Hello, everyone. I’m Jeremy, an art teacher in Iowa. I’m 52, so a bit of an old dog, though mostly young at heart. I’ve tried to learn guitar at least 4 different times since the age of about 10. I’ve tried learning from books and from guitar teachers in person, but nothing really stuck. When Guitar Hero came out it scratched the itch and kept a small little ember lit deep down inside.
As I approach retirement age I know I’m going to need something to keep my mind fresh and frosty. In January I took just a little money from the nest egg and treated myself to an Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro IV with a Fender LT25 amp.
Learning from Justin has been a complete revolution. His teaching style and disposition really resonate with my approach to teaching art - be gentle with yourself, take your time, and reflect on your progress without getting too hung up comparing yourself to others.
It must be working because my wife loves listening to me practice, despite the buzzy strings and choppy rhythm. She even encouraged me to buy an acoustic so I can serenade her from the deck while she’s in the pool (definitely a keeper!)
Hi Jeremy,
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun
Certainly not a puppy anymore, but you are still a young one here…(says a 51 close to 52 )
Great that your wife likes it so much ,
During the weekend I don’t try to practice something new but to get previously played songs as flawless as possible and than the best compliment I get is that every time I put my guitar away, in the minutes or hours afterwards she starts humming one of the songs I have played, and sometimes I hear her joining in softly while playing
Welcome to the community. I started learning at the age of 53 after trying once before about 15 years earlier. Now, at the age of 66 I’m so glad I stuck with it. I’m retired and with more time on my hands it’s great to grab the guitar and play for an hour or two every day. Fun fun fun.
Hello Jeremy.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. 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.
That is plenty to be going on with. It is a vast community space so if you need help as you find your way around just ask.
Cheers. Richard
| Approved Teacher, Official Guide & Community Moderator |
great to hear you decided to pick up guitar again. I checked your Les Paul and it looks great.
Combined with having such a great wife… you won a life. Now just enjoy your guitar journey.
Hi Jeremy, welcome to the community forum. With that quote, I can see that you already have some of Justin’s main teaching points mastered. Glad you found your way back to guitar and have another way to express your artistic mind. Visual art and music seem to spring from the same creative instinct, so i expect to see good things from you in the future.
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FYI - I’m from North Carolina, so a good example of complimentarity of art and music talents is NC native Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers. Check out his wiki page. Interestingly, he has a painting displayed at NC Museum of Art.
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