild a solid foundation and also purchased The Song Hits. Because I am starting over, I had a question about perfection. I've been on session 1 for almost 2 weeks and no matter what I do I seem to always make a tiny mistake every time I practice and my fingers don't hurt but my hand cramps up still. I feel like I meet the criteria to move on to session 2 in theory but I'm not entirely sure because of these little mistakes. Any suggestions?