The other day, John was watching the Kickstarter blues mini-course.
Learning the blues is something he has been super excited about for a long time.
So, after attempting the lesson, John posted this comment on my membership site…
“Well, that’s blues ambition up the swanie, there is absolutely no way my little finger will ever stretch 5 frets! l have really tried over time. Apart from being short, my index and pinkie turns slightly inwards, but it was a good idea whilst it lasted.”
Oh no.
There was no way I was going to let John give up without a fight.
So, my first action was to reply with a simple motivating comment.
“Don’t give up on it, John. Try practising the whole piece using a capo, and you don’t have to do the pinkie notes – the 12-bar blues still sounds great without them. Treat them as a bonus for now.”
Nothing ground-breaking there, I fully admit.
…. But I always let students know that it’s okay to do something the “lite” way and then build up from there.
This creates confidence and is far better for most students than them starting off in the deep end…
Splashing about for a bit and then feeling like you’re drowning in the sea of guitar playing confusion!
Anyway, it turns out I didn’t need to follow up again as about 12 hours after my little reply, this is what John said:
“Well, there you are, after following your lessons, without realising it, l can stretch my pinkie 5 frets just. This is a first for me.”
Boom!
I didn’t sprinkle digital magic dust on John’s fingers.
I just let him know he can take it easy and have fun and that there are other options.
This isn’t about me though, but about John, and you.
It goes to show the power of belief.
…And making sure you don’t learn completely alone.
If John was learning on his own, would he have tried the stretch again, would he have said he’s not good enough, would he have put the guitar down with a heavy heart not achieving something he’s been longing to do for a long time?
It’s hard to say for sure, but the truth is a lot of people learning on their own struggle unnecessarily.
I’ve encountered lots of situations like this with students over the years and it highlights you can do more than you think you are capable of.
Often much more.
You just need the right lessons and the right support network to help you when you get stuck.
…And I don’t think there is any other place, community, or lesson plan that caters to guitarists who are learning over the age of 40 and love acoustic guitar anywhere else other than in the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy (especially with the songs and new lessons for May coming up) …
…And I mean that without sounding big-headed.
So, if you want to join a community, get support and help from me and others, and get access to lessons which are fun, then you may find the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy is perfect for you.
Inside, you will be part of the community, you will learn and go on a journey together with no more feeling like you’re doing it all on your own.
…But here’s a polite little reminder though, the deadline to join the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy is looming.
The Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy
Let me wrap this up by saying, keep believing in yourself because you are good enough…
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. Although not advertised anywhere else, the next five people who join will get a free 30-minute zoom call/lesson with me for free. You can spend this 30-minute slot asking me anything and getting help with anything you are stuck on.
I’ll be straight up. I never do anything like this, and I’m doing this for fun and to test to see if I want to go down the coaching route a little more this year. I may or may not do zoom lessons ever again, but I’m definitely looking forward to chatting with 5 of you. Once you join, I’ll email you about this if you’re one of the next five to join.
P.P.S. Here is another of John’s comments inside the membership from the other day:
“Enjoyed that Dan so much. Been with group three months, doing the things l am now is so satisfying, l know the only way is up.”
P.P.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 gxreat 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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