Best 20 minutes of lessons I've ever had. Thanks!

I’m 64 buying my first guitar always wanted to learn to play

KZfaq is littered with guitar teachers giving very brief and shallow lessons on techniques and whatnot, and then after the 8 or so minute video they plug their overpriced lessons on their website for more in depth lessons. And then this guy puts out a 20 minute video, perfectly paced and explained, in perfect lighting and an actual camera man. Easily one of the best guitar lessons on KZfaq.

I'm a 131 year old wizard and I just started playing the ukulele, thanks for the tutorial

I’m blind and have always wanted to learn guitar but having browsed KZfaq for years trying to find the right tutor, I’ve struggled to find people who explain with words. It’s all very visual stuff. Thank you so much Justin for saying exactly what we need to do out loud..

How in the hell is this shit free. This guy is the perfect teacher. Chill as hell, perfectly paced, great pointers, and ultimately a bad ass player.

Summary : 2:07 Good finger position 3:18 Anchering 4:33 use mirror 5:02 1st exercice (pattern at 5:40) 7:43 2nd exercice (pattern at 9:04) 10:08 3rd exercice (pattern at 11:25) 12:40 4th exercice (pattern at 13:35) 14:28 cool shit 14:40 5th exercice (pattern at 16:09) 18:17 cool shit 18:51 final advices /!\ Be sure to watch the entire video before using this summary! /!\

I am turning 1,337 years old today and have been practicing for a full year with this method. I can confidently say that this year has been pivotal in my progress. Thank you.

I've been playing for 39 years. My single biggest regret in my self-taught approach is that I put ALL the emphasis on the left hand and none on the picking hand. In recent years I've really wanted to learn to finger pick but even in the KZfaq era, I couldn't find anyone that explained it in a way that really connected with me...until today. This is great. Thanks!!

It gets easier, but the path evolves. You will come to a point where youre able to watch a cover 1 time and be able to do it. Or to be able to do it by ear. Better yet, make your own songs Long road, enjoy each step

A heart-felt Thank You. As a 59-year-old who put his guitars away several years ago, I want to voice my appreciation for this video. I pulled my guitars back out about a year ago, even bought a Gretsch (love it), but haven't really taken off playing again. I watched this video a few weeks ago and have been better at practice. Thank you for the motivation and knowledge. You have made a difference for me. Your talent and skill have you ranked with my guitar heroes, Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins.

Justin, I’ve been playing for 15 years and your 20 minute video corrected a problem I’ve had all along. I wasn’t anchoring my picking hand, and I could never get any volume. In just 20 minutes you have given me a whole new way to play. Thanks so much !!

I watched this video a few months ago and took Justins advice to heart and tried to adopt his great technique. Started playing in the mirror like he said...went from there. Started with the basics of fingerpicking and didn't pay too much attention to what chord i was fretting...just as long as i was getting my pattern down right. Thing is.....3 or 4 months down the track and i'm fingerpicking Joni Mitchell songs and the dirtiest delta blues you ever heard...just let yourself learn -both brain, mind and body...just fingerpick like crazy. You will quickly start gaining the needed muscle memory and strength but you really need to work that pinky!!! Mine has basically been unemployed my entire life and so was, at first, absolutely weak and useless...but a few months down the track i am getting real confidence in lil' pinky and he's there lightning fast when i call...... This really does work peoples.

I was thinking "wtf how are the strings in tune but so loose" and he immediately explained it. Nice work.

I am a 60-year-old grandma finally learning finger picking! So excited. I hope to get my grandson learning early!

I've never really felt comfortable using a pick when I play. I like using my hand and feeling the strings when I strum. As a beginner, you've got me excited about fingerpicking. I really appreciate these tips. Thank you, Justin, it's so cool to have a guitarist you admire show you how to play the guitar. 👍💖🎸😎

sunlight on the strings, is great, and it would also make a good song title.

At the first part of this year I was told that I'm in the end stages of heart failure and I just had my ninth heart attack three weeks ago. I'm 54 years old and my wife and I adopted our first child 6 years ago. I have always encourage my daughter to never say that she can't do something. That the only time you can't do something, it's because you stopped trying. About a month ago she, right out of the blue, said Papa teach me how to play a guitar. I said sweetheart your Papa can't play a guitar. Busted me with: Papa...did you stop trying. We both got guitars tonight. Never say you can't do something! I've watched this so many times tonight I'm starting to answer him! 🎅

Awesome. What a teacher you are. The pace and the visibility are perfect. Such a good camera work. Finally I can see what the instructor is doing. Thank you so much.😊

51 years old and started taking guitar lessons a year ago. Great video lesson. Thanks for the tips. Old guy like me needs all the help he can get.

This man is an exceptional teacher.

Best attitude in a teacher I’ve ever seen. Good man

I’m a 61 year old nurse, working through a pandemic. I just bought my first guitar, and hope to learn.

I am a 61 y.o. grandpa from South Africa. I used to mess around a bit on guitars during school years but all I remembered from that were a few chords. So, when the lockdown hit us by end March, I borrowed an acoustic guitar and started Justin's course. The man is a genius! The way the course builds up, preparing you for future lessons makes it extremely effective. In the past three months I have completed the fundamentals and intermediary courses and have since moved on to the Tennessee Hill Country Blues lesson, looking forward to mastering RumbleStrippin sometime soon. I have since bought some of his music downloads as well and as you can see, had become a huge fan! Thanks for all the joy you brought to my life Justin, God bless you! (even more)

46 yr old stayed at home mom w 3 kids. I watch my kids playing all kind of musical instruments and nagging all day for them to practice. Here I am going to try to learn the guitar on my own while sheltering in place. This time I have to live up to my own words. Count. Practice and Repeat. Wish me luck!!

Free lessons from a virtuoso is insane. Thank the Lord for KZfaq. I have been playing for years and only learned about using my pinky to pick strings from this beginners lesson. It explains how he does some of the licks in his amazing arrangements.

Dude, that was one of the best lessons I have ever seen, and I watch a lot of great lessons. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

I appreciate a guy who was born to play and to teach with such clarity. I'm the kind of person who needs the whys behind the whats which you do so well, Thanks

The first actual helpful fingerpicking lesson I've ever had.

Thanks Justin. I have watched this before and found it invaluable but coming back to it again is even better. Relearning guitar at 58 has been a bit of a saviour during all the lockdowns we have had in Sydney. Thanks again, really appreciate your time

I’ve been playing the guitar for over 20 years without ever learning any good fingerpicking. This is a very helpful video to inspire me. I’m finally going to start practicing. Thanks for the lesson.

Honestly, don't think I've ever seen such a professional lesson, on every level, delivery, filming, everything. Thanks Justin, new sub here.

I'm seventy years old...I will buy my first guitar in three weeks....I just love this!!!!

Hands down the most practical and immediately useful technique lesson I have ever seen.

Thank you Justin Johnson for your time and effort in creating this tutorial. I haven't played the guitar in years but you have inspired me to break old habits that were holding me back. Flourish and prosper everyone and keep music live. X

I just want to say thanks for your great lesson and to say I appreciate your calm, easy manner. You have a great speaking voice and a kind, thoughtful manner about you.

I absolutely love this guy. Wasted a few years on heavy metal guitar, i should have been playing blues this whole time

Just turned 60 years old and bought a new guitar. Love this guy! Justin has really inspired me to practice. Could play nothing but the two string Honkytonk prior to discovering his KZfaq presence. You’re special brother, thanks. J.E. Shepard MSgt, USAF Ret.

Justin, I have been listening off and on to you play for several years. I have seen a couple of your recent videos and I must say that you have made a marked improvement in your picking and overall sound. Your persistence has paid off! It's really cool that you are taking time to share your techniques with others too!

There is only one thing I like more than your guitar playing, and that’s your attitude to helping others play. Many guitarists like simply to be better than others. You help others play better - so they can reach their own heights and make their own sweet music ... that’s got to make the World a better place. Peace, respect. All lives matter! 👍🏻👍🏿🎵

Justin, I've been picking for quite a while, but never thought there was something wrong with my picking finger positioning---specifically, the thumb being separated from the other fingers. My goodness, what a difference! I occasionally find myself slipping back to the thumb/finger collision style from before, but this new method will be anchored soon. This is one of those things where you ask yourself, "How did I not figure this out myself?" Life-changing (or at least picking-changing tip! Other great tips, too! Thanks so much.

I've been trying to learn this for YEARS! Thanks for being the first one to adequately explain how to finger pick properly.

Whatever you were playing right there in the beginning clenched it for me. I'm 65 years old, retired, bored, and I've been getting into drawing with graphite and color pencils because i need to do something to fight depression and boredom. I have a lot of talent in art, people say I'm really good. But art frustrates be because i don't know how to use other mediums and no one to teach me. And i don't love art enough to keep trying to study, experiment, and spend money trying different materials. So i wondered what i can do to get through the winter that would be more enjoyable than art. I looked up a couple videos on learning guitar. I realized that strumming doesn't do a whole lot for me but picking... Picking DOES. And exactly what you were playing that had that somewhat blues sound... THAT i love! I'm going today to look at some guitars. I can't wait to get started! Your video will be the first one i watch. Thank you!!!

Damn. I've been playing fingerstyle guitar for around 11 years now and I just want to say I've never come across such a great teacher on the internet or in person before. Thoughtful, to the point and just showing everybody how to do well for absolutely free. You're a great person, a great teacher and a great guitarist. Excellent use of lighting to help show what exactly is going on, too! Thanks for being you, man.

I already taught myself all fingerstyle, but I love how straightforward he teaches, which screams "just practice!!!" its hilariouslt beautiful.

So helpful. I’m in my 30s, been playing since I was a kid - I *always* had anchored with my pinkie & thought (years later) “well darn now I’ll never unlearn that” But he showed how it can best be used - thanks!

Thanks Justin. I'm really glad that I found your channel. Your instruction style is very concise and clear. I've sort of toyed with finger picking over the years and have always been interested in learning more about this style. Your clear instructions will help me be able to incorporate these ideas into my playing. Thanks again.

Thank you so much. I love your style of teaching. So clear and easy to understand. I am a total beginner at guitar at age 71. Have been playing ukulele for a number of years but thought I'd like to give guitar a go. So glad I found you.

This (REAL finger style/picking) is exactly what I was looking for - Thanks! The sunlight trick is such a great idea. You are both a great player AND instructor. The internet is loaded with crap.

Big fan Justin. And this is my first plucking lesson. Thank you so much for the lesson sir. I really love your style, especially those early albums, they are on permanent rotation. 😊

I agree... you 'are' the perfect teacher. I'm a 62 yr old trying to pick up where I left off as a teenager (and finding that I really hadn't gone as far as I thought LOL)... this is the speed that you can actually learn something... and no pressure... which is exactly what my grandson needs as well. So, from the old (young at heart) and the younger generation...thanks for taking your time and teaching like we know nothing... I found that even what I knew wasn't really right this way. Keep up the good work... I'm subscribed but this is the first I've seen your teaching. I'll definitely be back!

This video is pure gold. So much value and information. I watched 5 mins, and later while noodling on the guitar, applied this information to my playing and it just worked. The hand position and anchoring ideas when applied to already existing chord playing, just works. It doesn't take much effort. You sir, are the best! Much thanks!

I subbed a week or so ago, because, I was searching for fretless guitar videos, and I popped your vid into a separate tab to come back to. Then you hit me with that swamp thump on that Newcaster. Made me a hardcore fan, and I don't fanboy for anyone. Then you knocked me over with a feather with this lesson. Damn boy, git on with you bad self. And... Thank you. I just left drumming for acoustic guitar, bought my first guitar last week. My hat's off to you SON! You've given me so much meat and gravy with work with.

I’m about 5 years late to this party but thanks for this, amazing player as well as instructor. Playing in the sun so we can see the shadows of the strings vibrating on the fretboard was genius.

I'm new to playing the guitar and I found this video last month. It has been so helpful to have a 20 min practice fully designed that I can just follow along to and I'm already seeing improvement. Thank you!

I've been playing guitar for a long f'n time and finger picking is something I've always wanted to teach myself. This is the best breakdown of the technique I've seen. Great job Man! Thanks for posting.

@Justin- I have been trying and trying YEARS to figure out and master the fingerpicking process and to also be able to incorporate it within strumming. I'm SO HAPPY you popped up on my screen. Things happen in a person's life and for some (like myself) and you feel as if you've lost your music. I am one of those. Deep inside I KNOW and I'm searching once again for the music but I need to touch and be able to reach the soul searching depth and sound. I will be following you and want to say thank you for your kindness in sharing your gift. Truly!!!

This is incredible. I first started watching your videos for your 3 string playing vids. I was captivated, now you captured me. My playing is gettng better and better... what a gift you have given me! Subscribed!

What a WONDERFUL LESSON EVERY ASPECT is thoughtful, kind, and lovely! Justin... You are an AMAZING GREAT TEACHER

love his laidback style. Superterrific!

Justin, I bought four of your guitar lesson DVD's from your website last week. And you have taught me more in the first 1/4 of the first DVD than all my guitar teachers combined have taught me over the past DECADES ! Thank you ! Not to slam all guitar teachers. I'm sure most of them are good. I just didn't know in the past what "fingerpicking" is and they didn't understand what I wanted to learn. When I wrote some tab to a song I wanted to play, one of them said, "Oh, you want to make every note count." So that's how I think of this style. Every note counts.

Great title for the lesson. Most others start with The BEST or THE Best. But everyone wants to save years of guitar practice, especially if you're 61 and in your second year of learning! I learned more from this lesson than from all the others. And I do love fingerpicking. Thanks!

Awesome detailed lesson. Focused on many points many others missed. 😎👍

I've been playing guitar for many years. A friend of mine played fingerstyle and I asked him "how do you do that". He answered, "just do it". So 40 years later I'm still just doing it. I've been playing these same patterns for years but never really paused to break it down to realize exactly what I was "just doing". This video is helpful to me because it now gives me the ability to catagorise each pattern and organize my playing into more melodic results instead of the random never play it the same way twice method I've grown used to. Thank you Justin.👍

I've been working on these exercises during the quarantine and it's really paying off. Thanks a lot for the video, man.

All i can say is WOW. I have enjoyed watching your many youtube videos over the years. Not only are you one of the best guitarists i have ever heard, but also probably the best at instruction. Thank you SO much.

Very helpful, thankyou for explaining in depth & demonstrating slowly

I've always had problems with thumb positioning. Thanks for addressing that. No one else I've watched has ever talked about it.

You are a TEACHER...most people who can play can't teach to save their lives

Lol. SOO much harder than i thought it would be. I took a piano course years ago and it seemed a whole lot easier. I got my guitar 2 weeks ago and I'm still not really fluent at the first couple patterns but I'm encouraged because I'm seeing some muscle memory starting up. Because of that, i accept that it's going to take a really really really long time for me to have any proficiency. But his style of teaching is great. Once i get a little under my belt I'll start buying his instructional vids. Huge thanks to Justin!

We bought a guitar for my son 5 and I’m 41. Trying to learn the basic. Thank you for sharing. It’s amazing to watch how you play 🙏

I'm doing this now every day for 30 minutes and it's helping so much. Thank you for this exercises. Finally playing guitar is fun again, after being stuck in my development.

This feels like a private lesson. Amazing!

I'm so grateful. I'm happy to say I'm learning finger picking from you. You are an incredible guitar player and a great teacher.

I just bought my first guitar. So excited!

Thank you Justin! I’m picking up the guitar again after a 50 year rest, and yours has been the best, most encouraging and enjoyable lesson I’ve seen. Most teachers overlook a lot of the items you cover, from hand anchoring, to self-evaluation techniques, to simply going slowly enough to not only see but understand what your fingers are doing. Also, your honesty regarding the amount of practice needed to get good is refreshing! You have a willing student and I am eager to learn more! Thanks again!

I Love how these exercises were extremely universal. And cover a foundation for multiple patterns in the predictable future. And the sun was a nice touch for the strings. Been looking for this video all morning, thank you

That was an amazing twenty minutes, thank you so much. very encouraging and adding the sunlight to highlight the strings, just wonderful.

Thank you for this tutorial, all of your videos have been extremely helpful. I have been following you for a number of years now and find each video more inspiring and entertaining than the next. You are a true gift! Thank you for shedding light on the inner workings of all that is guitar and the eclectic voice it can bring to the world!

18:57 bottom left corner

This guy is one of the best guitar teachers I've ever found on KZfaq... thank you so much!

This video is super helpful, I already shared it with others and found it to be extremely helpful. You're a great teacher, Justin. Thanks for recording this! This will give me hours of practice.

Excellent instruction. Very patiently delivered. Thank you so much for doing this video!!

Thank you for this. My teen sons and I decided to learn to play the guitar. I have found I am more of a finger picker as opposed to a pick user. So many videos concentrate on the fret, but very few concentrate on the pick style. This will definitely help me define my fingerpicking style & technique.

Thank you so much! i'm super glad you're the kind of musician that actually cares about his audience :)

Wow, Great attention to detail making this video - I’ve been regularly watching guitar tutorials for almost a year now - particularly the last 2 days have been focused on fingerpicking. Everything from the timing of this recording in daylight to the tips themselves makes it the best tutorial I’ve come across. Thank you for making this video- incredibly helpful! …and For what it’s worth, your also a terrific guitarist, i aspire to just bearing some resemblance to your skill level. Btw, I never comment This is the first and, in fact, only time I’ve ever made one, really felt you deserve strong positive feedback. I’ll check out your other videos. Thanks again.

Ive been messin' with this guitar and watching videos on here for 6 months and this is BY FAR the best tutorial ive encountered. Thank you so very much.

I've only been frustrated by finger picking so far, hopefully these simpler steps will provide the momentum for success! And seriously, who would vote thumbs down on this? As a music educator, this is solid pedagogy!

First, I'm not an accomplished guitar player. Singer yes, songwriter pretty good, guitar, just not that hot. This lesson made really no sense to me when I watched it, but I did nothing but these patterns for a week, along with my daily scales and stretch routines.I found them honestly frustrating, as you said, it was like a little mind puzzle for my fingers and brain. I'm still not fast with them, didn't expect to be, but what I did notice is when I started playing songs again, everything felt smoother, more relaxed, and cleaner. I'm more aware of my positioning and posture. I'm more relaxed while playing. THis is easily the best lesson I've found on the net(and trust me, I've found way too many), and I'm truly grateful for it. Thanks so much.

Clear & patient. Best tutorial.

Thank you for all of the content you create. This has given me some things to work on as I begin to learn finger picking.

I'm 55. I used to play and just recently bought a new acoustic guitar. I was pretty discouraged at how rusty I've become. I watched this video and really appreciate how helpful it is. Thank you Justin.

wow sunlight, a guy with common sense and wisdom...speaks volumes...luv it man

You explained everything perfectly. I can't thank you enough! You're incredible.

Simply fantastic instruction. Thank you so much

Tip number 1: have hands the size of a catchers mitt

WOW neat sunlight trick! You can actually see which strings are in action.👍

Nice, clear explanations and great advice, too. Thank you so much. Such a gift.

Back when I was teaching guitar ... my students ranged in age from 5 to 90! All are welcome! Today I'm 61 and front a cover band, play in a trio, duo, and as a solo performer. Go for it!! 😎🎸👍

Man, highly appreciated from a beginner, just about to start the journey at the ripe age of over 50's !