Welcome to a new Monday post with 3 random thoughts on all things guitar, music, and life, including a similarity between Robinson Crusoe and the guitar-playing journey, the importance of rewarding yourself, and more.
Here we go…
#1 – Chocolate Pudding Day
I looked at my calendar this morning and today is “Chocolate Pudding” day.
I’ve never heard of this day before, but that sounds like a good day to me!
So why not celebrate a good day of guitar practice with a nice little chocolatey treat later?
I’ve had a pretty busy day with the guitar.
Today, I’ve been getting the new DTAA lessons ready for July, working on a new Mini Masterclass course (more on this soon), and getting more of my 1-minute videos for social media prepared.
So tonight, Archie and I will have a nice chocolate pudding as a little reward for a good day.
The point of this is to remember to enjoy your guitar practice.
…Give yourself little rewards when you push that bit harder, practise with more focus, and achieve some small milestone on the guitar.
The little rewards can go a long way in keeping you motivated on your guitar journey.
It really does make a difference.
#2 – The Ashes
I had a random adventure last week.
It was the last day of a huge cricket match between England and Australia in what is known as ‘The Ashes’.
The Ashes is the biggest thing in cricket between these two nations and it dates back 140 years.
I grabbed a last-minute ticket and went on my own (no one else I know could get the time off work on a Tuesday to go).
The sun was blazing, and the cricket kept us all on the edge of our seats.
Even though it was incredibly close, England lost, but I had a great time.
Years ago, I’d never have done this.
Going on a train on my own, potentially spending the day not talking to anyone, and possibly getting lost would have filled me with dread.
These days, though, I didn’t care one bit.
I was making friends with strangers, loving the sun, and it was a great day.
It’s like on the guitar.
Sometimes you just got to go for it.
If you want to jam with others, give it a try, and contact other guitarists.
If you want to record some music, get started.
Honestly, in the past, I used to put off doing things out of some irrational fear.
We only get one shot at life, so best to live it to the fullest.
So, whatever your guitar-playing dreams are, go for it.
#3 – A hero’s journey
Speaking of adventures, I recently read the book Robinson Crusoe.
Wow. What a story.
The journey Robinson goes on is epic.
…And it’s very much like a metaphor for the journey us guitarists go on.
In case you don’t know the story, it’s 1651, Robinson leaves home at a young age.
He wants to see the world, so he gets on board a ship as a deckhand.
The ship crashes, and he’s the sole survivor on a desert island.
He methodically and painstakingly builds his own shelter, plants crops, and breeds animals – all to survive.
He even encounters cannibals at one point (I did not expect that).
One day, he hopes to escape the island.
While us guitarists don’t have to worry about cannibals, there are a lot of lessons you could take from that book.
Patience being one of them.
He’s on his own, lacking in tools, and it takes him months to get anything done.
…But he keeps going.
He has no choice.
That’s like with the guitar.
I always find the students who succeed on the guitar give themselves no choice but to keep going.
Quitting is not an option for them.
It’s all about finding a way to succeed.
…Because if you’re passionate about it, you have to keep going.
Of course, it’s wise to learn in the smoothest way possible, practise smartly…
…And like a ship heading towards a rocky island, change direction and “correct your course” every now and then.
The main thing is, be like Robinson, and never give up.
There are lots of wonderful things heading your way if you stick with it.
If you want more help with your playing, then you might want to check this out…
The Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy
On Saturday, I’ll be releasing the new lessons which feature one of the most exciting arrangements I’ve created in a long time, a super powerful beginner barre chords lesson, and more.
I hope you have a great start to the week!
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.
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