I’ve seen Jared live a couple of times, had a beer with him and attended a master class/jam. He (and his band) answered questions for hours and played several songs. He passed his guitars around the crowd and invited dozens to jam with him. They didn’t stop til everyone had had a go. He is always chatty and funny and full of energy, a real pleasure to spend time with.

I am left handed , and play "right handed" ...without a pick. Been playing for 60 years.I enjoy your playing , Jared. Another pickless virtuoso..Matteo Mancuso.

Great player. A true modern day guitar hero. He's beyond outside the box. He threw the box in the trash.

Richie kotzen is a slayer with no pick as well :) rock on

Thanks for making me feel normal playing with my fingers, thought I was broken.

That young man will inspire alot of future guitar players. Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix did it for me. He’s there, the guitar is a part of him.

I love how beautifully simple that guitar looks and how surprisingly huge it sounds.

This is possibly the best guitar video I've ever seen, he covers everything as well as being brilliant. I'm seeing him live tonight for the first time, I can't wait.

What a refreshing player and personality. He pretty much validated a lot of my very own guitar beliefs and playing quirkiness.

P90s are awesome. I think you really have to progress through the usual Fender type single coils then move to humbuckers before stumbling onto P90s to really appreciate them. I have a Riviera P93 and the tonal variations are endless.

I love how genuinely excited he comes off explaining the guitar, he has an infectious attitude for music that makes you want to play and get better. Great video.

Only recently discovered Jared and have to say what an inspiration, extremely talented and all round good guy he seems to be🤟🏻🤟🏻😎👌🏻

He is such a killer player and his finger style is unlike most players out there. So bored with people playing a million notes and not saying anything. You can learn alot just watching him use 20 different ways to play the same 5 notes and still make them fresh and new. Great interview.

His use of open strings to reinforce the key he’s in is masterful. The harmonies bending into the root. What a player.

Saw him open for J5. He's a guitar beast. Coolest Epiphone out.

Jared, This video of yours proved to me that I have always been right with myself over the last 30 years. Excellent style.🙏🙏🙏🤘🤘

I love this guy .

I'll be honest, I'm just here because I saw the OR30 in the background. Sounds awesome!

Best video so far to get inspiration. Thank you so much, Jared!

Followed him since last 4 years ago. The type of technique he’s using has been more and more evolving. Just wonderful.

Best upload I’ve heard all month. This is master class.

I never heard of this gentleman but I'm an instant fan now.....love his theory on understanding the guitar !

He is getting a pretty warm sound from a guitar with only a bridge pickup. And you could use a volume pedal to achieve much the same sort of thing--as a multi-instrumentalist I have to note that like many Hammond players I use the volume pedal to add gain and dynamics too (also I fiddle with the drawbars but that is a another discussion). Interesting to hear him refer to woman tone when he is just using a bridge pickup. And he nails it, too. I play with my fingers too but I strum a lot with my nails--but after watching this I am thinking I might want to dial back on that. I am reminded of an interview I once saw with Frank Zappa, who was considered blazingly fast. He politely corrected the interviewer, saying that he wasn't picking every note but was using a lot of hammer ons and pull offs. There is a LOT to Ruminate on in this video. Anyway, kudos to Jared. And Bravo!

I play using my fingers too - I havn't been playing for 22 years and when I returned to playing, I couldn't use a pick anymore. Playing with my fingers is much more natural and a lot more personal. 👍🏼

I started playing a couple of yrs ago and noticed the control I had when using my fingers but neglected playing that way… I’m inspired to dig deeper now. What a great player and all around cool guy Jared is.

Wow ! Im a finger picker & this video is what i needed to confirm it can be done.The way i feel.Thankyou

artist and philosopher

Top Tier guitarist.

Lovely bluesman for sure, he's learned the right way to personalise his technique via proper tone, touch AND feel, I've done likewise and I've honestly only discovered him about 2 years ago, he's the absolute real deal, I wasn't one bit surprised to hear him mention who got him in the zone, my same 4/5 masters.

First I've heard this guy, but I love his playing!

This guy is fantastic.

Excellent Video! I used a lot of my early years trying to play like everyone else instead of like me… I wish old me could have told young me the stuff in this video! Thanks! 😎👍

Met JJN years ago right as he was starting to get traction. He was such a cool hang, and still seems like I guy I'd love to hang with and geek out on guitar stuff with. The purest definition of an everyman's guitarist.

Oh man, you're reminds in the simplest words all of most important things. Thanks and keep rockin brother

This was absolutely fantastic! What a treasure Jared is, watching this (alongside seeing the new initiatives from the Gibson brands) is really exciting and inspiring. What a breath of fresh air, it all feels like a new lease of life!

Beautiful feel. I'd forgotten how good that sound makes me feel. I was a big Clapton fan. Keep it up Jared 👍

Yeah! Love JJN! Facts! You have to feel it!

If Albert Collins and Leslie West had a baby.... Jared is a fabulous player who understands the emotional component and the harmonic options in a highly overdriven sound. The kind of sound that is thoroughly primal and could cause the earth to spin in the opposite direction if it was loud enough.

I used to use a penny as a pick, but for the last few years I've been on a journey much like yours. Since I've been playing primarily with my fingers my playing has improved so much it's almost like magic. It's so much more freeing and expressive. And the look on my friends faces sometimes when I whip out a cool new lick is worth millions!

This is SO inspiring!

Every technique has its advantages and its limitations.

Thanks for a great video, really enjoyed the insights! Love Jared's expressiveness and attitude toward playing!

I am left handed and naturally started playing the same way. Everyone has told me the same stuff and then I found this video today!! I am blown away

I could not agree more about that open E. Coming back to it or starting on it. It just hits different

i absolutely love that guitar, i think it’s one of the coolest things and have no reason behind it

Great guy, gets me excited about going back to fingers and after years of trying the pick using fingers still feels better

What a player and what a guy.. I saw him supporting Mr.Big recently at Rock City and he spent the entire time after his set talking to fans by the bar

Cool, humble guy. Amazing talent🎸

Seen him a few times, only on video. I think this is the first one I've heard him out of an Orange. It sounds great!

What a great style! Really enjoyed watching this .. some good ideas to integrate into my own playing. Thanks!

That´s a free masterclass. Thanks.

What a great video! Thanks

I’ve seen him a few times and he’s very accessible to fans and a very humble dude. Badass blues player too

This interview made me a fan.

I can relate to this so much.

I fingerpick and it feels totally natural. I can play with a pick but its not the same. I agree with Jared

Fantastic!!!

You made me enthousiast! Lot's of technical guitar difficulties are because of the pick. You have to practice them over and over just to get it right. Another huge advantage for playing without a pick is it can't drop out of your hand anymore.

Great interview... i have played 30 years with a pick and for the past year moved to fingerpicking and it has opened new doors and does increase creativeness massively. I need get more fluid with it and its tempting to go back to the pick, but I wish i had done it years ago.

Where the hell has this guy been my whole life??!! What a DUDE… awesome player with a great disposition…

Every time I hear him describe his process of playing with his fingers, I want to dive into it…all is well until I get a blister, or two! Forget nails, mine are never strong enough not to rip. Finger picks feel so strange? He really is a great player, who just keeps getting better! I love what he does with his technique.

He had a ton of good insights in this interview. One of the most useful videos I've seen in a while. I'm not really that familiar with his music, but imma fixin' to dig into it.

amazing player Jared, such a feel player with an extraordinary unique technique ... I could listen to him play all day. Those signature guitars of his are fantastic but the neck is way too chunky for me, but the guitars are incredible. I owned one and had to sell it because the neck was too chunky, and I bought an Eastman Double Cut with a single P90 pickup, amazing to have only one pick up and play with the tone and volume to get your sounds, incredible. Anyway, thank you for this video fantastic to hear younger players who understand what Kossof was about or Leslie West, very much feel players, probably no clue what they are playing ... just playing. Too many youtube sites stating that you must know all the notes, all the scales and modes, it's just not true. Play the guitar and express yourself be brave :)

Great way to rethink playing. Genius aspect

lovely

This is what rock and roll thrived and grew up on , creativity and artistry. Example- Bob Dylan plays “ knocking on heavens door “ and Guns and Roses plays “ knocking on heaven’s door “. Similar but totally different…. Artistry. My buddy asks me to sit in with him as he plays his cover songs, ok . He looks over at me and says “ that’s not how you play it “. Because I have to stretch it, I have to blues it up a bit. I’m am not Dylan or Slash, so why do I need to work to copy them note for note ? You can only do you, right ? Do you and make it sound great. That’s guitar playing.

Saw JJN in Glasgow last month. Blew me away as a performer and player.

Thanks for this. I spend too much time watching guitarists on youtube and not enough playing my guitar. Jared's attitude and approach inspired me to actually pick up my guitar and play it! It took me a coupe of days to watch the whole video but it was worth it

That was a great video-got a lot out of it; thx!

one of the very best doin it today

Lovely guy and lovely playing

I've gotten to the hybrid picking phase and can go all fingers if need to. It's he is. a work in progress. It's perplexing why Jared isn't more well known than he is.

Wow! You’re saying exactly what I discovered. Playing loud and using the volume knob aloud me so many different tones and nuances. It was a big game changer.

Thank you

JJN YOUR ON 🔥🔥🔥MAN brillaint..love it

Im left handed too and i play right handed as well and that stuff on the pick not allowing you to feel the guitar is so true. I mostly play with my fingers as a result as well. Whenever i use a pick its like Im disconnecting from the strings and i cant feel them.

Primal is a great way to describe his playing. There’s a reason only a handful of electric players use finger style. That’s because it’s freakin hard! I will say that this made me rethink & rework my own style. But I think I’ll just focus on hybrid picking for now 😂 Thx for posting this, I got a lot from it

I've never found anyone that could put into words the reasons why I don't use a pick like this guy. It just feels more natural to me. I had trouble holding on to picks when I first started playing and basically just said, "this is stupid" and started figuring things out without one. He's far surpassed me, but it's crazy when he listed his influences, I almost laughed because mine are all the same players, especially Mark Knopfler. Crazy.

Cool stuff I learnt the way you have and stuck to my way as it always felt for me better and has paid off, no plastic pick ever felt expressive enough for me, I think always loosening and borrowing plastic picks put me off, as there are out there many plastic pick collector’s and was always giving them away as I learnt both techniques but finely settled on finger styles, nails and no nails. Just goes to show everyone finds their own way, it is so important to pass on learnt skills from the master players of all styles and skills, at the end of the day it’s about beautiful music to our ears.

This is so validating, I’m a finger style player and although a long way from mastering it I feel like I have way more control than when I tried to play with a pic. I think because I started playing on a classical guitar it felt more natural than playing with a pic. As Mr. Nichols demonstrates, you can incorporate a lot of different styles of playing and are not limited as some might assume. Great interview and profile on this talented, inventive artist.

That one part around 13 mins so reminded me of something from Buckethead. The greatest riff lord of all time

Totally inspiring stuff, never paid much attention to Jared but this has opened my eyes 🤘🏼

I also do no-pick. (Obviously not in your league.) But you left out the best reason: I've never dropped my thumb.

Stellar player

Dude loves guitar, it’s infectious

I dropped the flat pick after learning a bit on the banjo. I kept the thumb pick and I got acrylic nails - It felt good and I had some success but, I was never much of a guitar player in the first place and I started fingerpicking way to late in the game.

30 min of JJN playing?!!! Yes please!!!

I used to get fake nails, glue on type, removable with acetone!! You can customize with a file!! My own nails wear down way low!! I like wooden picks, extra sharp!! With Jareds style. Its a hole other world, organic sounds!!

Awesome

Thanks for your thoughts guys

I saw understand what you’re saying. I took a guitar in my later years and the pic was impossible. That being said I do use a pic, but it just isn’t the same nuance and dynamics and everything are harder for me to attain with a pic but it’s getting better!thanks for the lesson

He teaches you a lot, if you pay attention, humble, Jared seems like he is playing at full pump, full force, but that is an understatement, when you realize how much he cares, practices and knows about the most miniscule approach, in his attack to the strings, notes, and knobs, with the use of his 10 fingers to play, when you think about it, is so much easier to mute with the thumb side, the ring and the pinky, that yes, he is in more control and has a wider range of speed, note volume and choice, force, muting, etc. Two great finger picking players, that would be interesting to watch play with Jared: Matteo Mancuso and Mdou Moctar. Famous lefties playing right handed, Michael Angelo Batio, Duane Allman, Elvis Costello, Joe Perry, Johnny Winters, Mark Knopfler, Gary Moore, Shawn Lane, Robert Fripp, Kiko Loureiro, Steve Morse, David Bowie and Billy Corgan, so lefty not an issue, seems more like an advantage, approaching it in a different way, forced them to be more creative. Thank you. Cheers.

I'd have to drink a liter of coffee to have that kind of energy 😁

After +40 years playing pick I went over to not using one. I was while I was moving house and could not find my picks. Turned out I really liked it. I experienced all the things Jared James is telling. But I kinda had the feeling it was wrong to do until I noticed Jeff Beck dit not use one too. So now I keep playing without a pick. I'm not a fingerpicker, only play solo over backing tracks. To my surprise I am faster without a pick and seldom hit the wrong string.

I swithed to picking with fingers + thumb after continually dropping picks, which would vanish into some alternate universe, never to be seen again. I find it a much more organic and natural to connect with the instrument.

The explanation about how to build speed with only fingers is essentially the economy of motion train of though. No wasted movements and sometimes that means hammers ons and pull offs to give yourself time to setup for the next run.

If that guitar could speak ( actually it does ) it would say, yeah, that's how I want to be played. When a guitarist can stop you in your tracks just by playing a few notes, then that's a special talent. That vibrato should be classified as a lethal weapon, sounds goddamn awesome! All without a pick, incredible playing...

Wow, what an articulate interesting guy.

P90's is the way! I used singles, humbs... but, after many years, i aquired a Jazzmaster with a varitone and double P90, i really enjoyed that a lot. Don't want to change for another.

Guy is so cool