What do I practice

Hey all! To start, I picked up guitar several years ago and I only played for about 6 months.

So, I finished guitar fundamentals 1. I completed the course in about 1 week. Most of which I remember from years ago. In terms of practicing so I can progress, here is the help I need:

1. What should I be practicing?

2. Should I be trying to learn songs?

3. How do I practice staying on tempo?

4. Should I know everything from Fundamentals 1 by heart?

5. Do I just practice chord changing over and over for hours on end?

6. Did I go through Fundamentals 1 too fast? Is it meants to be a chapter per week or month?

I want to get better, but I dont want to practice the wrong things.

Hey & welcome to GT! Congrats on completing GF1, sounds like you should dive into GF2!

Originally Posted by: k2skiride1. What should I be practicing?[/quote]

1. Playing chord progressions in time.

2. Playing scales in time.

3. Songs you are learning.

Originally Posted by: k2skiride2. Should I be trying to learn songs?[/quote]

Yes, absolutely. Pick some songs & learn them. Practice them regularly. That's the whole point behind learning guitar techniques, skills & concepts: to put into practice by playing songs.

Originally Posted by: k2skiride3. How do I practice staying on tempo?[/quote]

Play with a metronome or with a backing track. Don't stop.

If necessary, simplify the guitar part you are working on in order to change chords or notes in order to stay in time. Learning to play rhythmically in time is absolutely essential in order to play music.

Originally Posted by: k2skiride4. Should I know everything from Fundamentals 1 by heart?

Not necessarily. But it's a good idea to make a list of skills & ideas you've covered & make sure you gradually work on them until you have them completely under your command. The more you practice, the more all the previous things you worked on become second nature & integrated into your overall guitar ability.

[quote=k2skiride]5. Do I just practice chord changing over and over for hours on end?

Until you get them right, yes. :) More seriously, it's better to play repetitious things for small chunks of time. So, practice a certain chord change for 15-20 minutes. Then move on to something else. Come back to the chord change later in the practice session.

Repetitious practice is the only way to gain & improve skill on the guitar. But it's more effective to break that practice into many small units of time, than to do the same thing for hours on end.

[quote=k2skiride]6. Did I go through Fundamentals 1 too fast? Is it meants to be a chapter per week or month?

That's different for every individual. It's possible to go through it quickly if you already have some knowledge & skill.

The real question is: can you do everything taught in GF1? Do you have all those skills completely under your command? If not, then you aren't done with it. You can always keep going forward, but you need to review the material in any given lesson until you have it completely under your command.

[quote=k2skiride]I want to get better, but I dont want to practice the wrong things.

Good deal! Practice the material in the courses on a regular, consistent basis & you'll be doing fine. :)

Hope this helps. Best of success!

Wow! Thank you so much for reading this and replying. I feel like this will help, only time will tell. Thank you again!

Originally Posted by: k2skiride

Wow! Thank you so much for reading this and replying. I feel like this will help, only time will tell. Thank you again!

You're welcome! Keep practicing. :)