Welcome to a new Monday post with 3 random thoughts on all things guitar, music, and life, including country guitar music, reading about your heroes, and more…
Here we go.
#1 – Getting in the mindset of your heroes is powerful
I love reading.
Lately, I have read a couple more Jack Reacher novels, which were great.
Now I have finished those, I want to read something musical – like a guitarist’s biography (it’s been a while).
One thing I have found is that not only are these interesting, but there’s also…
A benefit of reading about your favourite guitarists from their own perspective.
Like with a student of mine called David.
When he first started learning, he read Keith Richard’s autobiography as well as others.
This was one of the things that helped make him a successful student in my opinion (he was one of my fastest learners).
Obviously reading a biography isn’t everything, but getting in the mindset of your heroes helps.
Why?
It shows they are human, and reading of their struggles can be inspiring…
Their passion can be contagious.
You can learn about how dedicated they were to their craft when learning guitar and…
How they are just people like the rest of us and not superhuman.
The other day, I asked for recommendations for a good new book in the Fingerstyle 101 Facebook group and got lots of good suggestions to add to my list.
For now, I have just ordered one of my hero’s autobiographies, Neil Young’s Waging Heavy Peace (I’m very excited to read this).
#2 – “I’m a talentless hack”
Those are the words that used to run through my head when learning guitar in the very early days.
Every little mistake, dead note, or buzzing chord would just make this nasty little voice flare-up.
I got reminded of this experience the other day when a new subscriber said a similar thing about their playing.
Like I told them, negative self-talk is dangerous.
Thinking like this made me unhappier and less successful when learning back then.
Many miserable hours were spent beating myself up over little mistakes.
It was only when I changed my mindset on this that things started being more fun – much more fun.
Be positive, be patient, and be happy.
Having a positive mindset won’t turn you into an awesome player overnight but…
Being kinder towards yourself and your playing is definitely important.
This is especially true if you’re the kind of person who beats themselves up when things go wrong.
Be kind to yourself, you’re already doing something pretty awesome in learning to play the thing.
#3 – Learning new genres, such as country guitar music, is fun!
When I started to get decent at guitar, I loved learning how to play different genres of music.
Rock was the main thing for me back then, but I really enjoyed learning blues, country, classical, and even a bit of gipsy jazz.
In fact, today I filmed something fun.
A “bluffers guide to country guitar”.
It’s a 12-bar piece of country music.
In the lesson, I filmed a video of me playing it and then I talk about the key principles of the piece and what makes country music work.
I also created the TAB so you can learn it.
If you love the classic country sound, like the Johnny Cash “boom-chick” sound, you’ll enjoy this.
This new lesson is the “deep dive” bonus for those in my membership programme.
If you are not a member but want to join, make sure you do so before the 1st of May to get this lesson.
Here’s the link to find out more:
The Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy
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.
Add Comment