Here are two more interesting emails I have got lately.
I hope you find the emails and my thoughts useful…
Today we are talking about a student who impressed his wife and another who shares a useful idea for finding like-minded others…
Here we go…
Email #1
“Hi Dan
I am an 80 yr. old who after multiple attempts at learning the guitar is now trying again starting with your 7 Day Transformation Course. I realised immediately that I needed to go back to square one and start with the Introductory course which I have now completed.
Past courses either were all chord based around self-composed songs of the teacher which had no relevance to me or seemed to simply assume you could already play and used it as a platform to demonstrate how good they were at playing the guitar.
I finally had Happy Birthday down well enough to play it to my wife for her 82 birthday and despite the errors (I was nervous) she loved the attempt.
I believe there are some important benefits for older people.
- It has been proven that by maintaining mental exercise that this will prevent the onset of Dementia.
- Despite having short stubby fingers and some degree of arthritis the use of my fingers has improved my movement.
- I find it relaxing and a pleasure despite the frustration of not being able to do some things well. It helps appreciate other music more.
– Kevin
Kevin is right on with many points here.
One point being that the guitar is so good for our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Yes, some things are tricky and it takes practice and patience to learn to play, but the benefits are great.
Well done to him for playing Happy Birthday to his wife.
That is wonderful.
Although it’s not easy (no song is easy, at least not until you can play it), being able to play Happy Birthday to a loved one on their special day is a great feeling.
…And like any melody, this is great for challenging your brain and fingers, keeping them sharp, and having fun playing recognisable music.
It’s a good start from Kevin.
Remember that as you improve any piece and get more confident with it, you’ll play it smoother, and then you can start adding in more and more fancy bits to it over time – and playing then becomes even more fun!
A great start from Kevin and hats off to him.
Email #2
“Hi Dan,
I would love nothin more than to find a group (preferably old cronies like myself) to jam with occasionally. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any groups that do jam sessions in my area.
Do you think making an inquiry with local music stores to see if they are aware of any would be useful?
Right now, my goal is to keep up with the monthly lessons and review your In Focus videos over the next couple months.
By the way, I made a spreadsheet for your In Focus course. I can keep track of when I reviewed the videos and mark ones I want to return to occasionally. There are so many helpful videos.
Regards,
– Jack
Playing with other musicians is great, and what Jack mentioned is an excellent idea.
If I was looking for others to jam with, I’d definitely try going to a guitar store, asking about there, and maybe seeing if they’d let me put up a poster to find a jam buddy.
Who knows, if you’re inclined to do so, you might even be able to set up your own informal guitar group via the store.
It’s also worth asking about in your social circle.
After all, there are quite a few “closet” guitar players out there who are looking to jam with people like you.
Jack recently joined the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy and he is exactly the type of member who I love having in the DTAA.
Inside the membership, he’s showing he’s enthusiastic, proactive, and passionate.
With the dedication he is showing, I have no doubt he will do great.
If you want to join people like Jack, be inspired by him and other members like him, and get the In Focus course he mentioned, you can check it out below:
The Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy
Have a great practice 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