BJ is the first scab on the knee of every child.
The wound heals eventually, but it also leaves a mark. 
Power to the knee-ple. 
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Check the comments in the actual lessonā¦ under the videoā¦ you are very muchā¦ NOT alone 
Carry on with the course, then come back to it and show Billie Jean who is boss 
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Today was my first encounter with Billy Jeanā¦ letās just say Iāll come back on a later date 
This was so awful. And donāt know what was wrong with my plucking hand, not even that one wanted to do what I wanted as soon as I focused on my fretting hand 
Though Joshās words and all your comments/experiences made me excited to continue the course and come back later on to tackle Billie Jean 
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Great plan. One sec before you do though. Spend like, a half hour playing it really, really slow. Really slow. Enough that you can take the time to think about fretting this note, then that note slow (25% isnāt too slow imo). Thatāll give your brain and fingers a chance to sync up and get on the same page. I still highly suggest moving on and coming back later but being able to play notes without having to actively think about what notes youāre playing is something youāll have to get used to. Billie is a really good exercise for that.
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Iāll definitely give this a try later today, thanks for the suggestion! ^^
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Note to selfā¦ Module 6 is when shit REALLY hits the fan.
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Hit this for the first time, told myself it might not be too bad but it really wrecked me. I actually got through slow without many errors, then medium i really struggled and felt like I was chasing a car on foot when i put full speed on. I really hope i can come back to this and nail it at some point.
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This is everyoneās experience: Billie Jean is not your girl.
Until she is.
And with enough lessons under your belt, time, and practice, she always is. Just keep going for now, and pay BJ a visit regularly. You got this.
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A real, āHow long is a piece of stringā question, but what do you recommend? Checking back on it daily? Weekly? After each module?
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What I did was ignored it until after I finished the course. Once I revisited it, I wonāt say the fast workout was easy but I got it after about 20 minutes of working on it. It was much, much easier.
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I couldnāt make the slow workout so I just moved on. Of course reading all these posts didnāt exactly inspire any confidence, either 
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Itās really a personal choice. Personally, I didnāt visit BJ every day. I gave it at least a couple of days so I could move on with subsequent lessons. For me, this proved the right thing to do, because Josh introduces new, cool concepts and techniques that provided small victories. This is what learning to play is largely about: Try and win when you can. Then revel in those wins more than dwelling on what didnāt work at first blush. This boost of confidence (and the aforementioned new concepts/techniques) work wonders when revisiting BJ. After all, itās just another tune. No more, no less. With deliberate, slow practice over time, she will be your girl after all.
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Very true. But the kid will still not be my son. 
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That bears repeating, and so it was.
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What a lot of us have done, is use it as a warm-up excersise when we sit down to play. That way, it becomes rote.
Youāve got this. Just give it time.
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So I came back to the course for the first time in a while to have another crack at BJ to see if I can manage it at full speed yet (the answer is inevitably, nope). I got the option to upgrade to the new course, which I took, went to the Billie Jean lesson andā¦ heās changed it! Thereās now a rest in the G-string section that didnāt use to be there and a different note in the transition back to D. Now Iām fighting against both the song and my muscle memory; Josh is a sadist I tell you!
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BJ at first is a technical challenge but also a stamina issueā¦
The joy and inspiration come later after you finish the course and play it so much better and realize, that which seemed virtually impossible is doable or clearly in reach.
Hammer throughā¦ 
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I just scrolled through all of the preceding posts and didnāt see this. Kind of surprised. This is my absolutely favorite ācoverā of Billie Jean.
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Not surprising at all. This thread is about concerned players looking for help and others offering it.
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