Yes 
I always do the Justin disappear trick, if I don’t hear him playing anymore or almost no longer, I play in the correct time, basically just like the metronome disappear trick…
And of course I start in the “drunk Justin” mode 
Greetings
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Haha, just had to have turn down a lesson to 0.5 x speed yesterday and when he came in talking after the playing his talking was scary 
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I’m finding the independent thumb thing difficult, however I may have found a way. The thumb is always on the beat so if I watch my foot tapping I can visually ‘link’ my thumb to my foot. That enables my brain to concentrate on the other finger(s).
Justin suggests using first finger on string 2 and second finger on string 1. I’m using second finger for both strings at the moment. It’s a bit different from fingerstyle where you would usually use finger three on string 1, finger two on string 2 and finger one on string 3.
I’ve just about got the first couple of bars down.
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Good for you, Gordon. I know you’ll get it in due course!
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Gordon
Justin’s solo blues is a bit loose style wise but it does work BUT if you feel more comfortable with the “normal” PIMA approach, go for it. I did both but with the experience I got from David Hamburger I reverted to PIMA.
As said before with the steady thumb, work it in isolation and get used to the feel.
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I would add to what has been said about playing the melody lines in isolation as well as the bass, another good practice for the steady thumb, is to play the bass and just the pinches ie only play the melody line when it is on the beat ie with the thumb.
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Thanks David and Toby. I’m really going to concentrate on this whilst on holiday (although obviously I’m doing other holiday things too 
). I’m also determined to keep at it when I’m back home as I know I haven’t progressed with guitar for probably two years. Sing along strum along. I enjoy learning to play and sing new songs but need to keep progressing.
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Gordon what is it exactly that you find challenging? Is it a mechanical thing like using thumb independentely from the other fingers or mixing the two voices, thumb bass accompainement and melody played with fingers?
I find it easier to work on short phrases instead of bars…that’s because I can hear the phrase in my musical imagination while hearing a single bar is difficult…that helps me to rely more on my ears and less on mussel memory…but you do what comes easier to you, we’re all different.
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Don’t worry, it doesn’t do what it says…well in my experience at least… it never matched MY sound
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Hi Sylvia. It’s the steady thumb thing. Keeping the thumb going on the beat whilst playing another note/string sometimes on the beat and sometimes off the beat. It’s different from fingerstyle where the thumb moves as part of a pattern.
I’m getting there though. (see my comment above about watching my foot tap). As with everything guitar it’s practise practise.
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You’ll soon have it under your thumb in no time.
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No pressure Gordon, take the time you need, but…I can’t wait to see you play this!
I need to revisit it because 
I forgot it! But have it in my ears…it’s already something 
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Hi Gordon, good to see some new posts here. Good also you keep working on the technique. About the thumb thing I can say that for me I’ve seen some improvement with the main motif of Habanera I’m practicing by playing it slowly, but playing both the bass note and the melody together not separately. Still more time learning it that I could have imagined, but getting close to good enough. Hope you are enjoying your holidays, it looks like that.
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