Okay, right, let's, let's take one, so to speak, then. Right, uh, today, sorry, let's try again. Breathe.
Yeah, I only do the audio. I, um, the video is that you're, you're a hero.
Oh, right. Techie background. So it's easy. Nothing to me. So, uh, yeah. Right. Three, two, one, go. 
Welcome back to another episode of Tech Talks and Soul Walks. And I am your host, Julie Kubiak. And in the room today, if I get this right, I'm trying this pointing business. I think you're over there when I actually edit this.
Over there.
I like it.
And in that direction over in New York, believe it or not, we have James from 
GuitarWithJames.com 
and welcome to our podcast, James.
I'm, I feel very welcome and excited to talk about random stuff and accurate stuff or whatever we want to talk about.
Got my caffeine, got my water. I'm happy.
Good, good, good. So anybody that knows me from this podcast or outside of this podcast, you'll know that I'm a huge lover of rock music. Only a week or, well, probably a month or so ago now, I met Toby Jepson for the second time from Little Angels and he's been my heartthrob all my life.
Toby Jepson, big rock star, obviously you're now googling who he is.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Little Angels was the band he was in. Anyway, so yeah, I had a, um, like a meet and greet studio experience in England, um, about a month or so ago. And I got to actually hug him and I met him on stage, so to speak, 34 and a half years ago. And it was just like my dream come true to go and see him at the studio.
So,
yeah, I've got a love of rock music, guitar solos. I play the guitar myself, but in all fairness, I haven't touched it in years. So I am blown away to be interviewing today, James. Um, my heart is just pounding, like, please give us a bit of guitar solo or a bit of singing, anything. As much as I love to sing, my friends don't like me singing, but that's for another podcast.
So
I I never considered myself a singer either. And, and it's more recently that people, um, I've said, um, obviously my posts, they're a little bit old on Instagram. I've, I've grown up in the time where, you know, you didn't. All because you did something you didn't post it. So it's still very odd to me to post things like that.
But now. People are, you know, oh, he sings and he plays guitar. I don't know. That's very new to me because I still don't think I have the greatest voice. I never felt that confident I thought it was a joke when someone first said, uh, you know, man, you got a great voice It's like you really powerful on the stage this kind of thing So it still doesn't really resonate with me even though like that comes off as like well 'Why are you bringing it up then?' I'm just saying, it's still so mind blowing and it's really a lot to do with the lessons I had, but you got to get this Toby guy on here.
He was, uh, I was looking on here. He was with, uh, Dio Disciples. I'm a huge Ronnie James Dio fan. You know, one of the greatest rock singers of all time, uh, pioneer of heavy metal and this kind of thing. Uh, you know, and he, uh, Toby, uh, Jepson I think is the name here was in Dio Disciples. So, uh, that was a, uh. Like a Dio tribute act of a lot of people that played with Ronnie James Dio, or singers that could sing that sort of thing, so that he, you know, that's, that's gutsy that he did that, that's pretty awesome.
yeah, I did a little interview with him when I was on the studio date and I was asking him about my other sort of love and business, which is Masquerading. Um, and the business is all called Masquerading and it's about being in costume and being in character. And he did a little interview for me and it was just so chilled and it was like pinching myself thinking, 'am I really interviewing this guy who's 
Let's go! 
side by side?'
Yeah. And he signed my business card and he said, 
'Shall I sign it to Julie?' 
And I went, 'yeah'. And I kind of looked at the camera and I said, 'Well, we are on first name terms now.' 
So.
Yeah, there you go! That's awesome!
Is that one of the 13 episodes you have up now?
uh, it's not an episode of the podcast. It was, um, I did a YouTube video and it was like an experience day that I did with Toby Jepson.
Retrofitted,
call it the, the, the, the extra bits, or uh, you know, the, uh, the crumbs from the past, or whatever, I don't know, he probably wouldn't like that, I don't know. You know, that's awesome. I'm going to check that out
yeah. You need to go and watch the video.
I think singing is so much bigger than guitar. Um, I've been doing guitar for so long now that it just seems very, um, and especially I've, I've been doing this in a time where guitar was losing popularity.
So to me, it's not a big deal. It's, uh, something of the past that people aren't picking up in my perception. But now, more recently, you're hearing it on the radio. You're hearing people express themselves differently. For the first time in a long time we've had uh some innovators i'd say on guitar. So it's it's coming back in a huge way
 With singing, I always thought it was just impossible.
And that's kind of what drew me to it. I always thought, well, I could never play the things I could on guitar until I started breaking it down, 
measuring it, treating it like it's possible. It's just a number of steps and whether I want to do it or not. And, uh, it was way more challenging than guitar, especially with life as you get older with the priority and the time that you have and the energy that you can put into it.
But, um, it was possible. And I did, I'm incredibly happy. Yeah. Uh, with my results and I, I can't believe this. I never won a competition playing guitar. I got a second in a round and in a round of things. And won some stuff, but never first. I got, uh, with a band. We won a battle of the bands with our first show.
I could not believe it. I didn't even sing that great, but I had the stage performance. I hit the high notes, and I had the rhythm. And I closed the songs off. And the band was killer. With Simon, the drummer, was on there. Amazing guitar player. And, uh, yeah, it's just quite the experience. So, uh, yeah. After that I was kind of like, ah, did it, you know, now move on to the next thing.
So I either want to teach it or I want to work around with singing different things and, you know, that sort of thing. But it's very new to me to be considered a singer at all still, so.
I've, from what I've heard, obviously online, all the things that you've posted. Fantastic singer. Yeah, definitely. 
you. If you like rock, then yes. If
you like pop, no way.
No, but to be fair, my guitar days are past because I can't, I don't want to get rid of my nails. Oh, these are natural.
You have to make hard cuts if you want to keep up with it. Yeah, yeah.
Um, 
When I was, um, doing my guitar lessons, when I was at, um, we call it senior school. So in your teens, I didn't realize that my guitar teacher was somebody called Neol Davies. Um, you'll have to Google him as well. In the eighties, we had, Coventry where I'm actually was, uh, where the Ska music was from.
And he was a guitar player and I don't think, I don't think he did, you know, he must have done vocals, and he was writing the songs as well for a band called The Selector. So, I was listening to this song this one morning before going into school early for my guitar lesson, and it's going, On my radio, On my radio, and I'm singing it outside the guitar lesson, and he says, 'oh, what are you singing?'
I said, just something from the, from the radio called On My Radio, I was laughing about it, goes in and he said, 'Did he sound something like this?' And he starts playing it on his guitar, and I was like, 'That's it!' 
I said, 'Can you teach me to do that?' 
It's like, I don't know about that. We are doing other stuff today.
And anyway, uh, he said, 'Do you like that music?' And I went, 'Not particularly.' I said, 'But I do like that song. It's very catchy because it was on my radio and called on my radio'. I said, yeah. He said, 'Do you know anything about the band?' 'Not a clue'. And he said, 'So if I told you I wrote the song and I was singing it...', I was like, 'What?'
That's that's that's a small world, you know, like
Small world. Definitely. Definitely. 
So how did you get into guitar music and playing guitar then? From what age did you decide to pick it up?
Oh, that's an easy one. Ninth grade. So I want to say like 14, 15. Around that time, my Dad was teaching my brother and I, I was playing viola at the time, which is the lame violin back in the day. So that's like, you know, I think it sounds better. And I didn't have a teacher that really believed me in viola.
And I was never bad. I haven't even made it into some more exclusive orchestras, but I was always the further seat back. I wasn't one of the best, but it came pretty easy to me, at least what we, if they were teaching us, which is very easy. Um, and so my brother was learning. I got a little jealous of him. I wanted to learn.
And then, uh, I stuck with it, excelled really quickly. And, um, I was really surprised that people that I met that could play really well, they said. Oh, you're going to be a shredder in no time. I don't even know what a shredder is. And that's, you know, or whatever that meant, you know, they just meant to play fast and accurate. And, uh, at least with the classical background, that's what really amplified it because at the very least it's like, okay, notes have values, there's a way to hit notes wrong, and there's a way to hit notes right. And, you know, at that point I played the guitar and this is so easy. This is so easy when you play on a classical instrument, even if you put your hand in the right spot, even if you time everything right, you might still hit it wrong because it's so easy to get off pitch, you know, so. That is, uh, that's kind of what drew me to it, that it was so easy compared to that, uh, what I was being taught at the time. And I could just kind of pick it up on my own. So that's really what got me.
So what made you sort of pick up or start to get involved in singing then? I mean, I know everybody, if they're a guitarist, I should say, usually has to at some point sing. But what made the change?
Uh, well, I'd say the biggest thing was I didn't want to deal with singers, for one. For two, uh, I, uh, I've always enjoyed learning and trying to do something. And I actually did take lessons a long time ago and then didn't see any, uh, progress and then quit. And then got a new teacher, tried to see a little progress and quit. We're talking a lot of people here, by the way. I had lessons with Brett Manning of Singing Success. I had lessons with Ken Tamplin, Sing Better than Anyone Else
and uh didn't see results. I mean I did some things I never got that much confidence and when I had lessons with them, it never led me to believe that I could really do it. Like, they tried but at the end of the day, it wasn't very much. So that's always been an on and off thing It's like an interest that I've always been flirting with.
And I bought their courses. I bought their lessons. And I really said, you know, okay, if it's possible, I'd like to hear what they have to say, because with what I'm doing, it's nearly impossible. And I tried a bunch of stuff. I even record an album. I even started with the idea of like, ah, you know, singing is just kind of a joke.
People just like you for your personality and your song. So it doesn't even matter what you sound like. And I was corrected very quickly. So, um, so I, it's always been an interest in the sense of the, uh, the challenge and that might be the wrong way to look at it, but it was my way.
So, when you say that you started guitaring back in, is it ninth grade you call it in America? Yeah. So in your teens. Yeah. So you, you seem pretty young, you seem like you've been doing this a long time to have all this experience, but you seem pretty young then. So without giving your age away, how many years have you been guitaring and how many years have you been singing then?
Oh, guitar, uh, 15 years now, something like that. And for singing about 3, 4, And like I said, I don't count the past because I never got any momentum where I felt comfortable singing in front of people, uh, or doing a whole song and saying, that was great. I did a good job with that. I never felt that way until, um, my lessons during COVID with Iuri Sanson.
Right, so do you think it's down to the, um, the teacher then, rather than technique, or do you think it's both?
I think this is a awesome question. And especially since if I'm answering this, thinking about if it was someone like me listening to this now, like What's possible? What can I do? What you gotta have is a lot of everything. You gotta have the time, you gotta have the money, you gotta have the gear, you gotta have the connections with the right people, you gotta know how to talk to these people and understand what they're saying. It's near impossible. So, I'd say the biggest thing is, you have to connect what you need to get the results and what you're able to let go of. And you're gonna let go of your time. You're gonna let go of your pride. You're gonna let go of, um, your money, you know, your, yeah. So, if. If you don't have that to give up, don't go for it. Um, and I hate saying that to people, but if, especially with singing, there's nothing more emotional. I've heard of guitar players saying like, I really botched that one or I'm just not very good. And when people talk about singing, it's like, I am no good. I did not do what I was supposed to do there. And it's so deeply personal.
You got to have thick skin. The more awful you are at singing, to have the gall to do it, you gotta have thicker skin. Not just because the people might say something, but you are always judging yourself. And, uh, if you're really not good at it naturally, know that if you can't sing a song at 70 percent accuracy, and there's a bunch of ways to measure this. I'd say the best thing is looking at a pitch corrector and then seeing if it actually corrects these pitches. 70 percent of the song you can sing off the bat, without warming up, without anything, you can just sing and you're 70 percent accurate with the right tone that you like and everything like that, then you're good. Because you can practice 30 percent with singing. You can't practice any more than that. Uh, from there you have to really elevate your ability with your range, your ability to do a bunch of different tones, techniques, breath. Tongue positions, the way you're singing words. It is the most involved thing I've ever done in my life. And I still feel that I only scratched the surface of what singing is. And I think the best is yet to come. But I don't know if I'm willing to put in the same amount of effort, time, money and coaching that is required for me to become an upper echelon amazing amazing singer of all genres. So I'm happy with rock for right now, but we'll see where this takes me. That's a long answer, but that's, I, I, I, this is what I want to give to the person. So the quick version is, if you can afford it with your time, your mental health, and your, you know, income, go for it. But it's an expensive endeavor if you're not natural.
Yeah, so would you say then that it's a love of rock music first and foremost that got you into singing that style, or is that where you actually have kind of, pitched yourself, so to speak.
Oh, definitely the love of that. I mean, uh, to actually keep with it was my character of being a rebel and saying, Now, wait a second. I can do this if I try this and I work harder at this. There's gotta be a way just reason relentless pursuit to the point that, that harder it got, the more I wanted to try. But when it came to actually the sound that rock is and I didn't grow up with classic rock or classic metal as much as I grew up with, um, like Brian Adams and, uh, just whatever was on the radio, like, you know, at that time. And so I grew up with much more bluesy guitar playing. But when it came to singers, I was very influenced by what my Dad suggested and he just gave me a, a Dio, um, tape actually.
And I drove a van that had a tape player and I would listen to this. And I was like, man, this guy's really good at singing. And that it was the live album of Intermission. And if you listen to that, um, it's a very different experience than starting from the beginning of Dio's career, or even hearing what's on the radio. Because it's super positive, super high energy, live, uh, and he's just so into it, he's in his element. Where most people know Dio as the, uh, sword swinging, dragon slaying, get dude that, you know, sings giant vowels and that sort of thing. Uh, so, I never saw him as that. I saw him as high energy, positive, hopeful, there for the, the dreamers, the, uh, the, the people that, uh, wanted a place to belong, this kind of thing.
So that's, that resonated with me and it's never left me. I still listen to Dio. I still love singing his songs. And, uh, there's a lot of eighties rock bands that I liked also because they were similar enough or had a cool spin on their sound. And, uh, so that love of music always very easy to pick it up and feel empowered and ready to go.
I think it's a very dead sound, but it's still something that really resonates me with me.
So when you're singing then, um, the kind of songs that you would sing, obviously they're rock music, do you go for the more, um, sort of the high energy ones or do you like the ballads, you know, or do you like a, you know, a cross selection of them all? Which ones do you singing? 
 That's a great question. that's tough because it's like there's the guitar perspective and then there's the band perspective and then there's the singer's perspective. So for guitar, high energy all the way. I want to, I want to, hit the strings hard, fast, slow, dynamic, everything. That's what I want on guitar. With the band, I want it to sound professional. I want the band to like it. I want us all to do it as a unit and for people to hear it and say like, that's a great song, that band could go somewhere. As a singer, it's gotta be fun. I can't believe I'm saying this, but as a singer, it is not natural, who's worked on this a lot. Uh, it's gotta be fun. I'm like, I, even when, when I was writing music with a band, I was saying like, this vocal line is boring. Like, I don't care how angry or how well it fits the song or how it's getting dramatically quieter. It's boring. Let's put some notes in there. Let's put in some dynamic changes.
Let's have a breath or something, like, work with me. Let's make this fun to sing because I'm going out, if i'm gonna go out there and sell this, It's almost like go out there and say, um, tell people about the elevators and make sure it's monotone That's how singing heavy metal is sometimes. Because it's like, you know, please go to the elevator, hit the button, it will come up with three dots, you'll get in, turn around, hit the button, and go back down.
It's very stiff, and this, and as long as you have the, you know, yeah, you know, that kind of, yeah, oh, you know, really aggressive sound that they're looking for, because you're competing with these guys that are, uh, you know, angrier. More aggressive gear, coming from an angry band is their influence. They've got to be angrier and more aggressive to the point
that's just one loud yell, you know. And so, to me that's not attractive and that's not what drives me. I come from you know, Dio, you know, "You watch the faces, You know, the traces of and the people always see, Oh,' I don't even know the words of that last part, but you can hear like already that sticks in your mind.
Like da da da da da, it holds a builds attention and da da da da da call and response, old school blues sort of thing. And that is fun to sing. I'm not warmed up. I don't even sound good, but it's like, I want to do it. You know, that makes, that means I want to practice. That means I want to move when I'm about to do it.
Yeah. It brings it all together and it's got to be fun to sing, you know. Period.
Yeah, so if you were doing a guitar solo then, and singing a real song like that then, would you say that you're just in your element then?
Kind of. I mean I don't like doing both. That's the other thing too, but and uh, people have told me do it do it do it You know, it's we don't have to have another guitar player. You have you're already good at guitar So obviously I'm like No! It's just two different mindsets. It's hot. It's like two different people. And i'm playing guitar I've got a different stance.
I've got a different place, a different role that I'm playing and when I'm singing I'm singing I'm a completely different person too. I want that guitar player guy out of the way for when I'm singing, and then we switch places when it's his time to shine. Same with guitar. So to me, it's like I'm trying to play two characters at once.
It doesn't make any sense. Uh, and and yeah, I mean if I want to do like an acoustic act, I got to do it, but I don't I'm I'm telling the guitar to shut up and play the background. I'm just going along with it. I'm not high energy, passionate and all that. I'm still excited about the next vocal line being interesting and fun.
And to be fair, if you were doing both the singing and the guitaring, you should really get paid being two people you shouldn't you. 
Now talking. 
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's double the talent, the skill, the training and everything else that you do. So yeah, you should be rewarded twice, I think. Yeah.
How many people are in your band then?
How many are you, um, sort of playing and, um, gigging with? 
I've given up two gigs now Um, because I've been so focused on building courses for guitar, and I kind of fell into that Uh thing that you know, you could make a lot of money. But I said at the very least if I build an awesome course, I can always be proud of it. I can take it offline, put it on usb and give it to people, Oh and this sort of thing.
So honestly, I, the other day I could have played in this Irish band and it would have been real easy. And I just said, it was very last minute, so that's that too. But I said, I'm sorry, I mean, unless the gig is on my shoulders, it's not going to happen unless I show up. I'll show up. But if, uh, I know you need somebody, but you might want to ask someone else.
I'm just, haven't been playing songs. I don't have the energy for, and it's not just the energy. It's not just showing up. It's like, you know, I, I want to be my best. It's like going on a first date. And when you're, when you're playing in a band, even if you're filling in, you want to show up and I'm like, Hey, I know this isn't the person you were expecting to meet, but you know, I want to make sure you have a great time.
And, you know, I want to show up with good energy and this kind of thing. And, um, when I, it just, it breaks my heart, but you know, you, you. When I get into things, I get into them 110%. I've, I've made two courses now that I'm so proud of. And they could always be better, but I got them out and they look great.
They sound great. If you go through them, you'll get the, um, the intended benefits. So I'm really, really happy with that. However. It's pulled away from my, my gigging and everything like this. Now I was in two projects and I've learned a great deal of lessons of how being in a band is a lot more about hanging out than it is about making great music and giving a great performance.
And, and the more you do things on your own, I think the harder it is for you to re assimilate and work with others. And I have to say, I, as a personality of my type, I'm very passionate and I, that's a nice way of saying 'I'm a jerk!' Sometimes I'm a jerk and I gotta I gotta just live with that, it's real pain uh, one of the heavy metal band I was in, kind of separated from that, and the I was in a band with a Singer and she was amazing too, but she got into a We got kind of in one style and then wasn't into it, and she has a relationship now and so yeah bands move on that sort of thing.
So right now I just have a few people that I jam with. There's a, you know, every now and then there might be like a small gig where they'll ask me to sing somewhere, which like I said, still blows my mind. And, uh, as, and as far as guitar playing, my favorite thing is still just like how I started when I was young.
When I come home from work, I take a deep breath, grab the guitar and whatever comes out, comes out. And it always feels good. So it's been more of jamming at home, but, uh, that might change. There's a few things around the corner that, uh, I've been flirting with and I'm really excited. I really want to work with a DJ actually.
And I think that's, um, some, some, uh, ground that has not been explored and I'm just, that's, that's attractive. That's up there with the singing where it's like, you know, it's gotta be fun. So Yeah, 
Yeah, definitely sounds interesting. So, with the music then, you've got a guitar course, do you also do a vocal coach course?
That is next year. And it's actually something that I'm working on with the guy who taught me to sing. So we got some real results. And, uh, I want to share that with the world. I've got so many notes on it, but he is in Portugal. He has a family that's coming up. And, you know, so it's tough to schedule time.
But, we're planning on next year to have something out. We already have something on Unlocked Summit, the YouTube channel. Just a few vocal singing exercises where he's going through these things with like some old classic metal sounds. And, and, um, I think it's, we just selected that to just get a feel for how quickly people would click or how little they would click and what kind of things we should put out.
So. We're still feeling out how we want to do this, but I definitely want to release that out of the world because it's changed my life and uh, it's, I put a lot of time money and energy into it, and I think it could save a lot of people a lot of trouble that I uh, I went through. through And I could be wrong, but it's something to pass the time in a positive way. And so, to answer your question, it's going to be next year that something like that comes out, It might all be free, some of it might be paid for... it's hard to say, hard to say.
Yeah, but I know because of my IT background, once you write a course, then you can get it out there. And then each course after that kind of has a similar template and you just fill in the bits and give it to the people. So I would have thought, even if you're having to do um, videos and, you know, short form content for it.
It will just come together with these, I would have, I would like to say.
 It's going to be a little different because I'm working with someone. So I got to tone myself down. But the, uh, with guitar, I've always focused more on what's the fastest result with the most amount of effort that you can get, and that's not everybody's cup of tea, so I completely understand. But with singing, uh, you can't have that brutality.
I think that you've got to have much more of a light touch. And it's got to come from a place of, you can do this and it's okay if you can't right now. Uh, but for where you're at, if you feel confident that this is the step that you want on, this is the best way to do it .And, uh, you will be able to get, you will be able to do this. And, uh, so I'm excited to explore that. And it won't be the same as the guitar courses in that sense, because it's gotta come from a place of, um, true empathy and someone who's been through it deeply, deeply. Struggle from within, deeply struggle with expressing people, uh, putting in the time and not seeing the results. It's incredibly brutal. And so having that perspective is different because with guitar, I don't know. I don't know. I don't remember a time where guitar ever fought me. I don't ever remember a time where I got on the guitar and just said, oh, this is I just wish it was better.
I just loved it. I loved it when I sucked. I loved it when I was great. I loved it every time I was on stage. I loved it when I made mistakes because I was like, oh, I know I can get this next time, you know, It's just I'm like man's best friend when it comes to the guitar playing. And I'm the, I'm the dog.
I'm, I love it. And the singing, it's much more of a, it's like, it's like, I'm, um, I'm dealing with people that just got back from a war, it's just the drama is brutal. And I shouldn't say that because that's nowhere near close, but it feels like I have to build something for people that are, have gone through something because at least for me, I've never fought myself so much or so many uh negative emotions so many overwhelming, uh, odds of emotions and just You can't also throw so much money at it that you're just like, oh, I just it's just it's a matter of buying more stuff. I I've always been good at knowing when to stop with that. But uh It's i'm very passionate about it. And i'm still trying to figure out exactly the right amount of making it easy but keeping it rooted in reality and progress
So with the guitar, then I know that you said, and I know it myself, it's so easy to blame the tools. So it's easy to blame the guitar or that, you know, you, it needs restringing. If you really wanted to say that. How easy would it be for me to go back to my guitar, semi acoustic, just pick it up and, and try out one of your courses. 
Yeah, just depends on your on your Um, your goals. And like I said, my courses are very specialized. So I'd say this, it's like, uh, let's say we want to talk about, um, you want to start racing cars. All right. So it's like, James, I've never raced a car in my life, but you've got a course on racing cars. Can I do it? Well, my course is actually more about how to grip the steering wheel. So you'll get the steering wheel down, but you won't actually get all the guitar playing. Oh, well then it must not be a course. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. So, um, yeah. I've got two specialized courses. One that I see, and I teach a lot of students, by the way, and I've, I have some really great personal experience with the results my students get with other people, and the biggest thing that I notice is, my students always have better tone. And I teach them a lot of like the dynamics are important, and how they sustain the notes important And I always teach bends, and that's one of the harder things in guitar; take the string, twist it to another pitch and that encompasses everything on the guitar. It is the timing. Your pick has to hit the note before it's bent then bent up. The musical knowledge of knowing where the note is that you're going for and like the the aptitude to do that. There's so much involved in that And to just do it, if you just don't care, you'll know that you have to put more energy in. And then if you hit it too hard, you'll go overboard. I'm knocking out my camera here of the energy of, uh, how much, uh, how passionate I am about bending on guitar. And actually that's one of the first things I learned because it was so different than viola. You would never pull on the string. I was like, that's so odd.
You're breaking the instrument? Uh, and nothing like that, but that's really what separated me. And everyone's always said, Even when I was very, you've got very good tone on your, your playing. And, uh, I think that's the biggest thing why people always assume that I was better than I was because the notes had dynamic range to them.
It had a motion based on what I was going for. And it just came so naturally because bending all over the neck, it feels different. You have to put different energy into it. You start to really get connected to your instrument faster than anything else. And I don't see anybody else tackling that. So, uh, that's my angle. I love it. And that's the first course. Second course is just playing fast. So if you want to play fast, this is a, this is a course on, and it's very specific. Gives you a very easy riff to learn. One that's more based in ear training. And the very last one is the one where you sit down and say it's only one note at a time, but it's gonna break down everything you need for playing fast. So it's if we go back the car analogy. It's like I teach you how to grip the wheel and how to shift gears, but I don't actually teach you everything on guitar. Even though in there, there are little videos that will show you everything you need to know about guitar. I don't like to boast that this is a catch all. This is very specific, that kind of thing. And if you want guitar lessons, then, uh, I'll teach you there. So that's like, cause I think there's so many awesome resources on YouTube and you can do it.
And the way I started was not, you know, Oh, I don't know what to do. I'm so helpless. There's no, no chance I could ever do this alone. No, I was able to like pick it up and say like, What the heck is this? You know, I asked my Dad a few things and he, he didn't have time, more than like 10 minutes to show me something. From there I'm like, all right, well, the bending and you hit notes. So I figured it out. And I, and I think that most people that will make it, they kind of come from that place. And almost all my students said, well, I saw a few videos, my friend plays. I would really just like to learn some songs. Or some people say, I want to be the best in the world.
I'm like, well, let's do it. If you want to learn some songs, let's do it. If you want to be the best in the world, let's go. I got a kid right now. He's killing it. Playing in bands, everything like that. He's not even out of high school and he's a total champion. I wonder if he's better than me when I was his age, but, um, amazing, amazing.
And I can't wait to see where he goes. So, um, so yeah, very specialized courses, not a catch all. And I think that YouTube is the greatest resources for, getting you to a point where you're like, Oh, I need some help. to get to this next level. There we go. And that's where I come in. 
Yeah, that's a very good point because you can only do so much when you're watching a video. You need that interaction for someone to correct your mistakes and your, just correct everything basically. So do you find then that most of your people that are interested in your course find you from YouTube or is it word of mouth?
What's the kind of split? 
 So I've only really sold it in person. I'm really bad with online. I'm, I'm, I'm coming from a time where it's the, uh, YouTube and the five stars and the, the, you had a limit. You could not upload more than 10 minutes. So now it's odd if there's a YouTube video that's under 10 minutes.
So it's a very different time and I'm still learning on that. And I'm going to start releasing more YouTube content to, to build that in there and show my credibility. Because, advertising on Facebook is what was suggested to me. and I, I see as a very, um, saturated surface level market, especially since what I'm selling, I, you have to kind of know where I'm coming from and that sort of thing that, that I'm not, um, that I'm not too interested in, um, trying to get anybody, uh, to play guitar.
I want people that are into it, that are healthy in their own minds. Uh, because I can't be your counselor, I can't be your best friend, but I can be your teacher. And I, you know, so I'd rather specialize in the people that have made a little bit of progress from there. And if you want to start from the ground up with me, that's fine too.
I still do that, but it's, uh, uh, it's, it's a lot. It's a lot to say to anybody, this is a great idea. ha, ha, you know? So, um, I'm sorry, I lost sight of the question.
That's okay. I just wondered where your clients were from. Whether or not word of mouth from 
And, uh, yeah, so I haven't really found, uh, a system yet that works for me. So if there are people out there that say, like, oh, I could sell anything or, you know, I think I could really make this happen, feel free to reach out to me. I'm always open to working with people and collaborating and trying to find success that works for everybody. Uh, I, I'm a really results driven guy, so don't let my smile fit. I'm, I'm a total jerk, so just being prepared! I'm sorry. Uh, but I, I, I would love to sell more of the course, but I'm super happy that I don't have complications where people are being misled or anything like that. Or if I have a campaign that sells a thousand of these, but all these people said, I thought I could play all my favorite songs and now all I've got is great tone in my hands. So I'd be like, well, that's that's a great trade off in my opinion, but okay, I understand, I'm gonna get you a refund. But everyone that I've shown it to has been really positive, and I'm really happy with that. And in my Artist mind I'm like, that means I haven't shown it to enough people. There's gotta be problems! So, uh, you know, I've got to sell some more. Word of mouth, and in person right now.
Yeah. Well, I can just say as an aside, I can keep this in, I can take it out. I've got a YouTube Manager, YouTube Partner Manager. And, um, YouTube kind of picked me up last year. So I, I just love YouTube. YouTube for anything and everything. Um, Because there's evergreen content on there, which is obviously what you're selling
That's what we're all one.
Exactly. And it's not just, you know, quick flick through like TikTok kind of stuff. Although there's Shorts on there, it's not that kind of style. And people don't actually find you usually with the long form content, they actually find you through the Shorts in the first instance, because it's quicker to just see it.
It's just there, you know. And sub 60 seconds. Um, and then it will drive them over into your long form videos. So give that a try,
Yeah, definitely.
break it all down into a little 60, well, under 60 seconds segments. 
Got that Munch thing App too, right? So you can take your long content, throw it in there and it becomes Shorts. 
Yeah, I do that with Descript, um, and Descript, yeah, Descript does that. That's what I'm actually using for this video, um, although they call their distance, uh, recording, 'Squadcast', and they bought out... er, Descript bought out Squadcast. So Squadcast is the remote video recording element of it, and then you edit everything in Descript, and it edits it, it's like a Word document. You don't want that paragraph? You want to take that line out? You highlight the text... gone!
And it's, that's 
That's really nice. Yeah.
Okay. I can see that's a cool way to edit.
Yeah, it is. Very good. And then, uh, obviously we'll just have a little plug here. We both use RSS.com. Woo.
Oh, there we go. I love it. It works. I was I was honestly by accident. I just googled something, found it and started using it. And wow, this is way easier. Finally, something that just works the way it's supposed to. You know, on the Internet, it's always something. It's like, Oh, we got a triple verb. It's gonna be a week.
Ah, you haven't upgraded the pro plan. Have you read our terms and conditions? Actually, we're getting to that next week. What you really signed up for was this trial version. Uh, so I'm so glad that I paid for it. It works. Mhm. And it's sad, I don't want to hear this, I don't know what I'm paying for it! Honestly, I just signed up and I forget, but I'm so happy with it. They could charge me probably more than they are, but I like what I'm getting. So I don't know.
Oh my. 
Just a little aside, down there. click in the description below. That's my affiliate link, if you want to have a go with RSS.com. And a good tip, RSS.com will give you one episode free. Make it your podcast trailer, and then you can sit and think about whether or not you want to actually do a video.
nice.
So, because I know we're pushed for time then, James, shall we wrap this up then and can I please get you back? I would love to hear you play guitar. Yeah, I'd 
love it. I'd just Love to hear you sing aswell
 Maybe I ought to record something for you. But, uh, as, as we're leaving off here, if anybody is interested in improving their guitar playing when it comes to the tone, where they feel like, man, I can't sound like my heroes. No, you probably will never sound exactly like them. But, you can sound like yourself in a level where you, if someone says, you suck. It just doesn't even make sense because you know you're yourself. And that doesn't even phase you because, you know, like I'm playing by myself.
Maybe I could play a little bit better, but if you want to play it yourself, uh, do some research on 
GuitarWithJames.Com 
You'll find the Bends course in there somewhere. And if you're not happy with it, there's a return policy. 
If you want to shred, there's a 
'One Riff To Rule Them ALL' 
and that's the other course name.
So I would love to have more people, uh, in there and I would, uh, because there's not that many, if you're in there, I'll be focusing on you. So it's a great deal right now.
Fantastic, fantastic. Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to drop a little link in to one of your videos or singing, or if you want to send me one, if you want to 
 Yeah, yeah. If you guys like the heavy metal stuff, uh, I've got some good stuff. There's one, there's an Iron Maiden one where I hit it crazy high note at the end. And it's, it's either ugly if that's the first thing you've ever heard or you're like, man, that's possible. And I, I'm still blown away by that, but yeah, yeah, check it out, check it out. And you know what? Don't even listen to my music. Go listen, find it on YouTube. It's not on Spotify. Here's a huge thing. If you're a big hard rock fan and you like singers like Dio, even Freddie Mercury, Go to, uh, look up Dio Intermission. He has some old weird photo of him with a sword and there's a dragon in the background But that is the best performance ever! And uh It's there's this middle part where he sings and it's just I can't even impersonate I'll never be at that level.
And if I do I would need a million dollars and uh, two more lifetimes So check that I think instead of checking out my singing which which you can still link stuff look up Intermission by Dio.
Okay. I'll get them to do that then. Well, thank you very much, James. And I look forward to seeing everybody back in the next Podcast. Thank you very much.

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