Here are two more interesting emails I have got lately. I hope you find the emails and my thoughts useful…
Email #1…
“Hey Dan, I am so excited about the Ultimate Fingerpicking course. Tonight, I learnt a pattern while taking a lesson. When finished, I went to watch a movie with my wife.
The song, Sentimental Lady was in the background of the movie playing. The intro fingerpicking part was beautiful, just beautiful. Fleetwood Mac has a version and Bob Welch, the original writer, has a version. So, I found the music and looked at the patterns and both patterns were what I had just learned tonight.
My wife was amazed that I could play such a beautiful pattern after just hearing it a few minutes earlier. LOL … very exciting… thank you for making fingerpicking easy and understandable.”
Bill
This was an email Bill sent, but he also posted something similar in the Fingerstyle 101 Facebook group too.
I say it a lot…
One of the best things a student can do is take what they learn and put it to good use.
This is a great example of that and possibly a record of how fast someone has done so.
I can imagine Bill’s wife was very impressed.
Most of us have seen when musicians do something impressive like this, where they hear something and within moments, they play it back.
It is very cool and appears to be like magic – at least to the uninitiated.
The thing is, picking things up quickly is just a skill.
Sometimes it takes a lot of practice like ear training skills being developed, and other times it is just knowing a pattern or two.
Either way, the better you get the more of this magic you can bring to your playing.
Kudos to Bill for this.
Onto Email #2
“I got started on the course, uploaded the downloads to my computer and started the book. By the way, awesome service on the book. I ordered it on Wednesday, and it was sitting in my mailbox yesterday, Saturday!
I started the first section this morning. Awesome tips on being lighter on the fretboard and placing the guitar on my left knee. I instantly improved on keeping my plucking fingers where they belong.
I had previously watched some YouTube videos on fingerpicking, including one from Tommy Emmanuel. He recommended using your right pinky finger as an anchor to help keep your plucking fingers where they belong. Helpful, but not exactly a real lesson. I saw a lot of improvement in moving the guitar to my left knee and holding it at a 45-degree angle.
I have been having a challenge with making a clean C Major chord. I immediately saw/heard an improvement there. Also, great tips on using a lighter touch on the fretboard. I started to feel tension in my left wrist, and my fingertips started to hurt. Lightened up and immediate relief!
I had trouble with keeping a rhythm with alternating the bass strings. Again, by changing the position of my guitar, it became much easier to start to “get it”.
I’m really looking forward to moving through the course and chipping away at something that perhaps is difficult but worth the struggle for the rewards it brings to your soul.”
Carl
Really good work from Carl here too (who was referring to his purchase of Fingerstyle 101 by the way).
It’s a great email to get and well done to him for cracking the book open and getting stuck in right away.
That is what it is all about.
There are no shortcuts to learning an instrument, but jumping in and applying what you learn where you can, with no messing about, and not letting the book gather dust is super important in winning this guitar game.
And it’s definitely a game we can all win.
We just have to keep playing it.
On a side note, funnily enough, there was a different discussion about the Tommy Emmanuel anchoring of the pinkie in the Fingerstyle 101 Facebook group last week.
If you don’t know, the group is an exclusive place for those who have the book to discuss it, talk about guitar and interact with like-minded people.
If you want to join the group, simply get the book and follow the instructions to join. It is a great little group with about 1200 members at the moment.
Check out the Fingerstyle 101 book here
By the way, there is a fun little competition going on this week in the group.
Have a fab 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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