Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy member John Hall left me this lovely comment the other day.
Why Things Can Rapidly Fall Apart When Playing Guitar to Others
Last week I talked about one of my most embarrassing moments playing guitar.
If you’ve ever played in front of others and it didn’t go so well, you might wonder why it’s so hard.
One reason is because of nerves.
How to Get Over This Sickening Guitar-Playing Feeling
A Simple, Clear, and Highly Motivating Plan for Rapid Progress in April
Years ago, I sent out an interesting survey to everyone on my email list which revealed how much people need a motivating plan.
Yesterday I was going through the results briefly as there are a lot of insights in the answers that students gave.
Lots of things were mentioned, but two of the biggest I saw over and over in that survey was that students had a desperate need for:
More help with motivation
AND
More help with specific plans of what to practise daily and over the weeks/months
This survey was years ago (before Archie was born from what I remember) and if anything, the situation out there in the world of guitar has got worse.
(At least judging by the emails I get from those new to my world of teaching).
I cover motivation and plans a fair bit and you’ll start seeing me cover them more, as both are integral to most students’ success on guitar, but for now…
Here’s a rock-solid plan to help you be more motivated throughout the month of April and know exactly what to practise, so you can see big results with your playing over the next 30 days.
It’s very simple, but here it is…
- Step #1 – Do a short 3 – 5-minute daily workout routine to improve your technique/tone and musicality
- Step #2 – Learn and play a song that inspires you
- Step #3 – Fix any bad habits in your playing
Yep, it’s a simple, motivating plan, but if you stick to it daily, by the end of April, where will you be with your playing?
The chances are, probably in a far better place than you are now if you’re struggling a bit.
Simply focus on the above three steps in that exact order of priority
Forget everything else and see real progress.
Now, you might wonder where do you find all this stuff and…
- What’s a good practice routine to do on guitar?
- What song shall I learn?
- How do I know which bad habits to fix or what to focus on?
- How can I stay motivated throughout the month to practise?
All good questions, and if you’ve struggled for years with these things, you may think it’s more likely that Gandalf the wizard can grant you these powers or that you’ll have to get yourself an Aladdin-style genie to make these wishes come true…
Well, nope.
I have you covered because in the new Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy lessons, I give you this motivating plan in detail where you get:
The exact workout to practise each day.
This clocks in at just 2 minutes 49 seconds long. (Simply press play on the video and do the workout along with me and see improvements to your technique, play a famous piece of classical music, play fun Travis picking, and more). It’s fun, short, simple, and you can repeat it as many times as you like. (The more you do it, the better your playing will get).
Step 2 is covered with a beautiful piece of music and step 3 is covered with the “In Focus” course (the exact course I’ve used with private students in my studio for years).
These three steps are taught in a fingerpicking context as that’s what we are going deeper on during April.
The only thing is you have to join before 11:59 pm tonight to get it all.
Imagine in just a week or two being able to play all your fingerpicking pieces with great tone, better technique, and having a newfound confidence where you can fingerpick up and down the fretboard, and fix the bad habits in your playing once and for all.
The plan is simple but achievable for everyone.
That’s because if you are busy, you can do a short version of the plan or if you have more time, you can do a more in-depth version.
I’ll show you how.
I want April to be a stunning month of progress for you, so even if you don’t join, try the above plan.
…but if you want it already made for you so all the guesswork and thinking are done for you (saving you lots of time and uncertainty) check this out below.
The Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy
Have a great day!
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. Plus, all new members get my theory book and fingerstyle book posted out to you for free. You can leave them on your coffee table, pick them up when you’re having some chill-out time and have a quick read/jam (they’re more productive than watching Netflix).
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 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.
3 Random Thoughts This Monday (Jimi, Cassettes, & Ear Training Fun)
Welcome to a new Monday email with 3 random thoughts on all things guitar, music, and life, including ear training fun, cassettes, and more…
I hope you had a great Easter. It is not exactly an Easter special, but in the spirit of the holiday, it is slightly retrospective.
Here it goes…
3 Random Thoughts This Monday (an Inspiring Student, Guitar Performing Tips, and Learning Charts)
Each Monday I write a post with 3 random thoughts on all things guitar, music, and life. Here is this week’s including the inspiring Pam, guitar performing tips, and more…
3 Random Thoughts this Thursday (the Grinch, an Alternative Gift, and a Christmas Guitar Tips)
‘Twas the Night before Christmas and this being the case, I decided to do a special version of my 3 random weekly thoughts, including some Christmas guitar tips …
3 Random Thoughts This Monday (Muscle Memory, Tiny Wins, and Being Accountable)
Here is another of the weekly posts with 3 thoughts about guitar, music, and life, including tips on muscle memory, celebrating tiny wins, and more.
How to Give a Loved One a Special Guitar Treat That Will Make Their Day
I’m not sure how much I have written about this before, but it is a popular idea with my one-to-one students.
…And it is a simple one too.
It involves learning the most popular melody of all time…
…Taking a quick video of yourself playing it
…and sending it to a loved one on their birthday.
The melody, of course, is “Happy birthday”.
Storytelling with Your Guitar
Following on from last week’s post about Tommy Emmanuel, which a lot of you said you enjoyed, I wanted to give you some insight into the mindset of the guy.
On the surface, it might appear to be advice for those advanced players who can do loads of cool things on the guitar.
In reality though, this little tip is immensely powerful.
One of the things he says is that no matter how good you get, guitar playing is music and music is storytelling.