Playing the guitar is, of course, one of life’s great pleasures.
Another thing I love is a good hearty meal.
I’ve always enjoyed a bit of cooking and for my birthday, a few years back, I was bought a fancy gourmet cookbook.
It was nice, but I knew it would be a struggle to use.
The book reminded me of some overly complex guitar courses/books I’d bought over the years.
For me, when cooking, simple is the way to go.
The thought of spending hours in a supermarket finding the dozens of unusual ingredients needed, getting home, preparing the meal, and then hours cooking it, was not appealing.
I’d rather just fry a steak instead.
Well, learning guitar is the same I find – especially music theory.
Over the many years I’ve played and taught guitar, I’ve read multiple books on the subject.
Some of these books talk about “modes”, complex harmony, and other such things.
These things make me feel a little clever when I read them, but how often do I use them?
Well, truth be told, I can’t remember when I last used a “mode” when creating or playing real music.
Learning all that is like the feeling I get after having a massive carb-heavy meal – bloated and stuffed.
The truth is, I find that most guitar greats don’t really use that stuff either – at least not those who play more mainstream folk, pop, blues, and rock.
How often do you hear the greats such as Clapton, Hendrix, Knopfler, Atkins, Gilmour, etc. talk about modes?
Of course, there are exceptions and I’ll no doubt get some emails telling me… “but (insert name) uses the Dorian mode in Ab!”
Why is it then that authors and course creators like to teach complicated theory when their audiences are not jazz aficionados?
Well, it’s a bit like the cookbooks – teaching this stuff looks good, makes people feel smart, and it also fills out the pages.
…But time is valuable.
Spending hours grinding away trying to make sense of things you will never use is a horrible waste of time, I find – there’s so much more to learning and playing guitar than that.
If I could turn back time, I’d say to a teacher…
“Just give me the simple theory I need, give it to me in a clear way I can understand, and motivate me to use it”.
Instead, I had to figure it out on my own, but in some ways, I’m glad I did.
…Because that motivated me to write my book, Guitarists Get Theory.
It’s a simple book that gives you what you need to know on theory without the excess fluff.
Although short, there is a lot you will get from the book over the months and years.
Anyway, today is the day that I’m releasing Guitarists Get Theory – as a spiral-bound book.
Finally, it is now available in the format that many of you have asked for over the years.
It’s designed to be placed on your music stand, without it folding shut like many books do, and can be used in a practical way.
It also comes with some very special online video lessons to help you get the best out of the book.
…Including a video “walkthrough” of the book and lessons that will help you take the content from the book and develop it further.
In short, if theory is something you’ve struggled with or want to learn, then this book will satisfy your appetite (see what I did there?).
It’s on sale for a short time and you can find out more about the book and bonuses below.
On sale now – Guitarists Get Theory (the spiral-bound edition)
Right, for me, now it’s time for dinner and that steak is calling…
Have a great day of practice!
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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