I outline a great practice routine for students studying level 3 of 'Andy Guitar’s Beginner Guitar Course'.
Practice Routine for Level 3 (30 minutes)
The following routine should last about 30 minutes. If you want to go on longer or can't do the full 30 minutes then PLEASE STILL PICK THE GUITAR UP as close to everyday as possible. Even just 5 minutes a day is MUCH better than a mammoth 2 hour session once a week.
Chord Practice (Strum, Pick, Strum)
G to D change (most common - make this a priority)
G to A change (other changes are far less common, focus on these)
Rhythm Practice
8ths all down strumming (for slower tempos)
8ths down and up strumming (for medium/faster tempos)
Try the all 8th strumming variations from Level 3 Lesson 2. Then try going between each of these without stopping - tough, but awesome for your rhythm!
Chord Sequences - If you can do these, then use this time on songs instead!
Song Practice - Keep 3 or 4 songs from the previous level and add:
'Sit Down' by James, 'Free Fallin' ' by Tom Petty, or another acoustic song
'Get Back' or 'Highway to Hell' as another riff based song
Keep both All Down and Down and Up motion strumming songs! Remember: All Down 8th strumming is used for slower songs, Down and Up 8th strumming is used in faster songs!
Level 3 Goals
Play the chords E, A, D and G from memory, and be confident with the changes
Be able to play any of the recommended chord sequences, and as a bonus - be able to make up your own. Try these with the new strumming patterns at this level while keeping timing consistent!
Be able to play at least 5 songs from the list and have a go at playing these along to the record
Most of these may just be most of the song, but 2 or 3 need to be all the way through. Good examples of songs to play all the way through are 'Sit Down', 'Free Fallin' ', 'Twist and Shout' and 'Highway to Hell'
