Last year around this time of year I started researching online lessons for the guitar after watching ChainBrain on Twitch. I quickly found JustinGuitar’s site and youtube channel. After a lot more digging I was sure that I was in the right place. I bought an electric guitar at the tail end of Oct '23. Initially I was using RockSmith as well, but I ended up being more drawn to the JustinGuitar App. Midway through Grade 1 I started enjoying songs that had chords that I could play the #1 being Cotton Fields by CCR.
I was inconsistent after winter broke and had a few months of my guitar staring back at me.
In August I started playing constantly again and refreshed myself while playing the added lessons.
This month I got an electric acoustic that I can just pick up and play (and take to fire pits and camping. Not everywhere has signal and battery is limited so I ordered some of Justin’s beginner guitar books. Right now in addition to doing a few individual lessons a day (3-4 days a week) I am playing my way through the song lessons with the original backing tracks after watching Justin’s instructional video.
Now on the days I don’t want to focus on anything specific (due to poor discipline) I can still keep playing and strengthen the progress I have made.
Short term goal: get to and start playing F and barre chords
Long term goal: play with someone else for or in front of a small group informally
Thanks Justin for decades of hard work and making my journey possible.
and
Thanks to the Community for being supportive along the way.
Hi Will, welcome to the community forum. I just wanted to say that any day spent playing songs along with the original baking tracks is smart and not lack of discipline. Justin says that you should spend at lest half of your practice time or days with fun activities, which for me is playing songs. Even though I have followed Justin’s lessons for 2 years, I haven’t spent enough time playing to the original songs, so I will try to use your example as inspiration.
I think having a more full understanding of the song may help me switch to full tab in the not too distant future (2nd half of winter or spring).
Thanks for the encouraging words. I think prior to my first break I was too focused on milestones. After coming back I caught back up quickly and started making progress.
If you are into campfire credence clearwater songs, I found Justin’s lesson on Thumb and Finger technique gave me a good and relatively easy back beat vibe which works well with CCR and many other songs.
Here’s a recent video of me doing exactly that at a campfire jam
Thank you Tony I wasn’t even thinking about a solid intro into fingerpicking technique.
Further down the line I plan on picking up the CCR official tab book.
This is something fun I can work on right away.
Hello Will
Nice to meet you
Yep, you’re in the right place with JustinGuitar
I remember when I stumbled across the JG website through YouTube I thought I’d hit a gold mine.
And this community is friendly and supportive
Have lots of fun on your guitar journey
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.
