May Guitar Lessons Update
Songs survive because they connect. And when you learn them on guitar, you’re carrying that forward — whether it’s for yourself, your kids, your friends, or whoever’s listening.
Why good songs never really disappear
Funny thing happens when you get older…
The songs you grew up with start showing up again — but through someone younger discovering them for the first time.
Lately I’ve been seeing that a lot.
A song like Dreams suddenly takes off again because of one viral video. Iris comes back around. Don’t Dream It’s Over finds a whole new audience.
It’s funny because part of you wants to say, “Yeah… we knew this was good all along.”
But it also reminds me of something:
A good song is a good song.
It sticks around.
I see the same thing with my kids right now. They’ve gotten really into Pokémon, and they’ll excitedly tell me about characters like it’s brand new.
And I’m sitting there thinking… yep, I remember when that first came out.
It’s one of the first times they’ve fallen in love with something that was part of my world too.
Music works the same way.
Songs survive because they connect. And when you learn them on guitar, you’re carrying that forward — whether it’s for yourself, your kids, your friends, or whoever’s listening.
That’s one reason I always encourage learning real songs.
Not just because they’re fun to play…
…but because they stay with you.
And the skills you build learning those songs? They stay too.
This month’s lessons are a mix of old and new, simple and challenging — but all built around songs that are worth knowing (something that’s been part of these monthly notes for a long time ).
Membership Updates
This month, a few new resources were added for members, including 2 song play-throughs and 2 printable worksheets.
New Song Play-Throughs
The following songs now include full play-throughs you can practice along with:
New Worksheets
🎸 Join the All-Access Pass Here →
🌟 Student Spotlight: Richard Arnold
Meet Richard; nearly sixty, ten gigs in, and just getting started.
Watch Richard talk about starting from zero and stepping on stage at nearly sixty →
It started with an old LP found in an attic as a boy. Richard cleaned up a dusty record player, set the needle down, and heard “Return to Sender.” He was infected by Elvis from that moment on. He tried guitar lessons once in his thirties, lasted twelve sessions, and gave up. Three years ago, he tried again, this time from absolute zero. Music theory, notation, rhythm, all from scratch. “The first one and a half years, it was honestly hell. But somehow I kept at the lessons.”
“You’re never fully ready. Just do it.”
— Richard
Along the way, Richard found GoodGuitarist on YouTube. A video showing how to play dozens of songs with just four basic chords caught his attention at a moment of frustration. “I’d been frustrated that I could only play one or two songs. But watching that, I could see it was actually very doable.” He started following James and still does today.
“He has the vocabulary to bring his ideas down to a beginner’s level, which was very important to me.”
The first real turning point wasn’t a song or a technique. It was the moment, about eighteen months in, when his four basic chords actually sounded good. “That was really motivating, because from there I started exploring. Picking, muting, using different parts of the guitar. I found out there’s so much more to it than just strumming.” Daily practice, constantly aching fingers, and one day the sound on the other side of all that work just clicked.
His anchor through all of it has been Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” He knew the lyrics long before he could play it, and he returns to it whenever he picks up a new technique, using it as a constant measure of his progress. Learning to strum and sing at the same time happened on that song.
Then came the stage. Richard’s first performance was a school concert, where he was last to play, surrounded by children aged eight and nine, shivering with nerves. He told the audience he was a beginner. Then he played anyway. “Ever since then, when I get nervous before a performance, I remember that moment and know I’ll never be as nervous as I was that day.” It became a reference point. A floor, not a ceiling.
His advice to anyone stuck at the start is simple. Just begin. Use a teacher. Accept that it takes time. Seek out small wins. And get on stage before you feel ready, because that feeling never quite arrives. “You’re never fully ready. Just do it.”
Ten gigs later, he’s still playing.
Inspired by Richard’s story?
→ Explore the All-Access Pass
→ Already a member? Share your story here — you could be our next featured student.
What I’ve Been Teaching Lately
Here’s a look at the lessons that went out this month, broken down by song lessons and non-song lessons.
Song Lessons
Non-Song Lessons
- 2 Simple Exercises for A Better Strumming Sound
- The BEST Way to Start Fingerpicking Guitar
- How to Find the Key of a Song by Ear on Guitar
- Open E Tuning Made Easy
Coming Up Next
Here’s a look at what I’ll be working on next:
- Tennessee Whiskey Intro Riff
- The TAB Trap
- Common Mistakes with Barre Chords
- How To Learn More Songs
- I Will Always Love You
- 7 Nation Army Acoustic-ified
That’s all for now!
– James
