Woohoo - You're Almost A Grade 2 Graduate!

You should be proud of that.

You put in the work - learning the guitar isn't an easy process. I first want you to recognize your progress and where you started. Look how far you've come! Now - let's take your skills to the next level!

As we wrap up Grade 2 of the JustinGuitar Beginner Course, the essential things to work on are what EXCITES you!

I want you to look forward to these consolidation practice sessions for these next few months. Grade two has already started to open up room for creativity and exploration. Part of this growing process is to taste everything and realize what you prefer. You might not dig everything you learned - so focus on what you enjoy playing. :)

As individual guitar players in this journey, we all have different musical preferences. Celebrate your differences when it comes to consolidation! This will prevent you from getting stuck in a rut which can lead to giving up the guitar.

Let's first check out four guitar elements you should explore before you move on to Grade 3.

#1 Chords

We've explored loads of chords in Grade 2. The key here is to be able to remember them when you play songs!

The seventh chords and sus chords might not be as essential as mastering major and minor chords! Until you grasp chord manipulation - you don't want to try to memorize too many grips - it might be overwhelming.

Don't put too much on your plate yet! We have an awesome chord explorer lesson coming up, which will help put everything in perspective.

Here are chord elements you should have explored:

Stuck 3&4 Grips: "Big" G, G5, Cadd9, Dsus4, A7sus4, Emin7, Dadd11/F#, F6/9

F Chord & F Chord Cheats: Fmaj7, Fmaj7/C

Weak Finger G

A with mini-barre

Suspended Chords: Asus2, Asus4, Dsus2, Dsus4, Esus4

Power Chords: Root 6 and Root 5

Dominant 7th Chords: A7, D7, E7, G7, C7, B7

#2 Scales

Spend some time sing and improvising scales. Play scales shapes up and down instead of collecting them. Use them as much as you like and make music with them!

Here are the 3 scales to explore:

Open E Minor Pentatonic

Open C Major Scale

A Minor Pentatonic Scale

#3 Strumming

Once you have the basic techniques down - it's all about timing, feel, and getting your groove on!

Spend some time playing an easy pattern over and over again. Aim for it to become so automatic it feels great to play! At first - it might look easy - but the more you do it, the more you notice the small things that need work.

Some of the strumming you should check out include:

All Down 8th Note Strumming

Adding Ups to the All Down

The Push

Palm Muting

#4 Techniques

Most of the techniques covered in Grade 2 are essential to your journey.

But - always think about your goals and what tools you need to achieve them! Explore them all, but don't waste time on techniques you'll never use!

Grade 2: Optional Courses & Tips

I recommend you take a look at Ear Training 2 and Music Theory Grade 2. The knowledge you'll learn through these courses will elevate your musical sense. It'll help develop your sense which leads to a more realized understanding of music - but it's not mandatory before moving on to Grade 3.

Having a hard time self-assessing? Remember - we have a whole course on how you can record yourself at home! It's a great way to see what skills might still need work. You'll also be able to visualize your progress with physical proof. As you advance in your guitar journey, it'll also be fun & humbling to see where you started! :)

⚙️ As always - use My Practice Assistant to optimize your learning progress! This fantastic tool will help you stay motivated, keep track of your progress. It's really effective to prevent you from falling into that rut. :)

Digging My Lessons? DONATIONS Keeps Them Free!

My Beginner Guitar Course is free. Part of my vision is to make high-quality guitar education as inclusive as possible.

If you can afford it, please consider donating. Check out why I run JustinGuitar this way. :)

Best of luck with your Grade 2 consolidation. Have loads of fun, explore, and be kind to yourself! See you in Grade 3. :)