GuitarTricks lesson advice

Hi, I'm new to the guitar, I've been learning for about three weeks now using GuitarTricks as my main learning source. Im looking for some advice about learning using the tutorials.

As a rule of thumb should I be learning the material by heart before continuing to the next lesson? Right now I am continuing when I am able to play the notes fairly competently by reading it off the notation diagrams. However should I really only be continuing once I do not have to read the diagram anymore?

for example, right now I am on Guitar Fundamentals 1 "Lets Add the Sixth String" and we are learning to play G major scale. Now I can play the G Major quite well by reading it off the Notation. But shall I only be continuing the lesson once I have it memorised by heart? The same goes for the other simple melodies like " Five Miles Out" in previous lessons, shall I only be continuing once I have it memorised by heart?

Hi Beardy Jonny, welcome! Use your own judgment about when to move to the next lesson. This question is asked a lot, because all of us newbies are a little worried we will move on only to discover months later that we needed to spend more time on these lessons. Here's the beauty of that though: the lessons will still be there. You can go back.

What I think most of us do is exactly what you are doing. I tend to loop back to previous lessons fairly often even as I move forward. I do it for a couple of reasons. One, because I feel like maybe I need to review something that doesn't feel quite right now. Two, because I want to see if I've improved on that earlier skill as I've moved forward. As you move forward you should be improving on everything that came before because you'll be using all of those previously learned skills. I like to go back and play those earlier songs and see if they are sounding more like music than they did when I went through them the first time.

Good luck, and enjoy the journey!

Dave...

Originally Posted by: DavesGuitarJourney

Hi Beardy Jonny, welcome! Use your own judgment about when to move to the next lesson. This question is asked a lot, because all of us newbies are a little worried we will move on only to discover months later that we needed to spend more time on these lessons. Here's the beauty of that though: the lessons will still be there. You can go back.

What I think most of us do is exactly what you are doing. I tend to loop back to previous lessons fairly often even as I move forward. I do it for a couple of reasons. One, because I feel like maybe I need to review something that doesn't feel quite right now. Two, because I want to see if I've improved on that earlier skill as I've moved forward. As you move forward you should be improving on everything that came before because you'll be using all of those previously learned skills. I like to go back and play those earlier songs and see if they are sounding more like music than they did when I went through them the first time.

Good luck, and enjoy the journey!

Dave...

[br]Thanks Dave, that helps a lot.

In that case I will continue to the next lesson when I feel comfortable to do so and wont necessarily bother to learn the chords/notes by heart at this point unless it is a tune I enjoy playing.

However, more specifically in terms of learning scales, this seems really important. Should I be learning scales by heart at this point (Guitar Fundamentals 1), or will it be something that is taught further down the path?

I like That idea of going back to review old lessons to see how you have improved.👍

I am just starting out and practicing the spider finger exercise. I can see little improvements each day and, it's a good feeling.

Later on when lessons get tough and I may be struggling, going back and seeing the improvement from earlier may give that confidence boost to help get through the tough stuff.