Hi everyone. I’m looking for some direction for students that are not brand new beginners. I am currently using the App free trial version. I am not sure if i need to start all the way at the beginning because I know chords and scales. I just can’t really play full songs. The app does not seem to have song lessons but the play along karaoke tool is really good. Are the song lessons and the tablature files only on the web versions and on youtube? I’m trying to get more structure out of my practice and a little confused with the App vs Web thing. Still looking forward to learning here and having some fun.
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Welcome to the forum Chris
The website is 95% free and has everything and more that the app has. Minus the karaoke play alone.
Most people like yourself start with the beginner course on the website as a refresher and to pick up thinks you may not know or to make you aware of bad habits.
One thing Justin’s course teaches that a lot of others don’t is how to practice and learn how to learn to play the guitar not just copy songs.
Most non beginners move very quickly thought the Beginner Course and start learning song from the song section of the website.
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Hi Chris,
Like you, I played prior to coming here. But I did start at the beginning as Rick suggested. Mostly seeing if I had some bad habits. Since I use my telephone as a telephone, I did the web site. It’s worked well for me. Especially since I don’t have a gob of disposable funds.
Pretty much where I started too.
So, if ya know some chords, why not pick a song that you like and learn to play it?
Myself, I do think that it makes a difference as to which song I pick though.
So I’m a big Beatle fan. I have a book with most Beatle songs in it. But. I can’t play all the Beatle songs. Like I can’t do helter skelter. To much going on in that song for me to play it by myself and have it sound like helter skelter. On the other hand. Sexie Sadie I can do solo and have it come out sounding kinda like sexy sadie. At least ‘I think’ I can play it so that you or others may recognize it w/o me saying what song I’m doing.
Point is. Pick a song that may sound good when played by yourself.
I also find that there are many songs I may try to learn have chords in them I’m not familiar with. imho, that’s good. So I gotta learn a new chord. I takes me a bit to get these new to me chords to where I can play them instantly like I can do a D chord or the likes.
Since I have music in front of me with my book. It also gives me a chance to see the notes of this song or that. Sometimes I find it a good idea to put in embellishments (single note, or double stop, etc.) into a song. So while I’m playing chords I’ll insert a lick that goes with that song. I think this adds to whatever song sounding like that song.
I’ve also used Justins lessons for some songs I’ve done also. Like I used his help with cinnamon girl.
For that one I did also go find a drum and a bass track off the www to help me finish a version of that song. So this is a option also.
Last place I’ll go get a song at is the www. Find me a tab somewhere of a song I want to do.
Again, I pick and choose my songs. Something that I think I can make sound like music.
Then I start doing it. Most start off sounding real bad. I’ll pick the parts I can’t do and work on that part alone. Slowly I’ll start to get a song start to come together as to where it’s sounding like the song I’m doing. Some I’ll just do by myself, others I’ll put to a back track, though generally not a copy of the song I’m doing. I like to find bass or drum tracks by them selves to play along to.
Many of these songs I’ll put on a recording of me too. This is another place you can help yourself out for doing a whole song at. Record yourself. I’ll do many tries before I have a version of a song I can live with. So like maybe a couple 2 or three weeks to get the idea. Then a month or more to have a recording ‘I’ like to listen to. For me, this is my criteria. If I like to listen to what music I think I made, perhaps others will too?
Anyways.
This has just been my method of madness to getting to where I can play a whole song. Which I believe is one of my goals. To play a whole song.
fwiw, the two songs I referenced can be found here on JG website if ya wanna see how what I did came out. If ya can’t find them two songs, I should be able to find them for you if ya ask. Or perhaps your not interested and that’s fine too.
Also, one last comment on learning a song. In the past I’ve done some collaborations with someone else. This was where I was learning fastest to do a whole, new, song to me. I really liked doing this, it was fun. Ya get other input from others as to what ya may want to do for the song your doing. It was something I found most fun to do. The most educational for learning a whole song.
Ya just gotta find someone to play with via the www. Which I’ve found hard to do and I only found one person to collab with in my 4 or 5 years of playing again. And I do find it somewhat limiting doing a song all by myself. In other words, it was more fun to have a collaborator.
Good luck man and have fun here. Much info to be discussed here and many folks that want to lend in their 2 cents. 
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Hi Chris ,
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun 
Tabs for all songs you will find under the lessons if you take out a subscription, one of the few things that have to be paid for … although Justin would like to do them for free, that is simply not legally allowed.
Greetings,Rogier
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Hi @Chris1972
I used to know dozens of intro’s but no real songs.
Now I’m an advocate of “bring complete songs early, develop and perfect them later”
Perhaps my Live Club about Building Repertoire can inspire you in your approach to songs and how to develop them?
https://www.justinguitar.com/live-events/190
In many of my Live clubs, I refer to to this “layered song approach”.
Since you already know about chords and scale, this should seem obvious and simple to approach
If you still have issues or you want to explore this further and get some feedback; drop me a line to book a call to discuss it. I’m currently offering free 15 minute calls as onboaridng for students but I could just as well use such a slot to get you on your way.
Cheers!
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Hi Chris,
welcome to the forum 
This is a really good question. I think many guitarists come here with varying degrees of prior knowledge and ask themselves this. In each module, you can see the requirements for passing the module in the practice lesson. This makes it relatively easy to determine what level you are at.
Sorry, but in my opinion, if you can’t play a single song with simple chords, you should really start with Module 1. You can quickly get through the lessons on chords, but you’re sure to find useful tips and your first songs here too. Module 2 at the latest, you won’t be able to pass if you can’t play at least one 3-chord song.
Have fun,
Withold
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I pay for the app, less for the karaoke setup (though TBH, that karaoke setup was pretty critical earlier to helping me wrap my head around “songsheets” and getting to the point that I could play full songs) and more for how and when it presents certain songs. the way they’re grouped, it makes it easy for me to find songs at my ability level. even though the website also groups songs by grade level, I find the finer-grained groupings in the app are more helpful to me for finding something I’m ready to work on now.
beyond that use of the app, I tend to stick to the website. And with that said, I think running through the lessons from the start is a good path because it’s pretty much guaranteed that there will be something in there you haven’t learned yet. and it will all be important when it comes to putting together what you do know to play songs.
because I’ve learned guitar stuff from many sources, I can do some things well beyond justin’s grade level (I have completed grade 1), but at this point, I spend a ton more time working on songs at my level than I do working on doing more skill/technique lessons. even if you’re not using all your fancy skills, learning to play full songs (and playing along with the original recordings, playing with other people, etc) is a really important skill on its own that deserves some dedicated practice.
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I’d played guitar on and off for more than 50 years. I retired at the end of 2020 and decided I really wanted to learn how to play properly. As others have said, I would start with lesson one. It may seem unnecessary, but you may find, as I did, that you have a couple of bad habits or can discover more efficient means of doing things. I went through the first two modules in less than a month and feel it was time well spent.
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Hi Chris, nice to meet you and welcome to a great community. I was the same as most of the above members, and there is a lot of good advice here as always, so enjoy and hang around with a great bunch of girls and boys all with the same interest, cheers HEC
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Thanks everyone for all the great input and advice. Greatly appreciate it! I’ve started with the website and purchased the Tab access. This along with the rock songbook I purchased years ago from Justin I hope will get me going. I’ve started with “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd. So far so good with the intro, verses & chorus… its fun getting back to playing again.
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