YOU'VE LEARNED FROM ME.
NOW MEET THE MUSICIANS WHO TAUGHT ME.

I've always believed one of the best ways to learn is from people who have already spent a lifetime doing what you're trying to do.

That's really where JOES12 began.

I wanted to sit down with some of the people who had influenced me and ask the kinds of questions I genuinely wanted answers to...

• How did they get better?
• How did they develop their sound?
• How do they approach improvisation?
• What makes a great song work?
• How do you collaborate with other musicians?
• How do you build a life around music?
• And after decades of doing this, what still matters?

JOES12 brings those conversations together into 12 carefully produced episodes, each exploring a different part of the guitarist's journey.

There's plenty you can take straight to your guitar, but there's also something bigger running through the whole program:

How do you become more fully yourself as a musician?

12 EPISODES. 12 PARTS OF THE JOURNEY.

Episode 1 — Practicing

How do you actually get better?

Robben Ford, Don Peake, Steve Vai, Tommy Emmanuel, John Jorgenson, and Rory Hoffman share what they've learned about practicing and improving.

Tommy demonstrates his pre-show warmup routine. Eric Johnson talks about finding your own musical voice. Steve Vai offers some heartfelt insights.

Episode 2 — Foundations

The fundamentals everything else is built on.

Don Peake plays Georgia On My Mind the way he backed Ray Charles. Rory Hoffman tears through gypsy-swing standards.

Along the way, we get into scales, vibrato, bending, and the fundamentals every guitarist can benefit from.

Episode 3 — Arranging

How do you take a song and make it your own?

Don Peake tells the story of being let go from a session. John Jorgenson deconstructs the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction. Daniel Levitin explains why the brain responds to the balance between the familiar and unfamiliar in music.

Steve Vai talks about orchestral arranging, while Tommy Emmanuel shows how he weaves melody and harmony into solo guitar.

Episode 4 — Gear

What actually makes an instrument play well and sound great?

Nashville master luthier Joe Glaser puts it simply:

"Everyone follows the same laws of physics."

We get into guitars, setup, picks, cables, and the things that actually make a difference.

Episode 5 — Improvising

How do you get out of your head and into the music?

Robben Ford talks about the elusive "reactionary state" of improvisation.

Tommy Emmanuel demonstrates a practice method built around a 12-bar blues, modulating up a semitone with each chorus.

There's plenty here to take straight to the guitar — and plenty to think about.

Episode 6 — Getting the Gigs

What does it actually take to build a life around music?

We talk about stage fright, originals versus covers, busking, and finding your way into the professional world.

Tommy Emmanuel talks about his early touring days in the US.

Bob Burwell, longtime manager to Kenny Rogers and Steve Vai, explains what festival bookers actually look for.

Charlie Morgan talks about going from demo sessions to touring and recording with Elton John.

Episode 7 — Songwriting

How do you find something that's actually yours to say?

This episode brings together Brent Maher, Rodney Crowell, Tommy Emmanuel, Gary Nicholson, Keb' Mo', Daniel Levitin, and John Jorgenson.

Rodney talks about reading lyrics aloud while looking someone in the eyes.

Daniel Levitin explores Sting's work ethic and why even someone like Paul Simon can sometimes feel boxed in by his own voice.

It's less about formulas and more about understanding how great songwriters think.

Episode 8 — Getting Your Records Out

What happens between writing a song and actually making a record?

Tommy Emmanuel talks about choosing the right engineer.

Brent Maher shares stories from producing Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, and Ike & Tina Turner.

Don Peake tells the story of his last session with Barry White.

Ray Kennedy talks about making records in a more organic way.

Episode 9 — Touring

What does life on the road really look like?

Don Peake remembers being on the road with the Everly Brothers — with the Rolling Stones opening and the Beatles in the crowd.

Bob Burwell talks about why Kenny Rogers kept the same crew for decades and why that loyalty mattered.

Episode 10 — Collaboration

How do you make something better with another musician than you could have made alone?

Charlie Morgan talks about landing the Elton John gig.

Don Peake explains how he came to play for Ray Charles.

Tommy Emmanuel talks about writing with Jerry Douglas.

Brent Maher reflects on the mentors and collaborators who shaped his own career.

Episode 11 — You Are the Brand

What do you want people to know about you and your music?

Tommy Emmanuel talks about why, ultimately, it's the quality and integrity of the work that lasts.

Gretsch CEO Fred Gretsch talks about brand integrity at a company that's been making guitars for generations.

John Jorgenson explains how the success of The Desert Rose Band helped change which guitars Nashville was willing to play.

Episode 12 — Find Your Why

Why do you make music in the first place?

We talk about vulnerability, fear, and the difference between wanting to be a musician and feeling that you simply have to make music.

As Steve Vai explains, for him, playing was never really a choice.

And in a way, this is where the entire journey leads:

Understanding why you make music.

Finding your own voice.

And deciding what you want your musical story to be.

MORE THAN JUST CONVERSATIONS

There’s plenty in JOES12 that you can take straight to your guitar.

Each episode includes a bonus lick with full TAB and notation.

You’ll also get additional resources and the ability to ask me questions below any video.

So while we’re exploring some of the bigger ideas around musicianship, there are also practical techniques and ideas throughout the series that you can bring into your own playing.

18 MONTHS IN THE MAKING

JOES12 took about 18 months to make, with filming in Nashville, Melbourne, and Los Angeles.

Each episode is tightly edited and produced, bringing together great playing, ideas, stories, lessons, and conversations with some of the musicians who have influenced me most.

For me, it was also a chance to learn from people I admire.

And JOES12 gives you the opportunity to come along for that experience.

GO THROUGH JOES12 YOUR WAY

When I first released JOES12, it was structured as a 12-week course, with a new episode becoming available each week.

But people wanted to watch the whole thing.

So now you get access to all 12 episodes at once and can go through them at your own pace.

Watch one a week.

Binge the whole thing.

Jump around between subjects.

Come back whenever you want.

There’s no homework and no schedule you have to keep.

You have lifetime access. There’s no subscription.

WHO IS JOES12 FOR?

You don’t have to be a professional musician — or even want to become one — to get a lot out of JOES12.

If guitar is something you love doing for yourself, you’ll find great playing, new ideas, practical techniques, and plenty of inspiration.

If you’ve been playing for years and want to develop your own sound, there’s plenty here to explore.

And if you want to write songs, record, perform, collaborate, or take your music further, you’ll hear from musicians who have spent their lives doing exactly that.

The goal isn’t to sound like someone else.

It’s to absorb your influences, develop your own voice, and follow your own path.

YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW I TEACH.

If you’ve taken my Fingerstyle courses, you know how I teach.

JOES12 takes you into a different part of that journey — the musicians, ideas, experiences, and discoveries that have influenced me along the way.

You’ve learned from me.

Now you can see who taught me.

FIND YOUR OWN VOICE. TELL YOUR MUSICAL STORY.

You can spend a lifetime learning from great musicians.

But the goal isn’t to become a copy of any of them.

It’s to take what inspires you.

Absorb it.

Explore it.

And make it your own.

That’s what JOES12 is about.