Hi there, I’m one of those old dogs learning new tricks and I have a question for those of you who’ve paid for Justin’s app’: is it worth the money?
Reason for asking is that I’ve got the book with CDs and just finished Stage 1 so I’m approaching the paywall, if you see what I mean. I COULD persevere with the books, CDs and website but 80 GBP p.a. is alot of money for me at the moment and I’d really appreciate feedback as to whether you found it a worthwhile investment.
Hi @JeremyAbel
Welcome to the community.
A couple if things to note.
There was a beginner course - still available and called 'classic" on the old site the book with CDs you mention is allied with that.
Hundreds of thousands learned to play using it - it is all good
Justin rewrote and revamped the beginner course for this new site. It is great and has better overall structure plus many extra components.
The app allies with it through grades 1 and 2.
I am unsure what you mean when you write you are about to hit paywall. There is no paywall. The beginner course is all free.
In terms of the app it is a cost decision for some. If money is a factor you need to find other ways (and there are many) to learn songs, learn songs, learn songs.
The app has some great features, but isn’t absolute necessary. The courses are available free on line. What you would miss without the app is the songs part. It is a great feature to be able to play along and does help a lot with cords, changes and timing. It isn’t necessary, though a fun way to learn. If the money is a struggle, I wouldn’t stress too much. A course like the music theory might be a better spend in the long run.
I don’t know if any “paywall” for Justin’s courses. Only the very advanced course and some of the side courses (like the strumming course, theory course and so on) have direct costs.
I have worked into grade 4 (although I am really a grade 3 player at best) without any requests for money. I donate because I have the means and see the value, but Justin, I am sure, would be happy to have you learn guitar. You can always return the favor when you make it big as a rock star
For me, the website is far better than the app for lessons. Easier to navigate, better organized, and user friendly. However, the app does provide the play along section with over 1000 songs. Personally, it is very relaxing to throw on a few songs and play along with them after a long day. This also has greatly improved my chord changes, tempo, and strumming capabilities.
I use the website for the lessons since i like the larger screen. I use the app to play along with the songs. The app is a big help for me since it allows me to work on my timming by playing along with the songs. I still struggle a bit with using a metronome. For me I think the app is worth it. Plus the app is more portable than a PC if you want to take you lessons with you or move around the house. Not sure if there is a free trial or a monthly subscription. If there is i would say try it. If you decide to try it out use the speaker on your device or plug your device into an amp aux jack. I had some latency issue using bluetooth to play along with the audio.
