Here are two more interesting emails I have got lately.
I hope you find the emails and my thoughts useful…
Email #1…
New Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy subscriber, Jo, lets me know what her goals are and what she would like to achieve.
“In the next month, I would like to be able to play Sound of Silence.
The one thing I struggle with most is when changing chords, getting my fingers on their tips so the sound of all the strings is clear.
In the next 2 to 3 years, I would like to pick up my guitar with confidence and play 10 to 15 songs.”
Jo
These are all good goals to have and well done to Jo for thinking about them.
Many guitarists don’t do this at all, which is a shame, as it means they lack direction.
I would say though, for a beginner, it is super important to make your goals as achievable as possible.
Some guitarists have big goals but get disheartened if they don’t reach them, and…
No one out there wants to say the hard truth…
The fact is, it takes time to get good at guitar, and often longer than you may first think or have been told.
It is a journey after all, and the early stages take the longest.
The good news is though, once you get past the troublesome early stages, you get momentum, confidence, and the “snowball effect” starts to take over.
Sure, there will be plateaus and moments which test you even years down the line but starting off on the right foot with the right expectations is so important.
It is not sexy advice, but it is important, especially for enjoying this journey.
Anyway, onto Email #2
“Hi Dan,
Greetings from a now cooler Quebec and more rain, grass is back to green.
At 81 years of age, still working, also volunteer once a week, painting class as well, and still composing songs and reviewing some older compositions, well where is the time for the guitar.
Fortunately, I do dabble almost every day, even if it is only ten minutes, unlike before your lessons and emails, my guitar would lie dormant for months.
Have I improved, I have to say yes, like I can read and play tabulator, I am hearing rhythm more, that is why I’m redoing some of my songs.
Even some chords have improved like the C Major and F Major, which used to be scary.
So thanks Dan for your humour, heads up on practicing, and new songs to play.
Have a great day.”
Norma
I wrote about Norma a while back.
I love her emails.
They are always fun, light-hearted, and joyous.
They also paint a pretty picture too.
Being busy, enjoying life, painting, and playing guitar in beautiful green Quebec sure sounds like fun.
I like to share emails like this not to add much to them, but to hopefully inspire and highlight the joy of playing music.
If you ever doubt yourself or your playing, take a happy leaf out of Norma’s book.
It is a good read, I’d say.
If you want more help with your playing, particularly you fingerpickers, or would-be fingerpickers out there, then…
My Fingerstyle 101 video course is out now and on sale this week.
There are three modules, plus bonuses and some fun stuff inside (more on this tomorrow).
The course will teach you all the basics of fingerpicking and beyond.
To find out more about it and see my answers to some questions you may have, head here:
Find out more about the Fingerstyle 101 Video Course
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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