Here are two more interesting emails I have got lately.
I hope you find the emails and my thoughts useful…
Email #1…
“Hi,
I see musicians (“buskers”) playing in busy city street locations, mostly inviting passers-by to donate a few dollars.
I recently saw a guitarist play a few chords into a recording device, stop, play back the chords on a loop, then start playing an accompanying solo.
I also heard a musician play in a bar/restaurant. He played the guitar and sang but was accompanied by a device that played bass and drums. Sounded like an entire band. Pretty cool.
Thanks”
Barry
Sounds very cool.
What you have seen is the power of a looper pedal.
I used to play about with a drum machine and a looper pedal a lot.
(Ed Sheeran has made a living for himself using a looper pedal – along with his tiny guitar and penchant for writing soppy love songs, haha).
Loopers can be fun, but they can get very complex.
So much so, I reckon even Einstein, Newton, Hawking, and co. would have struggled to work out how to use one.
If you have tried one out and found them hard, or thought about trying one…
Keep it simple.
They are fun but they require a lot of precision with your playing or things can sound messy.
They can be great fun for jamming with yourself though.
Anyway, Onto Email #2
“Dan,
I am a 66-year-old semi-retired surgeon.
I have worked 60+ hours a week for 35 years and figure it’s time to back off for my family and myself.
I’ve enjoyed surgery and teaching residents immensely.
My refuge and safe spot for as long as I remember is music and I figured since I now have much more free time, I should use it for
music which has given me great comfort through the years.
My biggest question is finding the right study plan to let me progress.
I’ve done one online course that has given me basics but has not given me a lot of confidence in playing the music I would like to.
As I suggested above, I want to learn to play the songs that I’ve enjoyed for years and to have fun in my free time.
I’m ready.”
John
What a great career that must have been for John and it’s great he is making time for himself now.
Being a surgeon and great with his hands, John will no doubt nail the guitar in weeks.
Kidding, but I am guessing that is what others thought when they found out John, a surgeon, was learning guitar.
I am sure being a surgeon will help John on the guitar in some small way, but what will probably help more is…
The ability to focus, the precision, the mental strength, and the dedication that John needed in his career.
All these are key attributes that guitarists need to succeed.
The good news is you don’t have to be a surgeon to develop these skills.
The guitar is an instrument that will test you and it will try to break you some days.
Keep going, keep developing your skills, your ability to focus, your precision and resilience, and it will bring you many hours of joy.
And of course, enjoy the journey as much as you can.
If you want support on this journey from me and other members, you may want to check out the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy below.
The Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy
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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