lol – Thanks for the welcome, Brian!
1 Like
Nice to meet you, Paul, as you can see this is a great place to be, cheers HEC UK
Nice welcome aboard.
Hello Paul & Welcome!
As a fellow longtime wannabe guitarist - I call it EBS (Endless Beginner Syndrome) for at least 35 years, Justin’s website & App have me actually learning & playing methodically for the first time ever!!!
Since I am still working, don’t always have the time to practice, but looking forward to retirement & more guitar playing!
What part of the States did you call home before moving to Europe?
Have fun!!!
Tod from New Mexico USA
Warmest welcome to the community. Look forward to hearing more from you.
Welcome @starman_70
Hi Catman! Thanks for the welcome. Yeah, EBS is bad and nothing for it except structure. JG has that in spades. This place is wonderful. I’m also surprised and flattered by the number of replies I’ve gotten in this forum. You guys are great!
I’m originally from Boston, MA, but moved to Portland, OR about 4 years before leaving the States.
And thanks again, my guitarist friend. 
1 Like
Thank you!
Hi Paul, welcome to the Community, enjoy the ride.
Thanks!
Hi Paul,
Welcome to the forum! I also took classical guitar lessons (in person, for about a year), but quit when I was laid off. I’ve been thinking about joining CGA, and would love to hear your impressions and why you decided it was not for you. I also like fingerpicking, which sort of drove my musical interests.
Funny, you didn’t mention classical in your list 
If you enjoy the classical guitar, but are looking for more contemporary pieces to play, I highly recommend you look up Andrew York on YouTube. He has wonderful pieces for beginner to advanced players. Check out his ‘4A in 4’ collection (Alike, Away, Alight, Awake). They are easy pieces, but beautiful.
This is a wonderful site with great material. I’m sure Justin can get you where you want to be!
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for the welcome.
I started studying classical guitar after not touching the instrument for a few decades. I went all in and booked lessons with Jerry Willard for several months via Skype. Excellent teacher, but it was getting pricey.
Then I found CGC. Wow! It’s a wonderful resource and downright cheap for the quality. The teaching is top-notch. Simon and his team are super friendly and accessible.
Apart from that, the main standout is the structured curriculum. There’s no guesswork. There’s one path, you get on it and get to work. You are encouraged, but not required to take exams via video submission or live connection (I think). The exams give you the right amount of challenge, and scheduling is very flexible.
And of course, the community is great. There’s forums, groups, challenges, etc. much like JG. It’s been a few years since I studied there, but that’s the gist of it. Bottom line: if you want to learn classical guitar online, CGC is the place to go–hands down.
As to why it wasn’t for me: Classical guitar is a LOT of work. I got tired of putting tons of time and effort. But thanks to that experience, I got interested in fingerstyle. I’ve always been interested in blues, country and folk music, as well as classical. I still listen to classical, I just don’t want to play it anymore.
So, it came down to a change of direction–and time. I’m now 71, so I figured I’d get more bang for my buck with fingerstyle, flatpicking and strumming. Sure, you have to work at that too, but at least I should be able to actually get passably good at it, before it’s game over. Classical seems just to get harder the more you progress–at least that was my experience with classical piano: adult beginner at 40. Ten years of weekly lessons later, I jumped ship to pop, movie themes, fake books, etc. Much more fun.
Anyway, sorry for the long read. But if you’re really into classical–I mean, a lot–then I highly recommend CGC.
Best of luck on your guitar journey!
Very cool 
!
I’ve never been to Boston, it’s somewhere my wife & I have always wanted to visit… maybe on a trip to the New England region when Fall foliage is at it’s peak!
Washington state, however, is gorgeous year round… been there & loved it… despite (or maybe because of) all the rain!
Now, starman_70, how ‘bout skipping over here:
& telling the Community about your username?
Thank you my friend!!!
Tod
Hi Tod,
Yeah, Boston and especially Cambridge are worth visiting. Except, the driving in Boston is confusing–only the natives don’t get lost. And the drivers are crazy. I prefer the Pacific Northwest.
Gotta go and explain my screen name now…
Cheers
Paul
1 Like
Hi Paul, welcome to the community forum. Justin’s structure and pathway to learning guitar keeps me here after over 40 years as an on and off again beginner guitarist. The grade 3 lessons on learning how to learn guitar have given me a lot of advice to help me in finally learning intermediate level songs. Have fun learning and enjoying guitar.
Thanks, Steve!
I’m at grade 2 and really enjoying it. Learning new things almost daily. What songs are you learning?
Cheers,
Paul
1 Like
Paul, here is a link to my learning log with my latest list of songs: Steve_Learning_Log_songs. i am currently trying to focus on the grade 3 songs California Dreamin and Fortunate Son for recording.
I’ll take a look. . .
1 Like
Hello Paul and welcome among us! So nice to have another Classical guitar enthusiast here…I am too hehe!..even if I’m more a Classical Guitar listener than a player at the moment. I hope to see you around here.
Hi Silvia–thanks for the welcome!
1 Like