practice routine and video lessons.

Hello. First post. Can anyone suggest a good daily practice routine? What different things should I be doing everyday when I practice while I'm going through the fundamentals videos? Am I supposed to only be working on one lesson until I "master" it before moving onto the next? This is what I was doing until I got to the chord changing lessons in fundamentals one. If I were to stop there until I master that lesson, I could see myself being at that lesson for many, many months. I thought I should move on to the next section and practice the chord changes everyday. When have you really mastered chord changes?

I have a hard time knowing how long to spend on one lesson before moving on. I'm not sure how well I should know something before watching the next lesson. I think some lessons seem easy and require only "understanding" (like how chords are related to scales) while others such as chord changes I find very difficult to do even after months of trying. Should I stop at the chord changing ones and do nothing but that until I can change from chord to chord flawlessly? Or do I practice changing from chord to chord every day while I am watching other "theory" videos?

Right now I'm on the guitar fundamentals 2 section where we are playing three notes from a scale followed by one strum of a chord. This is pretty easy to do looking at the tab. It seems there are more lessons on this than there are about pretty much everything else. It does not seem to me that this is a very difficult thing to do yet there are tons of videos for it. Am I supposed to be memorizing the three letters of the scale that we are using to go to the next chord? Is this a recurring thing in guitar or are they just practice excersizes to be able to switch from simple notes to chords and back.

Can you show me an example of a practice routine for someone at my level?

Hello and welcome to GT. :)

Originally Posted by: doctapeppaCan anyone suggest a good daily practice routine?
[/quote]
Try this:
http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=9745
http://www.guitartricks.com/reference.php

Also this recent thread had lots of discussion on the issue:
http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28382

Originally Posted by: doctapeppaWhat different things should I be doing everyday when I practice while I'm going through the fundamentals videos? Am I supposed to only be working on one lesson until I "master" it before moving onto the next?
[/quote]
Every lesson in the Fundamentals Courses should be considered a "when you can do what I am doing" lesson. You have not accomplished it until you can do the skill presented or understand the idea presented.

This doesn't mean you can't move forward in the course. :) As long as you make time to go back and continue working on the previous lessons until you have mastered them.

Originally Posted by: doctapeppa
When have you really mastered chord changes?

When you can do them clearly, cleanly, consistently and competently.

I discuss this here in my instructor forum:
http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28553

Short answer: it takes as long as it takes and every individual is different.
[QUOTE=doctapeppa]
I think some lessons seem easy and require only "understanding" (like how chords are related to scales) while others such as chord changes I find very difficult to do even after months of trying. Should I stop at the chord changing ones and do nothing but that until I can change from chord to chord flawlessly? Or do I practice changing from chord to chord every day while I am watching other "theory" videos?

Good question. It depends upon your goals, how much time you have to dedicate to practicing and how much skill you bring to the task (absolute beginner, intermediate, etc.).

Also, notice that even though something is "only an idea you have to understand" it is also tied to some physical skill you must apply.
[QUOTE=doctapeppa]
Am I supposed to be memorizing the three letters of the scale that we are using to go to the next chord? Is this a recurring thing in guitar or are they just practice excersizes to be able to switch from simple notes to chords and back.

You should be able to do the skill and understand the idea. And yes, that is something that is crucial to playing the guitar!

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes. Happy learning and playing.

I am still practicing chord changes everyday and it did in fact take me a few months to get okay at changing between chords. As far as a practice schedule you have to set your own goals. I guess there is a standard set of things to practice everyday if you only have so much time. Best thing to do is follow the links Mr. Shlegel provided. Stick with it and keep at those chords eventually you won't have to hardly even think about the easy ones your fingers just go there, kinda like typing,

Ed