There are many hundreds of free guitar lessons here, most with video and audio, and as you can imagine it's taken quite a lot of work for me to put it together. It's important to me to help everyone that wants to learn to play the guitar, not just those with money to spend on tuition, so I run it on an "honour system". It relies on the honesty of it's users to make a donation if they can afford to. Donations allow me to keep it free, so if you like what I'm doing here then please support the site, don't leave it for "everyone else": make a donation or buy some products Thanks for your support! Wishing you love, peace and happiness (and many years of guitar fun!) Justin

Donations keep the site free for those that can't afford to donate!

We Came As Strangers (Justin's Band!) Album Recipe For Adventure out May 6. Pledge now for exclusive updates and super cool exclusives!!

What am I up to???

Latest Lesson Updates

29-04-13 • Cheesy Chewsday Choon: Rollin In The Deep - Adele
23-04-13 • Cheesy Chewsday Choon: You're still the one by Shania Twain
16-04-13 • Cheesy Chewsday Choon: Price Tag by Jessie J
10-04-13 • Release of the Justinguitar Ear Training App for iOS :)
09-04-13 • Cheesy Chewsday Choon: When You're Gone by Bryan Adams and Mel C
02-04-13 • Cheesy Chewsday Choon: The Passanger by Iggy Pop
26-03-13 • Cheesy Chewsday Choon: Sing by Travis
19-03-13 • Cheesy Chewsday Choon: Crazy by Gnarles Barkley
12-03-13 • Cheesy Chewsday Choon: I Gotta Feelin by The Black Eyed Peas.
04-03-13 • First Pop Songbook track, Chasic Cars by Snow Patrol
01-03-13 • Release of the new Pop Songbook :) shipping by end of March.

Steve Vai on justinguitar.com!

"I have checked out Justin's site and found it to be comprehensive and informative. I have always felt that learning about music and especially music theory applied to the guitar, is helpful in finding your own unique voice on the instrument and expanding your creative horizons. Along with his insight into teaching and his fantastic abilities on the instrument, Justin has created a powerful go-to-place for anyone interested in exploring the instrument to their potential. Just don't hurt yourself".

Steve Vai (www.vai.com) November 2010

Brian May on justinguitar.com!

"On a day when there's a temptation to go into a dark place, and only see all the bad stuff there is in the world ... greed, cruelty, exploitation, selfishness ... I get days like that pretty often .... it's great to find someone giving out, and giving out good, and operating on an honour basis ... There are so many people who can't afford Guitar lessons .... well, here's a wonderful guy who has set up a whole system of teaching guitar ... Blues, Jazz, Rock, even Songwriting, from the basics, tuning the guitar, etc ... upwards ... If you use his site, it's up to you to determine how much you can contribute ... but this is an amazing site .... he is also very aware of issues in the world which need attention ... a great channel .. Check him out. He's a giver."

Brian May (www.brianmay.com) May 2008, on his blog, Brian May's Soapbox.


Latest News - May 2013

I see the end of a project as being a chance to chill out, but I forget that I've booked myself up so I run from one storm into another :)

My band, We Came As Strangers have released our album!! :) BIG THANK you to everyone who pledged and supported us, and all those that helped out by contributing artwork, especially Matteusz and Alexei for their help with the web site and album cover. It's amazing what a bunch of strangers can acheive when they get their heads together. ;) It's available on iTunes now :)

So now I'm going hard at the new web site (not really 'new', more a renovation!) because I really want to get it live before the end of July when justinguitar.com turns 10 years old :) So many things on the site need updating and tweaking, but it's taking ages and it's a tough one to get motivated to do... more satisfying making new lessons, but I really need to get the site up to scratch!!

As well as that I have all the WCAS CDs, DVDs, T-Shirts etc to send out, I have to TAB the album and give it some promo time. All kinda fun but another time consuming beast! The CDs and stuff should arrive this week, once I have stock I'll get them available to buy on the justinguitar store too!

The Rock Songbook is still not quite done either so I've got to get that finished off asap - going to be awesome and it's a great collection of songs, I'm sure you'll dig it too!

Plus I have to get a bunch of new lessons done, I need to shoot more Pop videos, I've practiced up a bunch of Neil Young which I'll film shortly and I've got a big bunch of lessons I want to re-film and update to HD with better quality video and improve the lessons :)

The new Apps have been getting a great response, and the Tuscany Guitar Workshop was a huge sucess, had a great time and all the guys that came on the course worked really hard. It really was super great fun (though hard work too!) and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year!

So it's head down and hard graft the next couple of months, next break for me is an alpine mountaineering course in Switzerland in July which I'm really looking forward to!

Hope life is treating you great and wishing you lots of love and laughter :) J.

Need more lessons than you find here? try JamPlay...

The guitar lesson web site JamPlay have been offering a 7 Day Free trial to my visitors for a year or more now, with some very positive reviews. There really is a lot of information there if you need more than you get here, lots of teachers and many different subject areas. You don't have to give your credit card number or any of that for the trail, so go check it out and see if you can find some useful information to help you develop your playing. Of course I think my method is best, but different strokes for different folks and all that - you might find a teacher there that you really connect with. Of course after the 7 days you have to pay a subscription, but you'd be crazy not to check it out! Just click this link and put in voucher code JGTR2012 to get your free 7 day voucher code.

Endorsements and stuff I dig..

I'm real fussy about stuff I endorse, I will NEVER ever say to y'all that I play something if I'm not using it and honestly dig it. I do not get paid to use anything, but I do get discounted or free stuff sometimes. I don't have any exclusive deals and often use other stuff too.

Maton Acoustic Guitars (nearly all my acoustics are Maton), AER Acoustic Amplification (easily the best acoustic amplifiers available), Strymon (awesome Blue sky reverb and Timeline delay effects pedals), PedalTrain Pedalboards (I use a PT2 and a Jr), Voodoo Labs Pedal Power (Pro II and Pro Digital), Boomerang III (best sounding and easiest to use looper pedal around), The Gig Rig (Loopy 2, Quartermaster and Virtual Batteries), Lehle (quiet, solid and pure switcher pedals), RAT Stands (coolest looking music stands ever), Kyser Capos, DR Strings (my choice for over 10 years) and Cordial Road Line cables (great quality leads!).

Check them out, all seriously great tools for making happy sounds in your ears!

Global Issues

I'm just a guitar player, but I also care deeply about the state of the planet and maybe I can introduce you to some things you are not aware of, or just things that I care about. So take time to read the articles if you are interested, otherwise just turn the page and ignore...

Malaria - The quiet killer
I wonder how many of you ever thought that in the time it takes to watch one of my 10 minute videos that 20 children in Africa will die from malaria. Shocking isn't it. There are over 1 million deaths around the world from this killer, and it is preventable and curable. 90% of all malaria deaths are in Africa, and 70% of those are children under 5 years of age. The best way to prevent malaria is for children to sleep under treated mosquito nets. When I volunteered at the orphanage in Ghana in 2008, none of the kids had nets. They all do now, but there are many hundreds of thousands of kids with no nets and no protection from the little buggers while they are asleep. If they do catch it, they usually can't afford treatment, a simple case of taking a tablet for a few weeks. There are many organisations that are working on distributing nets and I would urge you to support them, financially and by talking about this problem. Please check out the following sites: Malaria No More UK, Malaria No More US, click on donate, and help save a child's life. Thanks for taking the time read this, and I hope it moves you to act.

Free Range Farming
When I was a kid there was this old woman who lived up the road and used to protest about "battery farming". We all thought it was a bit of joke, but that crazy old lady was right - battery chicken farming is disgusting and cruel and in my humble opinion it should be banned worldwide. These animals are kept in cages so small they can't even turn around. Imagine your family pet, dog or cat locked in cage so small it couldn't turn around for it's whole life? Nasty. It really is quite sick. And it's done to make more money, no other reason.

Interestingly the vast majority of people prefer and do buy free range eggs. But the problem is still huge - and the reason is mostly down to unethical processed food manufacturers, eggs are of course used in mayonnaise, cakes and many other foods. If it's not labeled "free range eggs" then the eggs most likely come from a battery farm. Why talk about it here? Well the only way it's going to change is if us as consumers demand free range eggs to be used everywhere. Many major supermarkets have changed.

If you care about the welfare of animals, then be the change you would like to see. Only buy free range eggs and avoid buying processed foods that use battery eggs.

Robin Hood Tax
Others know it as the Tobin Tax and the idea has been around a while, but only now that the global economics are all chaotic are people looking again at how money flows around the globe. From the research I have done it appears to be a fantastic idea that may help the world address (in a very small way) the massive divide between rich and poor. The idea is to tax banks on internal transactions - not ones that involve consumers - just the banks. The idea has a lot of support around the world and I believe it is worthy of your support. But read about it yourself and make judgment. www.robinhoodtax.com

Darfur
Nearly two years ago now I found myself nearly in tears reading an article about the situation in Darfur in the New Internationalist magazine. I mentioned it in my 100th YouTube video and I hoped that it would make the video out of date very quickly. But it hasn't. More than 300,000 people dead and 2.5 Million people displaced. It is just disgusting that nothing is being done by international governments. Guess there is no profit to be made there... no oil to plunder. Read more about it - The Darfur Genocide and write to your local senator / MP.

 

This site is free for peace loving people - let's make this world a happy and safe place!

Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.
Dr. Seuss

If people are good only because they fear punishment and hope for reward,
then we are a sorry lot indeed.
Albert Einstein

Many people die with their music still in them.
Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live.
Before they know it, time runs out.
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Morality is doing right, no matter what you are told.
Religion is doing what you are told, no matter what is right.
H L Mencken

 

 

Previous site updates!!

22-02-13 • Funk it up with Suck My Kiss by the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
20-02-13 • My new app is out for iOS, The JustinGuitar Note Trainer
06-02-13 • Another classic Elliott Smith, Say Yes!

30-01-13 • George Harrison's fabulous My Sweet Lord
23-01-13 • The Man In Black by the legend Johnny Cash great acoustic song
16-01-13 • About time we had Elliott Smith's Between The Bars
09-01-13 • Acoustic classic, Norwegian Wood by The Beatles
08-01-13 • Last of the Effectice Practice series, Practice Without Your Instrument!
02-01-13 • First new song this year is Bird On The Wire by Leonard Cohen
01-01-13 • First of the new year is Effective Practice 8

26-12-12 • The Cave by Mumford & Sons is this weeks Acoustic Song!
25-12-12 • More practice help with Effective Practice 7
17-12-12 • New Acoustic tune is Don't Panic by Coldplay
16-12-12 • More practice help with Effective Practice 6
12-12-12 • Rotterdam by the Beautiful South from the Acoustic Songbook
11-12-12 • More practice help with PC-105 • Practice Makes Permanent
05-12-12 • I see a Blackbird in your future :)
04-12-12 • Effictive Practice Part 4: Use A Timer

30-11-12 • Neil Young classic Harvest Moon, what a great tune!
28-11-12 • More Acoustic Songbook... Lego House by Ed Sheeran
27-11-12 • Effective Practice Part 3: Keep A Shedule
23-11-12 • I Can't Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis, a Beginner's Tune!
21-11-12 • Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Nirvana from The Acoustic Songbook!
20-11-12 • Effective Practice 2 • Decide What To Practice
19-11-12 • One of my all time faves, The Heart Of Saturday Night by Tom Waits
18-11-12 • Top 10 "Road Rat" Tips with Pete Cook.
17-11-12 • Classic magic, Father and Son by Cat Stevens
14-11-12 • Acoustic Songbook, Tom Wait's Hold On
13-11-12 • Effective Practice 1 • Set Goals (new lesson in this series every Tuesday!)
12-11-12 • Interview and little jam with Gordon Giltrap :)
11-11-12 • Awesome 12 string song, Extreme's Hole Hearted
10-11-12 • 12 String Guitar: Tuning, Tips and Tricks, and demo of my new Maton.
10-11-12 • The A Team by Ed Sheeran, what a great song!
09-11-12 • Top surfer dude Donovan Frankenreiter's catchy choon, It Don't Matter.
08-11-12 • The Monkee's HUGE hit I'm a Believer.
06-11-12 • Death Cab For Cutie's magnificent dark ballad, I Will Follow You Into The Dark.
04-11-12 • Rocky Raccoon came into the room...
02-11-12 • Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key by Billy Bragg & Wilco from new songbook :)