You will find lots of useful guitar lessons and information here - it works on an "honour system". If you can afford to pay for the lessons then please donate for what you use - imagine it was a pay site. If you can't afford to donate it is no problem at all - the site is free for you :). Updates and new material is pretty much donation dependant. Donations give me more time away from paid work to develop this site and make new lessons and features. BIG THANKS in advance :)

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

Click here for details on how to donate or contribute to the site. Thanks. J

Please register in the space on the left. I won't send you many emails (like once a month max), just news of new lessons and updates, my gig info and maybe special offers from those few companies that I endorse - but the emails will come from me, I won't pass your email address on to anyone else - and you can unsubscribe automatically on any email I send you.

Wishing you love, peace and happiness (and many years of guitar fun!)

Justin

Come from YouTube???If you have come here after seeing a YouTube video and you want to find the accompanying notes then check out the Lesson Index and find the lesson code at the start of the video.

BLOG and MYSPACE

If you are looking for my blog on GHANA and my other random personal posts - click HERE or on the BLOG button at the top of the page (blue pick!).

I do read ALL my comments on myspace (I personally have to approve every one) so that is good way to say hi!!!

What am I up to???

Latest 10 Lesson Updates (This list does not include TRANSLATIONS... see the Lesson Index)

02-12-08 • Blues Lead Guitar (and Box Set) DVD's Released. Christmas Offers available!
02-12-08 • 11 New Blues Lead Guitar Lessons uploaded. All vids embedded, pages nearly finished...
28-11-08 • THREE new songs: Under The Bridge, Three Little Birds and Wipeout!
20-11-08 • New forum links to all lessons, should be a helper for your guys, I hope!
04-11-08 • THREE new FUNK Lessons on Basic Funk Chords, Basic Funk Rhythm and Funk Grooves.
29-10-08 • Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, Hey Ya and Coffee And TV songs added!!
15-10-08 • FIVE new wah wah reviews added to YouTube (web pages coming soon!)
06-10-08 • Lots of TAB's updated in the Songs Area! And more translations added!
30-09-08 • I Shot The Sheriff song and video added, use those triad shapes!
30-09-08 • Killing Me Softly song and video added, great for beginners.

Brian May digs justinguitar.com!

Brian May It is a real honour for me when someone I have a huge amount of respect for likes what I do, and little while ago the legendary Queen guitarist, Brian May, mentions my site in his online blog, Brian May's Soapbox. It took me a while to add a link here, because I thought it might make me look a bit full of myself, but hey, I'm proud of this! Click here to go to his web site and see it (it was posted on 29th May 2008) or click the image on the left to see a pic of it!

 

Wanna buy a smile for Justin this Xmas? Get presents for the kids in Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage

I have a had a bunch of emails from folks wanting to get me something for Christmas. I don't need for much, but I know some people who do... so I have made an Amazon Wish List for the kids in the Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage in Kpando, Ghana, where I volunteered last Xmas. Simply choose something from this list and send it to them (the wishlist has their address already), and just email me and let me know. Seeing those kids happy would be a great gift for me and them! I sent them a digital camera this year so you might even find photos of your gifts cropping up the web somewhere! Here's the link - Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage Wish List. You can also send cloths and toys directly to them - the address is on their web site (help page). Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Latest News - December 2008I just can't believe that it is the end of the already... It seems like only yesterday that I was in Ghana in some "other life" planning things to do this year, and it's gone already. Guess it is the same for everyone... It has been a mega month for me, lots of playing, lots of web dev and hardly any time off...

The most exciting thing by far was meeting Larry Carlton when he did the clinic. He was a really great guy to chat to, and I got an interview (see the masterclass section soon) and we played his classic tune "Room 335" at the end of the clinic. Aside from meeting him, the great thing about it on a personal level was that it spurred me into frantic practice for two weeks. I realised that my technique had got pretty rusty, these days I am writing all the time, and playing lots, but very little technical playing, mostly chords and working on tasty parts more then flashy stuff or playing over key changes. But as I had to deliver a workshop before his, in front of the same audience full of guitar players, and maybe play with him, I figured I should get my chops back together. So I started trying to get it all back, and for the most part, they came back. As well as all the usual physical things like scales and picking, I spent a lot of time transcribing, trying to get that brain/fingers link back working smoothly. I transcribed all of Room 335 and worked it until I could play along with the recorded album version. It was a lot of fun, frustrating at times, but I got there.

There is an interesting lesson to be learnt here too. We were told about an hour before that he did want us (the Guitar Institute house band) to play with him at the end, and we'd play Room 335. Great :) I had got all my chords down, and felt pretty confident that we would do a good job. When the time came, we got up to play the tune... great, I was buzzing a bit, he took a solo, it was amazing, then he looked at Dario (Cortese, fellow Guitar Institute teacher) and he took a solo, which was awesome too... but them he looked at me to take a solo. Shit. I had not even thought that I might end up in that situation, and so I shook my head and said no. Shit. I felt a bit stupid at the time, but probably better than if I had tried and found myself fumbling around the difficult bits in front of a load of players, and I had played pretty well for the rest of the gig.

I guess the moral of the story is to expect the unexpected before it happens, and plan for it. For all the hours I spent learning his solo, I couldn't play that in front of him, so it was good as an exercise, but I really should have worked on improvising over the difficult chord changes and using my own licks, not just his! Well, lesson learnt. I have so much still to learn...

Other than that I have just been crazy busy getting the new Blues Lead Guitar lessons ready and the Jam Blues CD done too. Been doing loads of little tweaks on the site too that would not be noticed - like the addition of all the forum links on the lesson pages, and fixing the meta tags and other fun stuff! I did get to see one of my favourite guitarists in concert, Tommy Emmanuel, and I booked on the release day and got front row tickets which was amazing. Even my girlfriend liked it. Tommy is just one amazing musician. Depressing and inspiring at the same time!

Well I won't add any more, this news section is far too long already... just like to finish by wishing you all a fantastic holiday season, please be safe (no drink driving please!!!), be kind (this time of year is a great time to pay it forward), and take care of your selves and each other.

Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. Justin x

Need more lessons than you find here?

The guitar lesson web site JamPlay have been offering a 7 Day Free trial to my visitors for a couple of months 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, 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 understand and connect with. Of course after the 7 days you have to pay a monthly subscription, but it is reasonably priced. You'd be crazy not to check it out! Just click this link to get your free 7 day voucher code.

Sounds I make with the help from...

Justin plays Maton Acoustic Guitars, TC Electronic Effects, The Gig Rig Pedal Switcher, Mesa Boogie Amplification, AER Acoustic Amplification, DR Strings, The G-Lab Wah Pad and Jim Dunlop picks. Thanks. Check them out, all seriously great tools for making happy sounds in your ears!


Politics and Religion I know I will get a lot of stick for ranting about the state of the world, I am 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...

FILM - "Taxi To The Dark Side" - scary stuff - USA breaking the Geneva convention...
While training in Spain my mate Dave played me an amazing film called "Taxi To The Dark Side". It is the story of a taxi driver who was wrongly taken into custody in Iraq and tortured and killed in prison. It shows many interviews with politicians and some creepy dudes that did the torture that killed the taxi driver. Most scary is the way the GWB and his other evil scum bag friends (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell) proposed a law (passed by congress) that allows the US to break article 3 of the Geneva Convention, and absolves the government and officers from war crimes - it does it by allowing the US to make definitions of words for ANY international agreement that it signs. In this case they define "torture" in a most unusual way. Guantanamo Bay is also discussed, as well as the torture techniques they use. It is a really shocking film that I would urge everyone over 18 to watch. See the trailer HERE and wiki info HERE. I really can't believe they get away with this... Outrageous... This should not be happening in the 21st Century. Most people would object if animals were treated like this. Ahhhh it makes me feel so mad... This is not me bashing the US - there are many places with a poor human rights record... but this is the same US that "fights for other people's freedom"!!!!

Zeitgeist - The Movie
I am sure that this is not the whole truth, but it is certainly interesting, and if you have not seen it then you should certainly check it out. If 10% of the film is true then we live in a very scary world indeed.... A very thought provoking movie. It talks about religion, 911 and the way that we a ripped off by governments. Take money from the poor (tax) and spend it on war (corporations). Be prepared to re-think some things... Watch it here!

Ghana
I spent Christmas and New Year 2008 in Ghana working in an orphanage. I met some amazing people and it really changed my headspace. It is a year on now and I still think of them often. I maintain a web site for them - if you are interested in volunteering somewhere, then I highly recommend it. Just get in touch with Venus, his details are on the web site. You can read about it and see some video of our adventure in my blog, here. I raised quite a lot of money through this site and it really helped the kids, we got them new cloths, a bed, painted their room, bought medicines, paid for schooling, bought them chicken, but their expenses are ongoing and I send money to them every few months (from the donations received from this site). If you would like to help please see their web site (Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage).

Darfur
A few months ago now I was reading my copy of New Internationalist magazine and was shocked (nearly in tears) reading about the horrors that are happening there and I am disgusted that we can sit and watch this genocide happen and do NOTHING. There is about sfa all we can do as individuals but put pressure on our governments to try to pressure the Sudanese governments to allow the UN peacekeepers in and stop arming the Janjaweed militia.

Please check out the following web sites for more information. they estimate between 200,000 and 400,000 dead and over 2 MILLION people displaced... That is just wrong. The world swore that after Rwanda that it would never happen again and it is... We must act or live ashamed to be human. Please act if you can. This should not be happening in the 21st Century. Check out these links and see if it doesn't screw your head up like it did mine...

See what you can do to help at:
http://www.genocideintervention.net
http://www.darfurgenocide.org

I really can't believe that crap like that is happening while we all sit around on the internet learning guitar...

 


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

 

 

Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism.
Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it.
Noam Chomsky

 

You can find the REAL news (not the rubbish that the big media evils show us) by visiting:
The Information Clearing House

 

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

 

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