Justin Guitar Lessons & Songs Reviews

by IamOTW

JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is mainly an aggregator of the videos on Justin’s website. Yes, it follows a progression like the site, but the site has a lot more content. The big disconnect between JustinGuitarLessonsSongs and the site is around song playing. JustinGuitarLessonsSongs has a play along feature that is reminiscent of guitar hero. If you want to learn how to play the song, you’ll need to go to the website and watch the video. The site lacks the guitar hero type functionality so in this regard, JustinGuitarLessonsSongs and site compliment each other. JustinGuitarLessonsSongs would be much better if it included the song tutorial videos.

Other things that JustinGuitarLessonsSongs leaves out: too much to list. Go to Justin’s website to see all that’s missing.

Finally, I am annoyed that I can’t switch between my iPhone and iPad and have everything synced. If I do lessons on one device, I have to manually tag them as completed on the other device.

by ORHobbes

This is by far the best app to learn guitar with.

Justin is an amazing teacher, with great exercises and an easy to understand approach. He’s very encouraging.

I loved every stage of this course.

However, when I paid for the full access, I did not realize that the first 9 stages were the only stages in JustinGuitarLessonsSongs . I thought all the intermediate and advanced levels from the website would be in JustinGuitarLessonsSongs as well.

But it’s only the first 9 beginners stages. So you have to go to the website for everything else. That was a bit of a bummer, as I paid for a full year’s access, but I got through the whole first 9 stages in just a couple months. It’s still good to have the access for more practicing of the basics, but I was hoping for more levels after stage 9 in JustinGuitarLessonsSongs .

If they could add all the intermediate lessons from the website into the JustinGuitarLessonsSongs as well, I’d probably buy a 2nd or 3rd year of access. But with just the 9 stages, I will probably stop using JustinGuitarLessonsSongs after year 1 and just switch to his website 100%.

However, if you already know most of the basics, and are looking to buy full access to take your playing to the next level, you may not want to buy it here. Just go to Justin’s website and do it there instead.

But if you are a beginner, I can’t recommend it highly enough!

by Nated0gg1

Overall, the Justin method is a great way to learn guitar and Justin is a gifted teacher. JustinGuitarLessonsSongs really helps get you going on a logical progression for beginners. I have used it for stages 1-5 so far and am very pleased. Playing along with the songs and tracking for your chord change speeds is really great. However, I only gave four stars because there are a few inconsistencies, ie the video on blues shuffle refers to the triplets video that is not on JustinGuitarLessonsSongs (but is on the website) and there is an exercise for ‘old faithful’ but no intro lesson video for it. When I encountered these inconsistencies, I went over to the website and realized I’d been missing a whole lot more content such as the ear training and all the written commentary and practice schedules. Truly, the free website is the best place to drive your progression, not the paid app. What JustinGuitarLessonsSongs provides though, which is totally worth the money, are the songs you can slow down and play along with. So get JustinGuitarLessonsSongs and use it just for those functions!

by B47a

This just an update. The original review is still below. JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is great. Well worth the money. You can sort by chords but what would be really cool is being able to sort by rhythm pattern . So if I want to focus on 16th note strumming I can quickly pull up a selection of songs where that pattern is used. Might be cool also to add more advanced optional rhythm suggestions to some of the songs though as you progress that tends to come out of you on its own. I had a few other ideas but now I feel like I’m at the record store.

Really helps track lessons and progress. Great to play along with and increases difficulty incrementally if you start at the beginning, obviously. The tracks to play along with might seem basic but I gather that’s the point. Working with just a metronome is really hard for me and having something to play along with really helps a great deal in grabbing a feel for the songs and music generally. As I come up with reasonable ideas I will submit them. If your trying to learn guitar then this a great tool to help you on your journey. Worth the money and time I have spent with it. Justin really comes across as someone genuinely interested in teaching and that’s just priceless.

by Readmeray

The Justin vibe is just good good good for beginning guitar players. It ain’t easy. He encourages us all so well, while also really working hard to find arrangements for pop songs that put them in our reach as beginners. No one does this better imho. That’s Justin—just get on with songs, sneak in fundamentals as they’re needed save foe the super important ones. Then drill them hard. JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is not uberchord-it is not a robot that listens and changes the game to match you. It teaches you how to teach yourself new skills a bit more old school—“here are all the possible chord changes so let’s knock em out and cross them off”. Rather than a robot guiding you it’s your conscience asJustin implores you to count fairly but it’s self assess required only to move on. The songs—the list and variety of simple songs here is incredible. Great backing tracks. Do it! And do the online course!

by RRFSOC

I have just begun to use JustinGuitarLessonsSongs . Earlier I had come across some of the beginning lessons. For me JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is easier and more accessible. I recently retired and decided to learn guitar. At 73 I am not as nimble as I used to be but still had the desire to give it a try. I find this application straightforward and easy to use. So far, so good. I practice the exercises every evening and supplement them with other lessons I have come across. I can see the progression tied to the lessons and, of course, don’t know how good I might get. My end in all of this is to be able to play with some proficiency the songs I grew up with. I will give a progress report in several months. At this early stage, I am quite satisfied with my practice sessions and can see the beauty in the way Justin et al have organized and presented JustinGuitarLessonsSongs . Well done!

by ShantaJ.

So II wanted to learn how to play the guitar for years. I tried it when I was a little bit younger and just didn’t have the correct instruction I needed to get very far. I have only been using JustinGuitarLessonsSongs for about a week and already I have learned several cords and can play along (at an obviously slower tempo) with several of the songs. I am addicted to JustinGuitarLessonsSongs and spend at least three to four hours on it at a time. Justin is absolutely phenomenal in his recommendations and lessons. He recommends for instance a specific pick for beginners. I bought some new ones finally yesterday and the difference is insane. Trust his process! I am only at Stage 2 but already I love it enough to wrote a review. More than worth the price you pay for full access.

by Lflory

Always wanted to play guitar and finally at a place in life where I have the time to dedicate to it and the means to buy the guitar I always wanted growing up, a Gibson Les Paul! After searching through TONS of online videos and apps I downloaded and started using Justin’s app. Although there are many online videos with good teachers breaking things down, Justin takes it so much further. He really makes learning guitar very simple, straight forward, and easy to understand. Then the lesson plans which follow give you the exercises necessary to perfect what you’ve just learned. But the best part is all the songs he pairs with each stage allowing you to use what you’ve just learned and play the songs you love. Due to how well JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is designed, the pace I’ve been able to learn the guitar due to how well Justin teaches, and the catalogue of songs included in JustinGuitarLessonsSongs to play along with, I spend an average of 2-3 hours a day learning, practicing and playing songs. Although there is a lot of good content online, nothing comes close to teaching guitar as well as Justin. Can’t thank him enough. It’s a tremendous feeling to be able to sit down and play songs you love for hours.

by Texas0418

I’ve been looking for an app that allows me to play songs to music. Very guitar hero- like. JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is easy to use and looks as if tons of time and thought were put into it. The only complaint I have is that I started the lessons through the JustinGuitar website and there’s no way to link JustinGuitarLessonsSongs to my account on order to sync up where I left off on the website to JustinGuitarLessonsSongs . If there is, please let me know. Great app.

Also, I paid for a year and work offshore quite a bit with limited or terrible internet. Any chance there’s a way to use it offline? If not, is that something that might be in the works. I get that if it’s a month to month, it might not be possible, but I think a year paid in advance would allow a function of offline use.

by GermanCoastGuard

Playing the guitar has always been a dream of mine. Long story, goes a little something like this though: grew up busy with other things, work, wife+kids, oops I'm 40. Dagnabbit!
Picked up my GSmini a few weeks ago and asked what literature to buy or how to get started. The salesman directed me to towards the internet and I came across Justin Guitar channel that evening. Started with his lessons right away. He is keeping his lessons as they should be (academically speaking), to the point, very relatable, and nothing mixed in with the subject of any particular lesson. He keeps focused on what he's trying to teach you. Makes learning fun, structured and easy (though I'm still just barely above the target 60 chord changes per minute). I enjoy the lessons and the challenges tremendously! I will see this course through until the it's end and will re-post another review.

by SpacemanLou

I have been shocked by the progress made with JustinGuitarLessonsSongs after using it for three months. This is without previous experience on the guitar or musical instrument. The lessons are broken down simply for beginners and progressively get harder only when the learner is ready to move on. Don’t let mot mastering a lesson prevent you from moving forward. Moving forward is the only way to unlock new songs. T he variety of songs grows and becomes more complex which means you’ll practice consistently. You can always go back and practice those 60sec chord changes. So far stuck at 40secs on most chords but enjoy learning songs on slow for now with the expectation that speed will come with time. Try it out! Practice on your own time. Simple and easy to learn

by David_kreisberg

I love the steady progression of lessons - each one gradually building on skills. The pacing is quite good, too. My favorite feature is the interactivity build in to practice and monitor skills. This is not just a series of video lessons - although the videos are very high quality. You periodically need to play along with backing tracks, select new songs to learn as you learn additional chords, work on skills such as smoothly changing chords, etc. while keeping track of progress. The interface for playing songs is helpful - showing chords diagrams and lyrics in time with the music. Each song can be played at regular or slower speeds depending on your skill level. I could go on and on about how well-designed JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is. If you are a beginner, like I am, I don’t think you will be disappointed in JustinGuitarLessonsSongs. Highly recommended! His excellent website is well worth checking out, too.

by Noahsarkk1

Justin is exactly what you need in a guitar teacher. He’s a professional BUT teaches as if he started playing last week. He knows all the correct things to say so you don’t give up. That’s OK, is his favorite come back when something goes sideways. It’s like he’s sitting next to me as I’m learning and commenting on my struggles and telling me "that’s ok" don’t give up all beginners struggle with that. I watch each lesson several times so I can hear his encouragement until I get better at whatever skill he is teaching. The 1 min exercises are great since I write down my progress and see each time the number increases. Never wrote an app review before but had to give kudos to Justin for his amazing teaching style and spreading out the learning so you don’t get overwhelmed. Justin is a ROCK STAR! I know that this time guitar lessons will stick and by year end I’ll be feeling like I can tell people, yes, I do play guitar, and prove it.

by Scarcraig

I tried lessons at the music store first. My teacher was a washed out old rocker that was just "punching the clock" he was way too disorganized, and he was just a terrible teacher. Next, I tried a more expensive private teacher. He had passion and talent to spare, but he moved way too fast, and again was too unorganized for me. Third, I tried another on-line learning option, it was very expensive, the lessons were just okay, and once more it seemed to move too fast.

Finally, my journey came to a successful end with Justin. JustinGuitarLessonsSongs turned out to be the absolute perfect solution for me. It's extremely well thought out and organized, and progresses at the perfect speed. The quality of the instruction in JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is better than what I received paying hundreds of dollars a month to local private teachers. Try JustinGuitarLessonsSongs! A+++ rating all the way, I don't know of a single thing I'd change to improve it!

by Chip Mac

I’m a brand-newbie when it comes to guitar, I’ve had mine about three weeks now. I knew I wanted to pay for an app to help teach me and I looked around at several others, but decided on Justin. I liked his attitude, speaking voice, and all the tools that his app offers. The lessons are great! They are short enough not to get tedious, but not so short that you feel you are not really learning anything. I really like how the lessons lead into all the learning tools that he has. They are blended perfectly together and I feel like I’ve learned a lot it just a short time. I’ve also started taking face-to-face guitar lessons and I have had only one so far, but I walked in knowing the A and the E chords ! I think learning the basics with Justin during the week really helps supplement my 30 minute weekly guitar lesson. That’s not a lot of time and I would hate to use half of it learning the basics I already picked up from JustinGuitarLessonsSongs. I’m a fan, I think you will be too.

by Ddddddrt

This is without question the Best app for learning Guitar. Justin is an Excellent teacher, very personable and easy to understand. He tells it like it is. It’s going to be difficult, you will get frustrated and it takes time. The biggest thing is Practice. As he says; any of those videos that promise you can play guitar in 10 minutes are nonsense. Hard work and time are what get you there. 50 years ago I started keyboard lessons at 8 years old. I played semi professionally for 10 years starting at age 15. I always wanted to play guitar and with Justinguitar I am. It took me a year to complete the course. I was meticulous and mastered everything before I moved on to the next segment. I’m very pleased with the results and I’m just getting started on my guitar journey. There is so much more ahead. Like Justin always says, hard work and practice is what it takes. I know from experience that’s what’s required. I wish I had done this years ago. I’m extremely pleased with the results. Thank you Justin.

by Lula27689

I have tried several different ways to learn guitar (DVDs, books, apps, etc) and never had any luck, they were all either boring, confusing, or way too complex. This is hands down the best one I’ve used. Justin’s lessons are super clear and go at a good pace, there are built in lesson plans so you are never at a loss for what to practise. He doesn’t have you slog through a bunch of rando songs you’ll never play again like a lot of other lessons and gets right in to teaching you some cool riffs from popular songs that really build your confidence quickly. I’ve gone from basically a total beginner to being able to play a few songs in just a couple weeks, so this one definitely clicked right away for me. I love that you can adjust the tempo on the practice songs to slow them down when you’re still getting the hang of changing chords. Plus, he just seems like a super down to earth guy you’d want to get a pint with, so it’s easy to watch the videos.
Overall I love it and can’t wait to keep progressing - thank you!

by GordonG7N

I’ve tried a number of times to concentrate on guitar skills ... to move from strumming a couple of chords to really playing. In this off and on quest over many many years no method or course has worked for me until Justin’s. For me Justins course is an excellent mix of rigor and fun. Very quick to get me playing simple songs to break the monotony of practicing the basics. But the songs make me aware of the importance of the basics so this circular reinforcement keeps me interested and engaged. It is guiding me with strong foundation building but with plenty of motivational playing to keep me going. Early on finger pain is a problem... a big problem. Justin fully understands and carefully addresses it and adjusts for it in the exercises.

I started with the old course on the web but soon switched to the new app. It is extremely well done and seems to me to really skillfully take full advantage of the web’s special potential for learning.

This is a very special course and I highly recommend it. It’s been great for me during COVID time ... and beyond!! Great thanks to Justin.

by MNJack762

I just updated and I am blown away! Amazing enhancements! I was so distracted by the quality of the songs that I struggled to play along at first. I have also had to relearn a couple of my favorite songs as they have changed chords to more closely replicate the original song. Three things I miss from the old app. 1) The interval beat/time trainer. I found that to be very helpful in learning timing and forcing me to get faster. 2) The ability to turn the strumming pattern on and off in a song. This was great as a beginner to hear what it is supposed to sound like. 3) I miss the fingerpicking tab too. I was just beginning to explore those. Thanks for a great training system! I literally strummed my first D chord on January 28, 2021 and I am confidently playing many open chord songs through level 8 and I’m working on power chords and barre chords. I also just finished the free portion of the music theory lessons and. I will be buying the rest of it. I never thought I would find music theory interesting, but as I see it’s useful application to playing and learning new songs I have to absorb as much as I can. Thank you again Justin!

by SupperConductor

I’ve been trying to learn to play guitar for about 30 years and not really succeeding. I’ve had private lessons and got better here and there. But I never felt like I was making real progress until I started using JustinGuitarLessonsSongs and following the structure provided in JustinGuitarLessonsSongs . There’s a real guitar method here without the usual BORING songs .
When you learn the first few chords, the practice songs are quite simple but at least famous pop & rock tunes. After you learn some more chords and strumming patterns, the selection of songs opens up. That’s when I really start to get motivated. I’m practicing at least 60 minutes a day, just because I see improvement daily.
I hope Justin releases other apps or offers more content for this one, particularly on theory. Bottom line: if you want to learn to play, JustinGuitarLessonsSongs works, if you practice. They key difference here is you will want to practice.

by Mr.hernandez Sir

Both of my sons learned how to play using Justin’s website. They are now accomplished musicians. During the pandemic I picked up JustinGuitarLessonsSongs for the same reason a prisoner takes up whittling.

I had tried Yousician but found it too cluttered. Justin’s lessons are clean, brief and useful. The practice is well laid out. The songs are wonderful. It’s like you all snuck into my house and wrote down my favorite albums.

My ONLY problem is counting the chord changes during the drills. I’m computer literate enough to know this can be done by JustinGuitarLessonsSongs . I expect it’ll be introduced on a future update... For now, I just take rough guesses.

I want to thank Justin for what he did for my sons. I look forward to the day I can do a “sing song” with them.

Peace!

ADDENDUM: After using JustinGuitarLessonsSongs daily for more than a month (I’m working slowly on stage 7) I’ve found gaps in the lesson flow that have me repeatedly going to the website. This is frustrating because the website is free and JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is not. I gladly paid the reasonable subscription- if only as gratitude for the resource Justin provided for my sons, and the rest of humanity - but I imagine that would be irritating to someone who isn’t already a fan.

by Kitcokev

There is a lot of stuff on the net but what I have found with Justin is that he not only knows his way around the six string but has the gift of teaching. Just because a person can play an instrument doesn’t make them a great teacher. With Justin, you have both. Even though I’ve never met him personally, I consider him my personal instructor. JustinGuitarLessonsSongs is great and worth every penny, and with Justin’s commitment to always honing his teaching and playing skills you can count on him to bring new content to JustinGuitarLessonsSongs, develop others for more enhanced learning, and always bring to this world a greater understanding of what it means to be on the journey of musicianship. Thank you Justin, for giving me a path of learning that keeps me excited to learn!

by Littledena75

Like many folks during this pandemic, I decided to learn to play guitar, so bought my first guitar in August and have worked my way through a few different online beginner systems, with varied success. I’m not sure where, but I came across Justin’s free videos and was immediately impressed. It only took me about a week to decide I was all in: I purchased JustinGuitarLessonsSongs, Justin’s beginner books, and have diligently followed along ever since. I’m now on stage 8, and put all the other Justin songbooks on my Christmas wish list. Needless to say I cancelled all the other learning systems and will stick with Justin from here on out. By far the BEST online system out there. (Btw I am a lefty with a lefty guitar, and have no problem following along, just transpose everything.)

by Texas C-monster

I’m constantly amazed at how much Justin cares about teaching, and his attention to detail, and his genius for constructing a mind-blowingly comprehensive (and never dull) series of courses that walks through from complete beginner to serious advanced. Yes, a lot of teachers out there care, but Justin both cares and is a great teacher. As for comprehensive, he even produces short videos on countless small tangent areas that you’ll suddenly find yourself wanting to know about and then discovering that, yes, Justin has a video on that subject too (seriously, where else will you find a video about using loop pedals in an essential online lesson site?). If it’s guitar, Justin’s probably covered it and done a great job. Then there’s the value factor. You can’t beat it.