NEWS + How are you doing? :)

Howdy guitar friend, I'm feeling super inspired these days, and I hope you are too. :) I have many exciting new lessons for you! April 2023 News Howdy guitar friend, How are you doing? I hope that you're great. I love this time of year... the days are getting longer, and it's light when I wake. I feel so much more alive! Been keeping very busy as usual; loads of things are going on, and a whole bunch of exciting new projects are percolating. I love my job, but it's important that I keep trying new things and improving my lessons, or I'll get bored of myself! You might notice that a few of the [new songs]( have two distinct parts, something I'm keen to do more of - they'll be great songs for an upcoming Jam Workshop I'm hoping to organize for the autumn. We're sold out for the Acoustic Week in Quebec, but remember to [enter the Waiting List]( if you hope to join the next event! As usual, more life stuff is at the bottom of the email. :) But first, let's look at the news for April - a lot of great stuff is going on, including a [20% discount on your first-year subscription to the JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs App](. April Highlights - New Song Lessons! - Practical Music Theory: new workbooks! - Strumming SOS: Practice Routines are now available. - Fingerstyle Insanity: Mike Dawes plays Jump - Beginner Grade 3: new lessons available! - JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs App: Spring Sale! - JustinGuitarJams: is it for you? - Community: Open Mic Merch - MIGS: Montreux International Guitars Show - Life Stuff... [You Got It - Roy Orbison]( This is the perfect song for learning separate electric and acoustic parts and mixing them. There's a ton of cool stuff to explore here: quirky strumming patterns, how to blend open chords with barre chords, and, of course, the iconic riff. Getting the feel right is a must! [Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi]( This beautiful ballad is easy to play. :) It's a four-chord song, except for the bridge, which has an extra chord! Our main goal will be to emulate the piano from the original record using fingerstyle, but we'll also learn how to play it with simple strumming. [No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marley]( You can play this classic Reggae by keeping it super simple if you're a beginner or explore extra bits if you're more of an advanced player. There's [a push]( on the F Chord, the famous bass riff, and you can add in melody too! [Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana]( This is an all-time classic, and we'll play it using Nirvana's authentic tuning. :) This will allow us to play along with the original track! We'll learn all the bits: the intro and verses, the distorted part, and the solo, as well as some performance tips. [I Guess I Just Feel Like - John Mayer]( This song is perfect if you're an early Intermediate guitarist, as you'll need your F#m Barre Chord and 16th-Note Strumming to cover it like John Mayer's original. We'll focus on the acoustic parts and cover all the chords, strumming, and embellishments. [Holiday - Green Day]( I love Green Day and their Punk attitude! This song has great stuff to learn if you're into Rock techniques! :) We'll learn all the electric guitar parts and how to play the fun solo. It's a great one to learn - simple and easy enough, but still memorable! [View All Songs]( New Workbooks Are Now Available For Grades 2 & 3! Did you dig the free [Workbook for Grade 1]( of my Practical Music Theory Course, which helps you learn the Note Circle? I hope you did! :) Now it's time to put your hands on two new downloads! The free [Grade 2 Workbook]( will help you learn the notes in the first five frets, the difference between notes, chords, and arpeggios, and how to be confident reading chord and scale diagrams. [Grade 3 Workbook]( (for subscribers only!) is a great add-on to help you learn the Major Scale! We'll explore the Big Six Essential Notes, how to know the key of a song right away, and the Power Chord Theory. Serious stuff! [Learn Theory]( [Practice Routines Are Available!]( You asked for it, so here they are: you can now find preset Practice Routines by the end of each [Strumming SOS]( grade. Add them to your Practice Assistant, and optimize your learning process. :) This course really is THE course to help you unleash your rhythm guitar competence. Do you have a favorite JustinGuitar product or subscription? Please [send me]( a testimonial. :) Fingerstyle Insanity! Mike Dawes played his incredible cover of Jump in my studio - and I reacted LIVE to it! My friend Mike Dawes visited me a couple of weeks ago, and we had a fascinating chat about his cover of Jump - that Van Halen classic we all sing along to! Mike is an incredibly talented guitar player and one of the most innovative guitarists of his generation. His ability to replicate the sounds of different instruments on the guitar is truly impressive, and his arrangement of Jump is a testament to his skills. I was so inspired by Mike's arrangement that I had to give it a go and transcribe it. :) Watch my attempt to play it [here]( - it's so difficult and awesome on many levels! [Justin Reacts: JUMP!]( More Grade 3 Lessons Are Available! :) Yep - we keep working our way up to the Intermediate grades! Check out these new lessons, and follow our [Advancing Beginner Course]( to consolidate all your Grade 1 and Grade 2 knowledge, learn great new techniques and improve your guitar understanding. [The Objective Observer]( This lesson is more Psychology than playing, but it'll help you banish anxiety for guitar wins! [Record Yourself & Production Basics]( Learn why you should record yourself and how to get started with basic production and gear. [Beginner to Intermediate Practice]( This lesson will help you bridge the gap between a Beginner practice routine and an Intermediate one! And for all of you asking: yes, Grade 3 will be very soon in the JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs App. :) I can't wait for it! [Check Out Grade 3!]( Get 20% off your first yearly JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs App subscription. 🌼 My app is awesome to help you learn songs, improve your rhythm, and keep a consistent practice routine! Access exclusive in-app features and a library of thousands of great songs by subscribing. We have plenty of news coming, and we'll include Grade 3 lessons very soon! 🚨 Please note that this promotion is only valid for new subscribers and purchases made at JustinGuitarApp.com. No free trial period applies! The app and the website don't sync or share user account information; please have separate accounts and subscriptions when using both platforms. [Claim Discount]( JustinGuitarJams - who's it for, and how does it work? [JustinGuitarJams]( is a large library of backing tracks featuring real musicians that you can use for jamming and unleashing the musician in you! It's one of my favorite [products]( - I have so much fun playing and recording them! I always get many questions about them, so I wanted to talk about Jams here. :) I based these backing tracks on my lessons and optimized them to face common challenges. It gets you a real band experience. :) Jamming is key to helping you advance as a player, prepare for better live performances, and enjoy playing your instrument! Jams is a digital download; once you buy it, you'll receive an email to download your purchase. I've been inspired to make new collections for y'all - and a fun campaign that might get you featured in my social media and us jamming together is in the makes - more about that very soon. :) [Let's Jam!]( Community Open Mic T-Shirts! The JustinGuitar Open Mics have become a true highlight of our Community; our incredible Official Guides and engaged members are responsible for all the organization of the events, and they even funded the costs to host the event. Now, we decided to put together a "Community fund" generated by the [JustinGuitar Open Mic Merchandise]( sales! All the profit from these tees, hoodies, and sweatshirts will contribute to funding Zoom's annual licenses and other event costs. Any additional funds raised will be available for other Community initiatives - as the Official Guides see fit! So if you dig the Open Mic - show your appreciation out there. :) [Shop Open Mic Collection]( Check out the MIGS! :) I was invited to the Montreux International Guitars Show, but I won't be able to make it. :( However, they have great plans for this year's show, and you should check them out if you're in the area. The full program is [here]( - don't miss the [concerts]( and [masterclasses]( Life Stuff... I'm feeling a bit sore today as I had a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition last Sunday (I'm writing this on March 29!), and it was tough. I won gold in the Gi (White belt, Masters 3, Middleweight) but lost my NoGi fight - in Gi matches we wear 'Karate Pyjamas', and in NoGi you wear shorts and a tee. One thing I noticed a lot throughout the day was the respect and fun everyone was having. Even in the middle of tough fights, you would see people acknowledge a great move, and you (almost) always see mutual respect after a victory is declared. Love this sport! The highlight from the last month was meeting up with Tommy Emanuel, who gave an impromptu short performance and chat in my local guitar store, Guitar Village. My good friend Mike Dawes was in town and invited me down for the hang. Watching Tommy play is just incredible and inspirational. I first saw Tommy play when I was a young child and just getting started on guitar. I think he's the greatest acoustic guitarist of all time. And to add to the fun, Mike and I got to hang out and make a really fun video together - the live 'reacts' video where I got to ask him about his incredible arrangement of the Van Halen classic, Jump. We always have a lot of fun together, and I'm hoping we'll do more videos together soon. Watching him play with Tommy is awesome, too - they're on tour together now! [Tommy tour dates](. [Mike's tour dates](. Both of them do an amazing show; even my partner loves watching them play, and she's not into guitar! Bye, for now, I have so many things I want to get working on; feeling quite inspired and want to make the most of it! :) Have a fab month ahead! J. 📺 What I'm watching... - Not had time to watch much this last month! 📚 What I'm reading... - [Lifespan by David Sinclair]( - This has been one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time! You should read this book if you're at an age where lifespan and health span are increasingly important. Sinclair is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and is the co-director of its Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research. I've started taking some of the suggested supplements, but it's a bit early to say if I've noticed anything. It was good to see that many of the things I do are already likely to be helping me; HIIT training, cold showers, intermittent fasting, etc. 🎶 What I'm listening to... - [Tommy Emmanuel]( - Seems like ages since I had a binge on Tommy's tunes; I just asked Siri to "play Tommy Emmanuel on Spotify," and the playlist was awesome. I've been meaning to learn another of his songs for ages, and I'm trying to decide which to tackle next... and I'm trying to get Angelina and Mombassa back comfortable under my fingers - I need to do lessons on them!! ;) - [Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey]( - this album is enchanting, and her voice is sublime. Stories, songwriting, production, and everything is just wonderful. - [Cuts & Bruises by Inhaler]( - this is Bono's sons' band, and I wasn't expecting much - but it's GREAT! Really catchy and has great vibes! Kinda normal modern rock production with nice guitar parts but lots of trippy noises and loads of effects, but it's cool, just the right blend... give it a listen! [Explore JustinGuitar]( Copyright © 2023 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](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](