New lessons y'all waiting for. And some unexpected news!

New Blues Study Arrangement (Grade 3), awesome song lessons, German and Spanish Beginner Courses, live transcribing, and much more!  November 2020 Newsletter Howdy guitar friend Things are really cooking right now - so many awesome new projects going on and a lot of stuff growing! I got new songs out, and some more will come out in the coming weeks. Some puzzle pieces in lesson plans fell into place, so I've started cooking some new Grade 3 material as well. The first is out right now - like a few minutes before I hit go on this newsletter! More on that below. It's unexpected, I know, but I've been a lot more active on Instagram the last month - more on how and why below! Also, I've got back into live streaming transcribing sessions. Interacting with y'all is always super fun. We're also releasing the Beginner Course with Spanish and German overdubs. The Beginner Course lessons will be released every week there! More on that below as well. :) Still negotiating on the big project that I hoped to get out before Xmas. Still might but looking a bit tight… it's moving along, just really slowly! Highlights - New Blues Study arrangement - That 6th Trick! - New songs (Elliott Smith, Sheryl Crow & The Sex Pistols - what a mix!) - More Live Transcribing session on YouTube. - Xmas playlists in the beginner App. - Get a shout out on Cameo! - New YouTube channels subdued in Spanish and German. Grade 3: That 6th Trick So, for Grade 3, I plan to make arrangements in different styles, starting with Blues. I've got 5 arrangements written, one I just filmed 10 minutes ago and hope to get the rest filmed and edited next week - they'll be out on Fridays! The idea is that these will supplement your Beginner consolidation practice. This first one is for solo guitar - meaning it works on it's own without a singer, and explores using the 6th interval shape and a consistent bass note. It's not super easy but well worth the effort, I hope you think it sounds real cool and harder than it really is ;) I think this will be a fun little series, and I really hope y'all enjoy it! [CHECK OUT THAT 6TH TRICK HERE!]( Music Theory Updates I've got another couple of modes lessons filmed and mostly edited. Just need to add the graphics and stuff - should be out early next week - they're big lessons. Also, I've been working with a new copywriter who has been improving the website readability - small changes, but it makes a big difference! I think this is a significant step up for the course overall! :) I know it's been a while since I did a full Q&A session in there, but I am aware and hope to get that nailed next week along with some more of the modes course! [CHECK IT OUT HERE]( [Angeles by Elliott Smith]( I've been promising a lesson on this song for years... an amazing song by one of my all-time favorite artists. It's a pretty tricky one, but so beautiful and totally worth the effort! [Steve McQueen by Sherly Crow]( This song is in Open G tuning and is super fun to play. Once you got its vibe, it's a cool riff to jam on and improvise with too. Sheryl is the pop queen and this is one of her classics! [Anarchy In The UK]( Sex Pistols]( I was a proper punk back in the days... not anymore, but I still had lots of fun making this lesson! It's a great song for beginners. If you dig Sex Pistols, this is a good one to practice power chords and playing it more freely... it's a song that you have to MEAN it. Live Transcribing Sessions I really enjoy these sessions and have done a bunch in the last month. I transcribe songs and usually do a few Q&A during the sessions. If you want to find out when they're happening and join me live, make sure you hit the bell icon on both my YouTube channels, so they'll notify you when I go live. You can also keep an eye on my Instagram story (but I sometimes forget that one!). I don't always look so weird as I do in that screenshot either! [Everything means nothing to me - by Elliott Smith]( Super cool song, but it's on piano. It's beautifully arranged and I thought I'd try to figure out how to do it on guitar... live! Was fun, but pretty tricky! [Transcribing punk songs]( Had much fun transcribing punk songs the other day! I took some requests and played around with songs from The Clash, The Dead Kennedys, Ramones... It seems like lots of punk lessons are on their way! Great stuff to practice power chords. :) ¡Hola! Estoy muy feliz de lanzar mi curso para principiantes en alemán y español. ¡Si, soy yo, no solo subtitulos... en realidad es mi voz doblada. Los canales ya están disponibles en YouTube y añadiremos nuevas lecciones regularmente. ¡Espero que ayude a muchas personas a tocar la guitarra! Si tu hablas alemán o español, estamos también abiertos a recibir comentarios y sugerencias. ¡Contactanos! ¡No olvides suscribirte si quieres recibir una notificación cuando salga un nuevo video! [CLIC AQUÍ PARA VER EL CANAL EN ESPAÑOL!]( Hallo! Ich freue mich total, dass es meinen Anfängerkurs jetzt auch auf Deutsch und Spanisch gibt! Ja, richtig gehört, nicht nur Untertitel. Das bin tatsächlich ich…..mit gedämpfter Stimme. Die Kanäle sind schon auf Youtube und wir werden regelmäßig neue Lektionen rausbringen. Ich hoffe das hilft noch mehr von euch da draußen auf eurer Gitarrenreise. Wenn ihr deutsch- oder spanischsprachig seid, freuen wir uns über euer Feedback und eure Vorschläge. Lasst von euch hören! Vergesst nicht den Youtube-Kanal zu abonnieren damit ihr benachrichtigt werdet sobald ein neues Video raus ist! [KLICKT HIER UM DEN DEUTSCHEN KANAL ANZUGUCKEN!]( The Social Dilemma led me back to... Instagram Maybe you remember that one or two newsletters ago, I recommended you to watch The Social Dilemma. It confirmed my view that the use of social media can be really tricky or even unhealthy. I was about to ditch it all... But then I got an email from a young lady who wanted to help me use my social channels to spread positivity. It's not like social media is going away... so why not try to do something fun and helpful with it! So JustinGuitar has a new team member, Laryne! She's helping me out to get my channels and everything else organized and cohesive! She's really passionate about it and her enthusiasm in infectious. It's taken lots of pressure off and allowing me more time to make lessons, which is awesome. Now I'm into posting more stuff and sharing a bit of my story and behind the scenes of JustinGuitar. Also, things I'm into outside of music - like personal development, philosophy, productivity and general wellbeing. And of course... lots of guitar stuff! Even a new Chord of the Day Series exclusive for Instagram: #JGChordOfTheDay! It's been kind of fun getting to know y'all a bit better. I try to be around and answer questions as often as I can too. Hope you enjoy it and see you over there soon! [JOIN ME ON INSTAGRAM]( Forum Community Award Our little [forum community]( is a very special place and there are some amazing members that deserve some recognition. The incredible forum moderators Richard (close2u) and Lieven (LievenDV) are suggesting a forum member be recognized each month and they win a $50 music voucher and an hour of Skype lesson with me! November Winner - b1rdland :) b1rdland - otherwise known as Steve - has been a forum member since 2018. He has been very active in the 'Audio/Video of You Playing' section. He is known for encouraging others and engaging with a positive attitude and a pay-it-forward ethos. Steve has irresistible creativity and has been consistently writing and recording original lo-fi songs and music with a unique vibe that is instantly recognizable. Beginner Song Course App The Christmas playlist is live again, so now is the time to get your Xmas songs cooking - don't leave it to the last minute! :) We're still working on the big app update - few things left to get it right! We're not going to release it until it's rocking, so you'll have to bear with us! Have you checked out the reviews for this app? There are thousands of 5* reviews on Android and iOS and so much love for it - super proud of this product and the dev team who make it all happen. [Check it out here! :) Available for iOS and Android.]( Are your hands SCREAMING for a guitar jam? It's that time of the year when there's just too much going on and my hand is SCREAMING for a good jam! We have the [new screaming hand Tee in the store]( - but we also got a load of new fun merch - cups and bags and more on the way in the next week! The new designers are working hard and we're close to signing off the next batch which will appear in the store soon! Also, my BOOKS will be available here soon too - so shipping from the US and EU. :) [Click here to see the whole range!]( Cameo shout outs! Quite a few people have been suggesting I get on Cameo and do shout outs for money. At first, it didn't sit right with me - but then I figured it might be a fun way to make money for charity. So 100% of my profits from this will go to food bank charities. You can book me to shout out to you or a friend - I'll do my best to make it entertaining and fun! The money will be doing good things. :) Maybe see you soon! [Book Me Here :)]( Other life stuff... So we're back to another lockdown in the UK, but I feel SO lucky that things are not so different for me. My daughter is still at school, I work on my own most of the time, I can still enjoy trail running and the fall colors (pic of above was a surprise encounter with horses on a recent forest run!) But I hear many scary stories from people in my industry and the arts in general. If you find yourself in a fortunate position like me, do consider ways you might be able to help. Making a living as an artist has never been easy, and right now, it's nearly impossible for many! What I'm reading... So I've been talking a bit on my [Instagram]( about mindfulness, philosophy, physical fitness, etc. Not only how these things relate to guitar practice and music, but also how they affect our mental health and general well-being. I'm always reading and learning more about this stuff, and this last month I've been really digging into 2 awesome books: - [Search Inside Yourself - Chade Meng Tang]( - This book is a life-changer. Read it if you want to understand our mind patterns and how changing some of them can lead to... a happier life. Meng's approach to mindfulness meditation and emotional intelligence is practical, easy, and inspiring. It comes from an engineer's point of view and is all research-based as well. - [Meditations - Marcus Aurelius]( - I'm deep into stoic philosophy and the writings of Marcus Aurelius influence my life the most. This book contains his own records and notes about philosophy and if you'd like to understand more about Stoicism, it's a must-read. I should also apologize for the misspelling of Mr. Feynman in the last newsletter. :( hate that! What I'm listening to... Many of you have been asking me if I still find some time to just listen to songs, instead of working on them. I do, indeed. :) And these are some of the songs I've been really into lately: - [Everything reminds me of her]( by Elliott Smith. You probably noticed that I've been really into Smith lately. He's a true genius and if you're still not familiar with him, this is a great song to start with. - All the punk talk led me to some throwbacks... I had a nostalgic afternoon listening to the [Dead Kennedys]( [The Exploited]( and [Sex Pistols](. I kinda miss the energy of this music. And I can still feel the punk spirit inside, even if I drive a Volvo! ha! What I'm watching... I don't make a lot of time for telly, but I do love a good film and music documentary. - [Heaven Adores You]( - I found this film about the life of Elliott Smith on Amazon Prime movies and I learned a lot about him and his music. There are loads of clips that gave me big clues for transcribing. If you dig on Elliott Smith you might have seen it. If not, go check it out! - [Greendale]( - This Neil Young album is also an 'art' film - the dialog is the music. It's really interesting and there is a lot to love about this film. It sure ain't mainstream but the music is superb and there is a lot of depth here. I LOVE the opening line "Grandpa said to cousin Jed. Sittin' on the porch, "I won't retire. But I might retread." Incredible. I better get back to it - so much to do and I need to get it all done today to take the weekend off to recover. :) Hope y'all safe and well. Cheers, J. Copyright © 2020 Justin Guitar Ltd, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up on my web site justinguitar.com, hope you enjoy my newsletters! Our mailing address is: Justin Guitar Ltd PO Box 695Farnham, Surrey GU9 1NB United Kingdom [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.