Loads of exciting JustinGuitar NEWS :)

Free TABS trial, new website pages redesigned, giveaway, BBC Maestro, new lessons, and much more! May 2021 News Howdy guitar friend, Hope this newsletter finds you safe and well. So it's May already eh. Bjeez. Time flies when you're having fun! Been super busy around here, as always. All good stuff and lots of fun things out and in the works. I've been revisiting older content and making sure everything looks ace for you! With the website redesign, there are so many things that we should improve: thumbnails, lessons description, etc. The goal is to make your experience over the website the best possible, and that has been the focus of my whole team! We just [updated the classes page]( and it feels so good. We're also welcoming a new team member, Fanny - thanks to [your support]( Fanny started a couple of weeks ago as our Digital Mkt Assistant but ended up getting a full-time position. There are just too many things to be done, and we deeply needed an extra pair of hands. :) Yes, I'm also planning to remake some of the old videos as well, and there's a new and super exciting "challenge" coming in June (if I can get it finished in time!). It's something that will help you out on your guitar journey, no matter your skill levels, and we'll also try out a more interactive format, so you can all stay accountable on the journey! Now let's check out what else is new. :) May Highlights - JustinGuitarTABS - Free Trial Available! - New Intermediate & Song Lessons. - Win some D'Addario prezzies. - Get 25% Off Gary Barlow's songwriting course. - The Ultimate Travel Guitar Review. - Who runs the world? - Life stuff! :) Miles Davis said that "in music, silence is more important than sound." And the new lesson, out NOW, is all about writing down that silence. Learning to write rests will be most useful when adding rhythms to solos or melody, but it does happen in strumming patterns too. And you can see my uber sexy Patrick Eggle Guitar ;) This lesson is part of the [Rhythm Maestro]( course, which is awesome if you want to learn how to figure out any strumming pattern by ear. [Learn Here!]( I'm so happy with the feedback on the [JustinGuitarTabs]( It seems chords, lyrics, and tabs are something that you all really needed, eh? :) It feels great to be able to offer this product to you - I'm really confident it's a great add-on to your guitar journey! Ben, Jon, and I have been working hard and applying all the requests you're making, and we also added many, many new tabs on your request. There is a list [here]( but it's not quite up to date... there are 350+ songs now with TAB, not just chords, and lyrics. That's over half. Jon revised most of the most popular songs too and made sure they matched up with the lessons and looked better and clearer than you'd find in a published book :) And we're not stopping! We're going to make these tabs and charts the BEST available anywhere. :) BUT THE BIG NEWS is that now you can try the [JustinGuitarTabs]( for free! You'll have 7 days to explore the sheet music and all features, but please don't forget to unsubscribe if you don't want to keep the subscription. [Try JustinGuitarTABS For Free!]( The past month has been all about new lessons for the Major Scale Maestro course. Actually, there was a mess up... Basically, I somehow lost the 'script' (my bullet points I make before filming) and went right from Pattern 2 into the lesson on 3rds… As I was filming, there was a niggle in my gut saying something wasn't right, but I was running late and just cracked on. It was only when I went to film the next pair of lessons yesterday that I realized what had happened. It made me late to release new Intermediate lessons, but at least it's all good now! And I really think this is the best course about making music out of scales I ever made. So here are the new, updated lessons - in the right order, haha! :) - [Major Scale Pattern 2]( - We'll learn Pattern 2 of the Major Scale and explore when and how to use it. If you can't [make some music out of]( 1]( don't try Pattern 2 just yet. It won't help. Remember - the goal is to develop your [Re-Active Listening]( and get you into creating interesting things out of scales. - [Moving Between Patterns]( - Once you have learned more than one Major Scale pattern, a new problem arises: which one to use when. :) - [Playing Scales In 3rds]( - This is one of the most powerful exercises you can do if you want to get into creative soloing. When you are on a good note, the other chord tones (the ‘good notes’) are often a 3rd away. That's why it makes sense to practice scales like that. Give it a try! - [Motif Development]( - If you ever feel like your solos don't flow well, you're probably missing some threads. :) So, meet motif development - your new best friend! More Intermediate Grade 4 lessons coming very soon, like... tomorrow!! :) [Learn More About The Lessons Here! :)]( Who's feeling lucky? There's a giveaway happening on my Instagram right now! You can win a set of brand-new coated strings XS from D'Addario with a pro winder and 2 guitar picks! Super fun and easy to join - it only takes a couple of minutes. Good luck! [Enter The Contest Here!]( The last month was a little bit slower in terms of song lessons. I got fully on the new website redesign, Intermediate course, and JustinGuitarTABS, and I was only able to release 2 new song lessons. But the good news is that I think they're awesome! Get that groove on! :) [Superstition]( by Stevie Wonder is a classic, and such a cool song to play - especially if you're in a band. But even if you're not, there are many interesting things going on. We'll explore the chords, the rhythm, and you'll learn a cool trick to avoid getting your pick stuck between strings! :) I want to release more and more song lessons from female artists who inspire me the most. To start with, I chose [Coyote]( by Joni Mitchell - such a beautiful tune with a [real unusual tuning](. Coyote uses stunning [lush chords]( great if you dig acoustic guitar. I had a great time singing and playing this song - not easy to be honest. :) I hope you enjoy it! Tomorrow (Saturday), a new lesson on Sheryl Crow's awesome hit All I Wanna Do comes out. I must have played that a thousand times when it came out, it was a huge hit, and hope you'll dig it. Don't forget to [subscribe]( to my Song channel if you want to receive a notification when a new lesson is out! :) Exclusive Offer - Get 25% off Gary Barlow's New Songwriting Course! The cool people at BBC Maestro contacted me about Gary Barlow's new songwriting course. I'll be able to offer all my UK* students 25% off Gary Barlow's new songwriting course! Gary is one of Britain's most successful pop songwriters, and I've heard he'll share all his tricks and tips on songwriting with you! :) He's had 14 number one singles, 24 top-ten hits, 6 Ivor Novello awards, and has sold over 50 million records. Not bad, eh? The course is available on any device. 29 video lessons are waiting for you, and 92-pages of class notes so you can unlock the tips, techniques, and wisdom to find your own voice. Get Gary’s course for just £60 [here]( This offer is valid until May 11th only, so hurry up. :) * Unfortunately, the course is available in the UK only. There are plans to make it available in more places, so stay tuned on that too. I hope y'all dig it! [Get Your 25% Discount Now!]( Conditions Apply - [Read More](. You might remember that I'm doing an awesome [workshop]( on the stunning island Petit St Vincent, and I can't wait for it. I just can't. But I started thinking... my Froggy Bottom won't enjoy the sand, sun, and Caribbean humidity as I will. She just won't. So I decided I'd reach out to the folks at [Journey Instruments]( and see if they were up for sending me a carbon fire travel guitar to try it out. They kindly sent me two guitars, one carbon fibre and one wood, and some other cool prezzies. It still blows me out when I recall I got the guitars in a super-compact box, the neck was out of the body, I connected both parts in 2 seconds, and the thing was actually... almost in tune. Wow. Thing is... I decided I'd compare both guitars and share the video with you. I opened the carbon fibre one first but left its wood counterpart to unbox in the video so you could see the whole thing. :) When I'm [shopping for a new guitar]( I'm looking for the instrument that inspires me the most in tone, sound, feel. It was cool that they sent me the wood and CF to try out, they are quite dofferent. If you've been following my daily [IG]( stories, you probably saw that the carbon fire one inspired me the most, and I've been actually using it to write some stuff.... but I'd be more likely to take the wood one to a party! That's why my final 2 cents on the video was so surprising... even for myself! [Watch The Full Review Here! :)]( And the Forum Community Award goes to... Trevor! He is a warm soul who has devoted his efforts to learning and sharing music. He is progressing through the Beginner's Course and [creates really cool videos of his progress using my APP as his guide](. Trevor values every piece of feedback and reflects on it to improve his playing. He faces the challenges and plateaus we all encounter when learning a new skill. Trevor is an awesome student to have around, and he certainly deserves our gratitude for the motivation boost he gives us all. :) Thank you, Trevor! Trevor gets an hour video lesson with me and a $50 voucher to put toward something guitary. [Join the JustinGuitar Forum Community Here. :)]( If you said girls, you got it right! :) Yeah, as someone of you read on [my social media]( I feel like there are not enough women playing guitar, and when they do, they don't get enough credit. Guitar has been a real male thing the whole time I've been playing - but I do feel the tides are turning. It's just not ok, and it makes me sad to know that only 12% of my students are women. Playing an instrument has so many awesome benefits, and I want to encourage more girls to take action and get into it. I know the music industry has not been fair (and the "alternative" world can even be dangerous and tricky for many women), but things are slowly (too slowly) changing, and I think we should all be part of the change! I want to feature JustinGuitar female students making music out there whenever I can - that might inspire others too! It definitely inspires me. :) I'll open this up to other students too, but for now, ladies first. :) [Tell Your Story & Submit Your Video Here]( Other Life Stuff... This last month has flown by... there is a lot going on and making good progress on lots of fronts but sometimes the journey ahead still looks daunting. I'm trying to keep myself (and this newsletter) in a positive place, but the corona stories coming out of India, Nepal, Brazil, and other places are breaking my heart. Feel helpless, angry, and sad but also thankful and hopeful all at the same time. My best wishes to everyone affected by this awful virus. Anyways. The Intermediate courses are chugging along, just one lesson to go on Major Scale Maestro Grade 4, 3 more for Rhythm Maestro, and then I'm going to hit another couple of the foundation modules, the Effective Practice, and Barre Chords. At the same time, I have re-recorded many of the Master Rock Power Chords tracks and will be turning that into a full course shortly (for Grade 3). Also been working on some cool fingerstyle arrangements and lessons for Grade 3. My house reno project is progressing well and I hope to be back in my studio in July, really looking forward to that... setting my amps up and making some noise again. But it's taking a lot of time and energy, it's stressful and rewarding. Not sure I'll do it ever again, though... Managed to let my running and meditation slip a bit - just had too much work on, but I really notice it and trying to get back in the saddle today... did a 7k forest run this morning and will spend some time meditating when I get this newsletter done. Then, I hopefully get my video editing done in time... :) My daughter turned 5 recently and it's scary how fast she's growing up. I bought her a kids video camera and she's already started trying to make How-To videos on cooking, dressing up dolls, caring for animals... it's hilarious and very cool. I really enjoy 'Dad life' and all its challenges. Other fun stuff... Went supercar racing a couple of weeks ago... took some choice cars around Dunsfold track (the Top Gear one!)... a Lambo, Aston Martin DB11, Nissan GTR, Ferrari but the highlight was the McLaren 720S... omg, so much fun. I got my race license a couple of years ago and it's rekindled the bug. Dreaming of a Porsche GT3 but more likely to get a Caterham :) Oh... and I got a new tattoo :) Quite a big one.... did 4 hours last week and still a couple to go to get it finished. But 4 hours was enough. Share with y'all when it's finished. OK, better sign off and get on with the day - hope you are staying safe and well and having a ton of fun on your guitar journey! :) J. 🎧 What I'm listening to... [Girl In Red]( - Really like this girl's sense of melody! The arrangements are cool and she's probably too hip for an old-timer like me to be digging, but she's really good. [Joni Mitchell]( - that Coyote lesson sent me into a Joni binge and been back listening to her a lot - my favorites are Hejira and Blue, but her whole catalog is amazing. Such an incredible artist on every level. [Taylor Swift]( - yep, you read that right. I think she's an incredible songwriter and the last couple of albums, folklore and evermore have some really great songs and very cool production and well worth a listen if you think she all just the front of some banging pop hits... she's deeper than that! 📚 What I'm reading... [A Little History Of Philosophy]( - This book by Nigel Warburton really ties things together and contains many interesting nuggets to think about. I'm not finished this one yet, but it's really interesting and beautifully written. 📺 What I'm watching... [Sherpa]( (Netflix) - I love mountaineering and was supposed to be climbing in Nepal in 2015, but I pulled out after the massive earthquake threw it all into chaos. This documentary about the Sherpa people that help climbers is fascinating, and it's completely put me off the idea of ever climbing Everest... but would still love to do some climbing in the Khumbu one day. [Upside Down]( (Disney Plus) - This Pixar film is probably classed as a classic, but we only discovered it recently. It's one of those kids' films that I think probably resonates with many adults too. I thought it was great a great way of explaining emotions to children! Copyright © 2021 Justin Guitar Ltd, All rights reserved. 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