Hi all, nice to meet you - my name is Abhishek (I go by Abhi, pronounced Aabh-ee). I live in New Jersey, USA.
I first stumbled across Justin through a friend way back in 2009 through a friend. I learned the A, D and E chords through his beginner’s course and learned “Three Little Birds”. I gave up after finding the guitar too difficult.
Fast forward to Jan 2025, my wife encouraged me to learn to play again, and since then I’ve probably spent over 1500 hours playing, practicing and noodling around. I can now confidently say I’m well above an intermediate guitarist and can somewhat sound like I’m making music through my fingerstyle playing and singing (although the singing is questionable at best). I just recently bought my most prized possession - a Martin OM28. My favorite musicians are James Taylor and Tommy Emmanuel.
The hardest pieces I’ve learnt on the guitar thus far are Tommy Emmanuel’s arrangement of “Imagine” and “Never Going Back Again” by Fleetwood Mac. I currently take private lessons from “George Clements”, a singer-songwriter based out of Massachusetts, USA (check out his Youtube channel, I promise you won’t regret it).
I got out of my comfort zone a couple of months ago due to the amazing community here and posted my first ever cover on my Youtube channel (its on my profile if interested). I am also happy to share that I landed my first gig to play at a restaurant opening that will have live music.
I have followed and watched countless videos of Justin throughout my life, even when I didn’t play, and I am so glad to be a part of the wonderful community here - truly the best of its kind on the internet. Music has changed my life in a way that I didn’t even think could happen and I hope to get to know more of you and take part in a few open mics! Cheers
What part of New Jersey ? I also live in the state, I live in Trenton area and I have been part of Justin’s guitar for a few years . If you live close enough it’s an opportunity to jam together. Anyway good luck on your journey with Justin’s lessons.
Hello Abhi. It sounds like you are already accomplished, and congratulations on your gig.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. There a whole host of golden oldies over in the dog house.
Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space. View by Categories.
We are a supportive and encouraging group of students and guitarists from across the world. Essentially, we are all here for music and to improve as players. We truly are a ‘community’. Members help and support one another and a friendly, positive attitude underpins this. We hope that all - young or old, experienced or new players - adopt and foster the pay-it-forward ethos that Justin personifies and embedded all those years ago when he started the website and forum.
Also, please make sure to read the Community Etiquette announcement for some important information and guidance.
If you want to record yourself to show your progress and / or seek feedback there is our ever popular Community Recordings section.
Behind the scenes there is a small and dedicated team who work to make the JustinGuitar experience as good as it can be. Check out the Onboarding sessions provided by Fanny.
Justin also has a small group of Approved Teachers he recommends for people wanting 1-to-1 lessons to supplement his courses - of which I am privileged to be one.
