About four years ago, I stopped by a guitar store on my way home from college to kill some time and I walked out with an all-black Sterling Cutlass for $300. It might not be the best guitar ever made, but for a broke college student, you better believe that was huge. I learned off and on through the years, but I didn’t stick with it enough to feel confident with it.
For Christmas this past year, I told Santa Claus that I might like a bass guitar; he was kind enough to bring me a shiny new Sterling Classic Vibe. I figured that if I am learning bass, why not learn guitar along with that? I’ve got the time for it. So yeah, here I am. The bass learning progress is going nicely but since this is a guitar place, I’ll leave that out.
I’m currently in the later half of Grade 2 for the Beginners Course. My abilities and my confidence have both skyrocketed. Coming back to these courses with a firm understanding of music theory from three years of piano allows me to shift even more of my attention to my skills and abilities. That’s such an amazing cheat code.
Most of my inspiration comes from guitarists from anime. Hitori Gotoh from Bocchi The Rock is maybe number one on that list (if you haven’t heard of it, you should check out Bocchi’s Solo on Youtube). And George Harrison… can’t forget about George Harrison. As far as goals go, I want to be able to make something musically - something that I can say I wrote myself, and that I feel expresses who I am.
Sorry if my post was long-winded, but thank you all for letting me share my story. It’s places like this and people like you who gave me the opportunity to discover a passion for music and the guitar. I wish everyone the best of luck in your journey!
I wish you luck in yours to, I will call you H for now but great to meet you and yeah I know your story I have been there and yes I still am cheers Hec Newcastle UK cheers
Hello “Fingies” & Welcome!!!
You sound like a very musical individual! I hope you’re having a great time learning bass guitar & guitar guitar at the same time… I think I should ask Santa for a Paul McCartney style violin bass!!! Maybe next year you’ll be giving me advice about learning to play bass!!!
Good luck & keep it Fun!!!
Welcome aboard. You intro was not long winded at all, it was perfect. The community is great. I hope you enjoy it and continue to to share your ideas and inspirations. Cool video. Keep having fun. If you are liking grade 2, waiting until you get to grade 3. Of course learning the foundations is ultra improtant so dont rush the basics, there is lots to learn.
Welcome to the community. It’s a great place to exchange ideas and get advice from others.
Like the others said, not too long winded at all. I think we all like reading peoples backstories and why they gravitated here.
Also really great to hear about the bass and great to hear that you are making progress on both. It really helps to have a good structured course like Justin’s. I would be interested to know which bass course you are following (assuming you are following a course) as I’m always toying with the idea of starting bass - but never got round to it as Justin is keeping me very busy!!!
Welcome to the community!
Your story isn’t long winded at all. It’s always inspiring to read some back stories to of fellow guitar students .
I wish you lots of fun.
Welcome. Between the bass and the piano it sounds like you have a great head start in that you can understand the concepts behind many of the early lessons vs. just “where do I place my fingers”.
Hello HurtFingies.
Off and on sounds like a familiar story that many of us can relate to I’m sure.
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 |
I would absolutely recommend picking up bass in the future! I think it’s always great to expand your music knowledge, and learning bass can definitely be great for that. I find it especially fun learning about the bass in relationship to other parts of the band (i.e. the drums).
I stuck with YouTube videos for a bit but once I felt like I hit a plateau, I settled on BassBuzz’s Beginner To Badass course which cost $200 USD. It’s setup pretty similarly to Justin’s courses from what I have seen, though BassBuzz gets you playing your bass with every single lesson to apply what you learned. It feels reeeallllly slow at first but I think once you get out of the lessons about basic rhythm and fretting/plucking techniques, it gains momentum at a good pace. I’ve also heard good things about Scott’s Bass Lessons, though I didn’t look into that as much.
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