Beginners listen! I started playing pattern 1 of the G major scale with alternate picking with a metronome on Feb 23rd. I STRUGGLED at 45 bpm with quarter notes. I’ve been faithfully practicing for 10 or so minutes at the beginning of every session (2-4 per week) and am now able to nail 135 bpm 8th notes. 16th notes are on the horizon! I never thought I’d be able to play this fast and clean. Trust the method. Put in the time and the result will come. I still struggle to play melodically with a backing track so that will probably be my next main focus. Thank you Justin!
Justin man, your videos have taught me guitar from complete beginner to intermediate. You’ve got a life long fan from me. Thanks for all the hard work.
Justin mate, I'm gonna say it. The audio on these new videos isn't good. Very nasily and sounds like its coming through a cheap radio. Don't know if you've changed mic's but its not good and we can't hear you talking when you're playing. Lessons are still top notch though - just please fix the mic.
I’m going through the beginners course right now and I’ve been looking forward to scales - precisely because of the reasons you state - to know what notes work with what!
I recommend you take a look at my Music Theory course! :) The first grades are completely free and it'll help you become a better musician! www.justinguitar.com/categories/practical-fast-fun-music-theory
My guitar is awaiting to be recrowned for another 10 days so I had to stop but I am afraid of hand sync. I know D,A chords and barely touched upon the E chord but I am getting afraid.
Justin, great video. And yes, nice to mention a goal with exercising scales. One question.....might out me as a newby....you said „exercising the five patterns of the major scale and then the seven patterns and link them together“. Sorry but which seven patterns? Do you mean the different modes? Thx for the lesson. Stay safe, Frank
I was distracted by your t-shirt. At first I thought maybe it was a reference to some bossa nova musician then I figured out the last word had to be Ringo and it all became clear. Never lose your humour! My day is always brighter after spending time with you
I’ve been learning for few years and struggled with fast picking even with all the exercises and practice I put in. That tip about angling the pic is an absolute game changer for me.
Justin thank you for what you’re doing for the guitar community ,I’ve started your course about 2 weeks ago and I always am eager to keep learning and pick up My guitar and it’s super fun . Much love Justin ❤️❤️
Great lesson! I've been playing guitar for years, but just discovered I was using the wrong pick angle. I didn't have the pick angled like you show in this video. Definitely helps, thanks!
You need a microphone near your neck/mouth area so we can hear you better as you're playing. Fantastic advice on this video! I'm teaching my 6 year old nephew guitar and will include this video as his homework assignment. Thanks Justin!!!
@justin if you ever sell a chord/scale app I'd buy it in a NY second, and I'd pay more than the cost of a pint for it too. Your name has more credibility than anything else out there
This is the exact topic I need to get through my sticking point in development. Every time I’m flubbing a song, it’s clear that I haven’t practiced scales enough. Thanks Justin!
OMG, that pick angle tip....struggling for so long...why didn't anyone told me earlier ? It makes fast (alternate) picking so much easier. Justin, you are the best !
I have been playing guitar for almost ten years now, been gigging for six, and I just want to say you have been a huge influence in my learning even going as far as playing songs I'd never heard before which opened up new musical avenues. Thank you. I would love to learn some of Tim Buckley's music (specifically Hallucinations) but there are very few tutorials. Can you please upload a tutorial of this song?
man, i just wanna say all the guitar chords i have learnt so far is all from you....as a beginner you were the one to teach me almost everything. i still watch your videos from like 2009 or so but i just wanted to say thank you so much for all your hard work. i appreciate you
Good stuff, Justin! I tried your method and found my max BPM for shape 1 of the major scale is 135 using 1/8th notes. I tried it with shape 1 of pentatonic minor and found I can do 95 BPM using 16th notes. I think this is due to two things... 1. I am more familiar with the pentatonic shape and 2. hitting only two notes per string seems to work very fluidly for me utilizing alternate picking. You have given me some great information and a reason to work on it. Thank you!!!
Justin, So, odd story here. I played intermediately for 10 years (Clapton, Croce, Tonic, Metallica, etc.). I plateaued and was fully aware that I might not get any better. I wasn't that good really. Just faking it mostly by ear. Can't read sheet music that well. Something I have struggled with since I was a child with mild dyslexia and really bad music teachers who called me stupid as I struggled. I'd like to find my middle school music teacher and punch him the face for what he did, but he is dead now. Serves him right. Anyways, I met a woman and we had a child together, and she is wonderful. Her mother on the other hand, not so much. She made me put down the guitar because as she put it, "stop pretending you'll ever be a professional musician and get back to work." I don't know how I ended up with a woman who was so selfish. Bitch crushed my very soul and I had to leave. Years later I have reconnected with my daughter and she is on my side of the fence now too. Scary how much we are alike now that she is 23 and out of college. She played the violin and has the same issue I had. She got frustrated and stopped. But now I want to pick the guitar back up and learn different music completely and more instruments too. Those old songs don't have the same meaning for me anymore. I had never taken a guitar lesson in my life and I had picked up a few bad habits. So me putting it down for a good long while was probably best. It made me unlearn all those bad habits. So back to square one. I want to learn the right way this time and I want to get my daughter interested in her playing again. I'm practicing standing up with a strap for the first time, and I'm learning the scale for the first time ever. Any Pointers or wisdom you can toss my way as I put my hand in ice water to help with the pain in my finger tips? Thanks, B.
There are two metronomes that I'd suggest looking at before spending any amount of money. Tempo Lite and Pulse. Both are free and have zero ads. I spent the $3 to upgrade Tempo even though the 'Lite' version did everything I needed it to, but I thought it was such an amazing metronome that I thought the developer deserved to be paid for their work! There shouldn't be any reason why the Justin Metronome follows a similar model - where additional features can be found in a paid version. Or simply allow for a trial period. Personally, I NEVER buy an app that forces me to pay (again... regardless of price) before I have an opportunity to see how it looks, feels, and performs.
Minding the pick angle is great, overlooked advice! My own two cents is to mind the wear of your pick: once it enters the state of being severely shaved off it starts catching on the strings and your mechanical memory starts changing to adjust for the decreased length of it. Sharpen them and get fresh picks. Personally, I always tend to hold it at an angle and then a piece of advice from a few certain someones on the internet to hold it in parallel to the strings pops into my head and everything goes to hell lol. It's always the small and long-term crap that gets you in the end, gentlemen!
G major pattern one. can't be easier? Just work your way on the low E up the neck 4 frets, then change to the A string, up the neck 4 frets then change to the D. Work your way to the High E,come back the way you went if you like. This is the absolutest easiest "finger walk" type progression to do, nothing to forget. After you master the one you don't have anything to remember on (or forget) then do G major pattern one. My instructor can whip through this little movement in about 2-3 seconds.
I have been playing for many years and I still use a metronome at the start of my practice regime. I set it slow and build my speed up pretty quickly until my hand are fully “warmed up”. Only spend about 10 minutes each time but I find that it helps me when I come to do my practice session. Also since I started doing this I have stopped having Carpel Tunnel and tendon soreness. Great video.
Man the pick angle part was what I needed in my life. I always shied away from using picks because it felt so restricting. Turns out I’ve been angling it not in the best manner this whole time. This pick angle is a true game changer. Thanks Justin.
This is a great, concise lesson. Have been playing nearly 20 years. Every beginner should start here and learn this stuff in the beginning, this is my one bit of advice. Learn your chords enjoy learning your songs etc but spend even a few minutes a day on it and you won’t be stuck in a rut like a lot of us intermediate players do
Most music I listen to, play and write is in minor. So ive mainly been practising the the minor scale shapes (The second minor scale shape seems the same as the first major scale shape). Only thing is a sometimes forget while practicing that im in minor or major and then play one fret to the left or right, obviously you hear the mistake and correct it next run through but how do not get the muscle memory messed up and always play the right notes in a major or minor scale? (not even mentioning the other scale degrees). Just be more mindfull i guess haha?
I just want to write in to say that I was thrilled when you taught me how to play sweet child o mine 14 years ago and I'm thrilled that I still get to learn from you. Thank you!
Hello Justin I have a question regarding your courses. Where would you recommend someone to start that has been playing guitar off and on for years. I have never taken very serious lessons or anything but I know a lot of easy songs and chords, minor/major pentatonics. Basically the knowledge is very sporadic and all over the place so it is hard to just dive into a specific place in the courses.
Hey, this really depends on what you want to play, what your goal is. Have you tried the Music Theory course? The first grades are free, and it might be a nice shortcut to understand how to make music! Other cool module (free) that you can explore is this one: www.justinguitar.com/modules/chord-shape-explorer
hi all i think this is great however i'm finding its not my fretting hend thats struggling its the picking thats really hard, i keep hitting the wrong strings
What a brilliant lesson, thank you Justin. I'm 51 years old & been playing guitar most of my life & been in covers bands playing lots of gigs but is there anyone else out there who feel like me, they've missed out doing stuff like this years ago? I mean music is all about getting out there & playing but stuff like this has a very important role. Hope I live to 100 so that at least I can catch up on the things I've neglected 😉
We didn't have the internet when we were young. I couldn't afford lessons, let alone music school (they wouldn't have taken me, anyway) so had to learn by ear and picking up tricks from friends.
Sus chords are such an fun way to spice up regular major or minor chords. Combining the regulars with sus2 and sus 4 within the same bar is a classic trick but it makes the same progression more interesting right away! | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Guide
So this scale is it the same for other keys. Like C. I’ve been practicing C major more as finger exercise and warm up for the past several months. The pattern is the same.
This is a movable shape. Look at the root note on the low E string. Whatever fret it sits at determines the actual scale being played. Fret 3 = G. Fret 5 = A. Etc. Check this Module for more: www.justinguitar.com/modules/major-scale-maestro-1 Cheers 😊 | Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Approved Teacher www.justinguitar.com
One of the most important parts of this was the playing clean. You might be able to play fast but if you can’t play clean then you will never sound good.
You should be able to do both. If you never play these excercises with distortion this could lead to bad muting technique. Distortion will also bring up the messy stuff and if you aim to play distorted you should do that in excercises too.
@@guitartues That's a really good point! High gain requires a lot of attention to muting that you probably won't learn from clean playing. And the higher the gain the worse it is haha
Justin I haven't played guitar since February 6th. Gonna get back on it today. See what kind of skills we got going. What's the longest you have went without playing buddy? Never take breaks like this...
He mentions Picking mechanics?..once U get to a certain speed And said to pick " type of picking that feels good for you " ... . What does this mean. Exactly?.. What. " Type " of pickings are there. Besides all downs / all ups / or down up... Does he mean. Down up down / down up down . Other styles Li ke that Or this "economy " picking whatever that is etc.. Sorry just don't understand what it is to choose " what TYPE of picking " it is we wants
Alternate picking is the way to start. Strictly down / up alternatively. Beyond that, certain types of play may be better suited to economy or mixed picking. Let's say you are picking three consecutive notes on strings D, G and B which lean in to further notes on just one or two strings. You may want to down pick the first three notes then alternate pick there after. Think of economy picking as picking in the direction your hand is moving if going from string to string to string. Cheers 😊 | Richard - close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Moderator [ www.justinguitar.com/ ]
@@justinguitar Thanks! Bought your metronome and signed up for your music theory course. I first began learning with you over ten years ago but gave up. I remember paying for your PDF theory course which I still have somewhere. It's great to see you are still around and better than ever!
@ricardo santos a. I’ve been trying off and on for the last ten years, but having found Justin’s website recently, I’m finally practising each day and actually progressing. Give it a go.
Hi Mark! 60 bpm is a common ground for many. If you feel like starting out slower; do so! If you feel like starting faster, make absolutely sure your notes are clear, your rhythm solid and have no buzzing. Starting at 90bpm would be a bit ambitious though | LievenDV | Justinguitar Official Guide
I can’t help but notice your pickup configuration. Can’t believe that I’ve never noticed before, but H, S, B/F? is very intriguing. I need to do that. Also, scales with metronome, check!
🚩👏WELL DONE!! I ACTUALLY ENJOYED AN LEARNED!! Can't Wait To mess around with it. Have me many ideas. Adding Am ect, tons of ideas to sound Good. Thank You. ( Why I didn't think of this.. duh)👍
At 67, my hands just don't work. I was getting nowhere. It wasn't till I started working on the pentatonic scale positions that my hand skill started to get better. I work on the scales 30 minutes every day. I'm still at the point where I can not turn on a metronome. If I turn that damn thing on I might as well quit. For now I only have 1 mission, get my hands working. When that happens I will move forward. Justin, you are a big help.
That's right; one step at a time. 30 minutes is a lot, don't forget to put in fun stuff like working on songs etc.! Soem extra info on keeping a prctice schedule: www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/keep-a-practice-schedule-pc-103 | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Guide
Maybe you could get a metronome synchronized to NASA's Atomic Clock. It is off by one millionth of a second over ten years but that should be good enough for accurate scale timing. I don't know if there is an app for that. Maybe Justin's is.
Scales aside, as a beginner player - I feel my playing even improved by changing how I hold the pick. Before I would hold it flat and after I angle it a bit, I feel playing is much more smoother.
Scales are excellent for hand-ear and to build up muscles. Unfortunately, my left hand has been in a cast for weeks, and when it's out I'll struggle to touch my fingers with my thumb. I've had a replacement CMC joint so I can carry on playing the guitar after arthritis destroyed the original bone one. Pretty nervous that it might not have worked. Anyway, scales will be part of my recovery process 😊
I can't be the only one who loves practicing scales... Just one question, which scales do you think is more useful. the 7 major scale patterns using 3 notes per string, or the 5 Caged scale patterns?
Hey Justin I don't want to come across cheeky, but I got to ask you, being as I have watched you from day dot, feels like I know you, I know you don't know me, so obviously it's not the same way traffic, But here goes did you have an injury to your bottom lip as I had noticed a scar on it, forgive me for asking you don't have to answer, I know it's a strange question.... Sorry if I have offended you, I was just curious, I feel I may see a little to deeply...... Fantastic lesson once again...... If you can earn a few Bob on the way, good luck to you Justin..... That's what your here for enterprise......... Don't be corrupted
Same boat as Matthew R , just below. Still a bit left getting to the chord changes quick, clean and stable. But this has certainly inspired me to look forward to the next stage of the journey. The way you explain, show & reason around things resonates with the way I think. 👍🎸🎶😎 (Can't wait to be able to look back and lol at calling scales "inspirational"!) Thanx!
Thank you, Justin! I don’t have a big hand (your hand doesn’t appear to be big either) and so I have problems in reaching the frets on the 5th and 6th stings. I just noticed that your fretting fingers are perpendicular to the neck when you play the scales whereas my fingers tend to be at an angle (~45 degrees) and hence the stretch. Any suggestions to rectify this problem? Thanks a ton!
You've made me be able to play rythm part of Highway to Hell (well, maybe not perfectly, but still :D) in just 4 months of learning! Now I'm going to get Epiphone Les Paul and continue my journey thanks to you. Much love!
Hey Justin i am having problems with chord changes...1min change isn't working 😭...and finger placement while doing scales are horrible but i am learning everyday that i can feel. Its nothing just a little thanks for the lessons.
Justin can you please make a one hour practice session. on diff metronome speed and diff techniques. we can watch the video everyday and play along with you to practice on your lead.. pls pls pls.. mighty please..
Hey Justin any chance we can get a Simple man - Lynyrd Skynyrd Acoustic, i know it's a fairly simple song, but I could use your great breakdown of the song to master it
Funnily enough I was looking for something to watch while eating tea tonight and on sky Arts there was a programme, something like "Guitar hero 2016" where very good guitarists were being mentored by professionals. The most common advice while I was watching was "play more scales"...It's amazing how often Justin hits the spot!
Nuts! I thought I had reasonable chops. But I just tried running through a major scale using Justin's metronome app, I didn't get very far before my hand synchronization started to go wrong. Looks like I've got a lot of scale practice ahead. I'm not sure I should thank you for that though Justin lol.
