Here are two more interesting emails I have got lately. I hope you find them useful…
Email #1
Dan,
I downloaded Fingerstyle 101 2 weeks ago and I’m currently learning “Landslide”!!! I am amazed at my progress, and so is my wife. I’m guessing another week or so and I can add that song to my repertoire.
I’m 50 years old. I’ve been playing off and on most of my life. I’ve tried picking up fingerpicking numerous times and just couldn’t get it. After about a week of learning techniques in your course, I started applying them to a couple of fingerpicking songs that I’ve learned to play with a pick and they came fairly easy.
Every day I practice one of your lessons for 20 minutes and then play whatever I want. They are getting cleaner every day and for the first time in my life I feel that with practice I can get this.
Thank you for bringing my passion back.
Cheers
Rick
That is such a lovely email to get.
After teaching both on and offline for years, I know how difficult learning guitar can be.
Some days it feels okay, but over time when you keep encountering false start after false start, the passion can slowly fade away.
It doesn’t have to be this way though.
It is never too late to change course, get the passion back, and be the player you want to be.
Never give up on it.
Okay, onto email #2…
Hi Dan,
Your advice to play using a metronome has really shown me where I am with my playing.
Songs and exercises I thought I knew are much more difficult when I am keeping to a steady beat.
The metronome has made me go back and start over with my work on fingerstyle; no more long pauses while I figure out where I am in the piece, no more “whoopsie” time when I pluck the wrong string and then go back to correct myself.
The metronome will make me a much better player–in the long run.
Thanks again
Linda
Metronomes are tough at first, but the problem is most people start with something too complex with them.
You may have had this too.
You may have played for a while and heard that using a metronome is useful.
So, you get one and within a few seconds you are like “this is so hard – I will never be able to do this!”
I am glad Linda is determined.
Using a click for the first time is hard though.
It takes practice, and it takes good rhythm.
You have to start really, really simple with it.
I have a system for teaching students to use a click.
It involves playing one note, yes just one note, in perfect time and then building up very slowly.
Yes, it is methodical and so it should be, but the good news is after a little while it all starts to click (bad pun!).
If you have struggled with a click in the past, it is worth the effort to try again but do go slowly with it and practise in short bursts.
If you want to get the passion back in your playing and learn my system for being able to play with a click (as well as my other systems for other crucial things), check out my membership programme below.
The Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy
Right, I hope you enjoyed those emails and have a great day!
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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