How can we as a community help Justin and Team and Us?

Community Hub Thank You Justin & Team & the Community
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This post is just as much directed to @JustinGuitar , @Richard_close2u , @LievenDV , @DavidP and the rest of the Team, as to the rest of the community.

Justin and Team is already providing a massive amount of resources, for all of us to enjoy and learn from. They are so busy helping us. How can we help back? Can different kind of backing tracks and other resources like sheets and what ever, help all of us?

We as a community are already musicians and helping each other with advice and so on. We are also as a community able to produce resources. I will just throw out some thoughts and ideas that have been brewing over especially last couple of weeks:

I at a point got tired of listening to the metronome and lucky had got Guitar Pro, so it was a pleasant welcome to learn how to make my own drum beat metronome. I have recently gone through the Strumming SOS and reached the Backbeat Section. There for example, it could have extra good value, to be able to download some resources as support, like a drum beat backing track, that Justin rap in the start of the lesson :wink: - There could be some drum, rhythm guitar etc backing tracks as support for those and other lessons and maybe some challenges also. - I have made a fun challenge as example for this post in general to share here:

I made it possible to download the file also. Just a fun challenge for strumming especially doing D D DUD, starting at 40 increasing to 200 at bar 110 and rest of 60 bars increasing to 250. Can be used for fingerstyle, scale etc. - Can you follow along all 5 minutes? :wink:

40-200-250-R1 2023-05-29#01
40-200-250-R1 2023-05-29#012480Ă—3507 303 KB

So here is my ideas and thoughts:

  1. We as a community can provide these resources to JustinGuitar. Could be done from us via Creative Commons License or how ever Justin and Team prefer and decide. (Sheets, Guitar Pro files, MP3 or formats etc etc).

  2. Justing Guitar and Team can request certain things to the community. The community could maybe request some help somehow also. It can be drum backing tracks. Could also be a rhythm guitar sample to use for backing track for solo exercises, or the other way around. What ever it could be.

  3. We can make different challenges and other fun stuff, to especially support those who get stuck, feel bored, discouraged etc etc.

  4. Justin and Team could also in certain cases put few things up as a challenge, something they would love to use for a workshop or what ever, and the one thing they pick win a T-shirt, you know they are so many possibilities in so many directions. Or it could be some stuff that are hidden behind a paywall, which also still support JustinGuitar and you win a T-shirt or something. It’s a good deal and you are helping tons by doing that.

  5. There could be made a library of different types of backing tracks in different tempo, all from beginners to very advanced etc etc. Again many different possibilities.

  6. Many people don’t have the time and resources for these kind of supports. @tommion and others have been using plenty of time and resources finding an alternative to the metronome. We as a community could have provided that easy. Now he bought a something to help him, he might not have done, if the Justin Guitar had a library available with drum backing tracks.?! Many might not have that option to buy something or don’t really have time to search for it, or get annoyed by the adds etc etc etc.

  7. Justin are already providing tons of resources for free. We as a community of musicians can help expanding.

  8. This is tricky, as I have no clue about the legal issues. - I am unable to print out sheets for a song I would like to learn. I can’t print out sheets and bring with me to my little practice place, unless I go through a lot of effort or pay somewhere else for it and not sure where the money really goes and if the sheets are any good. - Can I make sheets of popular music and hand it out for free? Let’s say I want to use Guitar Pro and simply do the hard work and put in all the notes etc, for Yellow Submarine. Would I be able to share that and make available for people to download, so they can print it out, without getting into legal trouble or have to pay some mafia somewhere?

How such thing could look like in practice and be actually working, I wouldn’t know. I guess there are many things that have to be within certain boundaries and so on, within the Justin Guitar as whole.

Also if I make something, I would like it was available on Justin Guitar, and not depending on my Soundcloud account or what I might use. Personally I would gladly give it as a gift to Justin Guitar, so there never would be any legal issues about it. There certain things to consider, which I have no clue about how to deal with, the legal issues and so on.

Just some ideas how we could expand helping each others growth and especially having extra fun and possibilities on our guitar journey. (We don’t have to look elsewhere, Justin Guitar provides everything, from first time beginner lesson to advanced backing tracks for the blues solo lessons and beyond). :sunglasses:

There are so many good and creative people in this community, so I don’t see it as something impossible or hard to manifest some of these ideas in some form. - With luv from Denmark :heart: :pray:

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A great idea. I don’t know the legal limits but it is currently possible to download song sheets into apps and then edit to add chords/lyrics, tabs, etc and output as pdf. Is copyright an issue for personal use?

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No but Justin Guitar is not personal use and as soon as you share something through JustinGuitar forum Justin will get sued again and I don’t think he would be very happy after alread going though it once.

So I think it’s best to let Justin run his website and forum the way he does. Trying to help out sometime isn’t helping.
The best way to support Justin Guitar is to either buy his merch or donate on the website.

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The reason I made idea 1 as I did:

  1. We as a community can provide these resources to JustinGuitar. Could be done from us via Creative Commons License or how ever Justin and Team prefer and decide. (Sheets, Guitar Pro files, MP3 or formats etc etc).

That mean, Justin is still running everything. Not all have funds to support, but still wants to contribute. Sheets done from popular music is just a tiny bit of the suggestion overall. (Point 8)

What we create on our own and hand to Justin as a gift, will have no legal issues. Meaning I and others can create stuff and hand over for free.

Like a backing track library could be hidden behind a paywall, say like 10USD, and that way contribute to the funds for Justin Guitar. - Think out of the box to help Justin Guitar. Don’t be the usual creativity killer @stitch :wink:

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That’s why my point 8 is asked the way I do, because I know those copyright mafias ruin a lot of creativity and ways of doing things.

Justin and Team will know what could be used. At least what we could create/compose within the community and hand over as a gift, should and could not face any issues. - Yet it still could be a way to support Justin Guitar other than just via funds.

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As an idea, taken from the Open Mic thing going on already, which in itself is a most wonderful idea.

Justin and Team could pick people from within the community, to run a team of composers and creators. Just like those arranging and make the Open Mic thing such a wonderful thing and is within the boundaries of Justin Guitar and Team. As I understand from another post somewhere (think it was from the post about some kind of different Open Mic), I think it was Richard mentioning: That what ever have the name of Justin Guitar, have to be within the boundaries of what Justin and Team decide.

That community creativity team, could also together with the Open Mic team, arrange a Composer Open Mic (COM), so the community could listen to the songs that then, will be free and able to print out without any issues.
Over time, there would be a list of songs that would become an open source library, without any copyright issues and any kind of restriction and botherness.
I and others would be able to print out the songs and take with us or just to be free of looking at the screen all the time. For what ever reason would be valid.

Creativity would flow and bloom within the community, as a wonderful side effect. The Practical Theory Lessons, take away the old school stiffness and narrowmindedness in a most wonderful way. Justin makes it fun and enjoyable study theory. The same would happen with the creativity within the community, getting such a thing going.

Justin and Team are already making these supporting resources, so a community creativity team, could do a lot of that for free, as a gift or what ever, and free up those resources for the team, as the they is so busy providing us all kind of cool stuff, that Richard is still beginner level with the guitar :wink: (Just kidding, but read something somewhere you wrote about it), thus master in theory. We can also help Richard to get more time to play guitar this way. :wink: :joy:

PS. Please don’t be offended by my writings. It is just common Dry Danish Westcoast Talk and Humour for Farmers (DDWTHF) :cowboy_hat_face: :sunglasses:

PS. An Open Mic for composers, with the rule, that those songs and such provided, is free and part of Justin Guitar, which will eliminate outsiders and people who just want to promote themselves. (Was one argument against the idea, can’t be used anymore as such).

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Yes, it absolutely is.

Cheers,

Keith

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I’m not being a creativity killer. I’ve been on Justin Guitar for over 13 years and have seen the ups and downs of the website and forum. Justin’s business model since 2007 has been to provide free lesson to everyone and if you can afford to donate to help keep the website mostly free them that’s how you can help.

Your idea of a backing track library behind a pay wall goes against everythink Justin stands for. Yes he has pay courses but they are worth it and after all he is running a business. If you can afford a $10 donate that’s great, if not that’s OK too nobody will think any less of you.

But up loading thing that could get Justin sued isn’t helping even with the best of intentions.

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I invited to ideas other than just donating some funds. You have any good ideas? I have no problem donating and you also sound like a person giving 100 USD per month on average, but some don’t even have funds to get a proper set up for their guitar, which is very painful on the fingers as a beginner.

Then let it be free as I also suggest. Just throwing out ideas for you to brew on. No one will think less of you for not being able to brew on ideas or come up with something. It’s totally ok. You provide so much good advice, for some. It’s totally ok. :+1: :pray:

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It has nothing to do with being free or behind a paywall. It has everything to do with copyright law and the deep pockets of the cooyrught holders. Also are you going to be the one to make sure every uoload is copyright free or public domain?

I understand you are trying to help but cooyright law is messy and even if you win it costs big bucks. Justin has already been forced down thus road and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to go down it again. That’s all I have to say.

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@stitch - And if I or you compose something and give as a gift to Justin Guitar, there will be issues? Have you read and understood the Common Creative License?
Do you know what Open source is and the rules behind it?
You can’t just shoot everything down with that argument. - There are many ways that a lot of alternatives ideas can happen. Be creative and have fun :wink:

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That’s fine: that could be a new section in the community, where people can link their Soundcloud, Youtube, etc. in their post. The advantage here, of course, is that copyright issues are mostly outside Justin’s website, including the community.

I believe a few people have already done this, although, not in high enough volumes to warrant a new section, I would suggest.

Cheers,

Keith

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Thanks for initiating an interesting discussion Kim.
My biggest thanks is for caring and wanting to share.
The conversation has gone down a route of focussing on copyright based on one idea of sharing backing tracks to songs - which are likely subject to copyright law.
I read Kim’s original post as containing many other ideas, many of which are not subject to copyright.
Drum tracks, generic rhythm patterns, chord progressions etc.

However it goes and whatever comes of it - if anything - thank you for the idea and willingness to help and support.

ps
I have alerted Justin and the team to this topic.
:slight_smile:

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Hi Kim,

thanks for bringing up those ideas as subject for discussion. Whatever will come out of it, it shows how much you care and want to share and support. :+1: :smiley:

For now, I don’t have an idea to add to the list, but would like to offer my support. I’m quite ok-ish in use of guitar pro, too and could provide for instance a sheet with picking patterns, basic strumming patterns, chord progressions, maybe recordings of those things in addition… whatever is needed.

I really appreciate sharing and supportive approaches - that’s why we’re here, aren’t we? :slight_smile:

So, wherever this may lead, please count me in.

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That is so lovely to read @Lisa_S . :heart: :pray:

Yes, it would not take that big effort to make something that could be very supportive for all of us and all new coming to Justin.
Like a drum beat metronome backing track, once it’s put down in Guitar Pro, it takes few clicks to have that beat at different tempo. For strumming support, scale, fingerpicking etc.

Also you mention sheets/tabs for picking and strumming patterns. Some of us within the community, who have the software, time and willing to support, could easy make this for Justin and the Team. What ever they desire to support those excellent teachings already there.

One time done, it is done and the resources will be there for all to use and enjoy. All new enter the teachings will from the get go, have wonderful support in different ways, that we at present all sit and mess around with, in our own little cave, while Justin and Team is overburdened with work and already are doing such thing. -

In Denmark, we have this expression: It will be the dot over the i. - That extra little thing, that just make the whole thing so extremely excellent. No need to look anywhere else, Justin provide it all kind of thing.

Also it is for Justin and Team to know, that we are some people who are willing to help in any way possible making these supportive resources. Please consider accepting this kind of offer :heart: :pray:

PS. Personally I don’t want credit for the work. I have a pure heart and a healthy mind. Also I am mature and wise enough to promote myself, if that is what I want. - Just to eliminate those running around with such disturbed mindset, that the reason should be to promote myself or what ever other weird ideas they might have.

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Oh yes please. I can’t remember when I last had an extended period of dedicated practice to improve my guitar playing. I’m on one of life’s long plateaux and sensing it has tilted in a downward gradient too.
:+1: :slight_smile: :partying_face:

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Hi Kim,
Your last sentence makes me a little sad, that’s not a nice community thought :worried:
Greetings…

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I agree with stitch. The best way to support is to pay for the resources that are there. Donate, pay for for-pay courses, and merch.

The community already “helps” with questions on threads. A couple of times people (including me) have posted helpful screenshots or GP files in threads.

Collating community sourced resources for official use would be an epic challenge of human coordination IMHO.

BTW - if you want backing tracks, Justin already has some you can buy.

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Absolutely agree. And there are cases like translations where Justin has actively asked for help and the community has responded.

It makes me sad too, and makes me wonder where this thought comes from. It certainly does not seem to come from this discussion thread.

@kimlodrodawa no-one has questioned your motives. Everyone knows your heart is in the right place when proposing this.

What I see you doing is brainstorming other ways we can help Justin and the community at large. there’s nothing wrong with this.

However, after every brainstorming there has to be a critical analysis of what came out of the brainstorm. The push-back you are getting is this analysis.

The reality is that some of the things you suggest:

  • Involve legal complexity, such as copyrights, which are potentially damaging and which are difficult and expensive to mitigate.

For the avoidance of doubt, copyright covers a broad range of activities. If I create a “backing track” which is a fairly direct copy of a commercial song, that is subject to copyright law. If I transcribe a commercial song, the result is subject to copyright law.

If I then distribute it in any way, whether that is posting it on a public web site, hiding it behind a site membership or a paywall, or even just sending a friend a copy of it, that is in breach of copyright law and I could be prosecuted.

  • Is technically complex or time-consuming to manage. I put collating and organising contributed tracks into a library, and managing licences and attribution, etc. into this bracket

  • Is already being done in some way. I pt the general community interactions into this, especially as some members have already contributed backing tracks, learning material (charts, etc.). I agree that some this could perhaps be better organised within the community.

  • The thirst for contributing is low. I put backing tracks into this category (as well as the last) because creating a decent backing track is time consuming, and there’s a wealth of publicly available backing tracks out there, many for free on Youtube. Almost any “in the style of” backing track you can think of has probably already been done.

Of course, backing tracks for commercial songs are subject to copyright and are usually commercial products (e.g. Karaoke Version).

And there are professionally produced commercial backing tracks from places like Andertons and Justin himself.

With so many existing options for backing tracks, I’m not sure there’s a role for a JustinGuitar curated library.

These are specific critiques aimed at specific points you made. This isn’t a personal attack. Everyone here knows you posted this idea with good intentions. We just disagree on the feasibility or utility of these specific ideas.

And, if there are other ideas the community has then we should share them. But do so with the understanding that they will need to be analysed and considered, and may be dismissed as inappropriate, or unfeasible, etc.

Having ideas is easy; making those ideas work is hard.

Cheers,

Keith

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Hi everyone,
Why not just wait and see what Justin and/or the team thinks about it, Richard has passed it on he was saying up here… that will probably prevent a lot of discussion and provide clarity, right?
Greetings,Rogier

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