JB's Newsletter

Stupid Simple Guitar Newsletter

Stay on top of your guitar game with 10 Tips & Tricks and our weekly newsletter!

Maybe it's just me, but every summer I want to tackle new songs, learn new licks, climb new mountains with just my guitar on my back and have a meditative moment with me and my girl (yes, my guitar is female). And I hear this a lot from beginner guitarists over 50 that, while the rest of the yea...

May 22, 2026

Summer of 69...

What is it about summer? Every year around this time I find myself wandering around outside in the sunlight - something we don't get here in Chicago for about 6 months out of the year - and I'm filled with all sorts of ambitions and dreams about the next three months. Am I the only one? I don't...

May 12, 2026

I got coffee with the Goo Goo Dolls Drummer on Monday

Earlier this week I met up with (former) drummer of the band, Goo Goo Dolls, Mike Malinin. Mike recently moved to the Chicago area and was looking to connect with other artists so we sat down to talk music and life. One of the things that surprise me was how down to earth the guy is - and I got...

May 07, 2026

You don't know what you don't know... neither did he

I talked to a guy recently who was in his sixties, top of his career and miserable. He had no more mountains to climb, no new hills to take and everything felt pretty meaningless. So his wife bought him a guitar. He had never been musical, but she knew he liked listening to the old rock classics....

Apr 24, 2026

Springsteen-Strength

In the summer of 1976, Bruce Springsteen was everywhere. His face was on the cover of Time and Newsweek in the same week — a feat no rock musician had pulled off before. Born to Run had made him a phenomenon. The world was waiting to see what he'd do next. Then, almost overnight, everything stopp...

Apr 20, 2026

He waited too long

"I'm sorry but I have to put the guitar down for good." Words he never thought he’d say, but were true. This was a student of mine last year who had always said “one day I’ll pick up the guitar” and kept putting his career ahead of his dream. Unfortunately by the time “one day” rolled around an...

Apr 15, 2026

Playing music with others does something to you...

I'll never forget recording my first full length album. My wife and I funded the entire thing ourselves. Flew my buddy from London to Cincinnati to play drums on it. Hired a professional cellist to compose and record on six of the ten songs. Brought in so many friends to sing or play random part...

Apr 13, 2026

He was called "god" at 25. His greatest work came at 46.

There's a version of Eric Clapton's story that most people know. The prodigy. The legend. The man whose fans spray-painted "Clapton is god" on the walls of London Underground stations in the 1960s when he was barely in his mid-twenties. The guitarist who played on Beatles records, formed Cream, w...

Apr 06, 2026

The guitar in the closet

There's a particular kind of person I love working with. They've done everything right. Built a career over 35 years that most people would envy. Retired with financial security, the freedom to travel, maybe a sports car in the driveway and a pilot's license to boot. By every conventional measure...

Apr 01, 2026

What does B-ball have to do with playing the Guitar after 60?

It's March in 'Merica thus no one escapes the NCAA B-ball Tournament known as March Madness. A lot of times we label ourselves as "jocks" or "musicians" or "you-name-it". But the reality is that we are more than our labels and a good game can be enjoyed by a good guitarist and vice versa. Take ...

Mar 30, 2026

What's the history behind the Four-Leafed Clover anyways?

Anyone who knows me knows I love history. All types, but especially ancient history... or what I consider ancient which is pretty much anything before the TV existed. But a fascinating world is the intersection between history and legend because of the ways stories became legends which impacted ...

Mar 12, 2026

Live event this Sunday! 🎸

Hey friends, It's been a crazy busy 2026 already, but Spring is coming and that means we're hosting a Live Event 🥳 This Sunday at 7:30pm EST Join Me on LinkedIn for our Live Event "The Secret Behind the Method" where you'll learn how our students are playing their favorite songs on the guitar in...

Mar 10, 2026

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Stupid Simple Guitar Newsletter

Stay on top of your guitar game with 10 Tips & Tricks and our weekly newsletter!

Stupid Simple Guitar Newsletter

Stay on top of your guitar game with 10 Tips & Tricks and our weekly newsletter!

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