Welcome to a new Monday post with 3 random thoughts on all things guitar, music, and life, including playing guitar in the sun, six courses, and a useful tip.
Here we go…
#1 – Guitar in the sun!
We’re having a heatwave here in the UK.
It’s been 33°C (90°F) according to my car.
Wowsa! That’s crazy for us, although probably laughable for those of you in some parts of the world!
Anyway, for a few moments last night, after putting Archie to bed, I sat out in the garden enjoying playing some guitar.
The garden is surrounded by nature, so I enjoyed sitting there with the smell of summer, a beautiful sunset, and all while enjoying noodling some guitar.
Thankfully, it had cooled a bit at this time (as I reckon my guitar would have melted!).
Anyway, it’s moments like these that make playing guitar so rewarding and fun.
Just being able to play for yourself in a lovely environment and one as simple as our garden is special.
I don’t do it enough and I don’t think enough people do.
So, if you ever want to mix it up a little with your playing, and you get a sunny day…
…Try playing guitar in the garden.
If you’re like me, playing guitar in the sun will put a smile on your face.
#2 – Six courses!
On Saturday night, I took my girlfriend Sally out for a special meal.
It’s been four years since we got together, so I wanted to take her somewhere extra nice.
As she’s a vegetarian, I booked a meal at a place called “Land” in Birmingham city centre.
They have a set menu with six courses, plus starter “snacks” (which alone were amazing).
This meant a lot of washing up for someone!
The food was stunning, and the whole night was an experience.
The variety was fantastic.
There were lots of foods I’d never really heard of or never really tried before, so that was exciting.
Variety, after all, is incredibly important just like it is with playing guitar.
I always say…
With the guitar, it’s wise to really focus on one thing at a time.
This is where you should spend most of your focus and practice.
…But if your playing ever gets boring, trying a few new things might add some excitement back to it.
This could mean experimenting with playing a few riffs, jamming the blues, noodling some lead guitar, or doing a fingerpicking pattern or two.
Variety is the spice of life after all.
Of course, variety is good but do remember to keep focused on the one or two main things you are working on too!
#3 – Slowing down videos is incredibly powerful
Logan, a member of the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy, left a comment inside the membership the other day.
He said how powerful he finds it slowing down the videos inside.
Everyone learns differently and at different paces but when learning new information…
Slowing down videos can be really powerful.
If you use videos to learn from, I highly recommend you do this too.
Slow down the videos and really absorb the information on offer.
Of course, you can and should re-watch videos you learn from, and it’s wise to do so multiple times.
…And each time you watch a video you can even try a different speed setting.
I.e. slow speed the first time, normal speed the second time, and maybe even speed up the video when watching the third time (for a quick refresher).
Anyway, that’s just a little bit of a tip for you which I thought would be useful to share.
Speaking of slowing down videos and having variety in your playing, have you checked out my Mini Masterclass blues guitar course?
You can find out more about it at the link below…
Listen to and find out more about the 12-Bar Blues Mini Masterclass
Plus, if the weather’s nice, this style of music makes a helluva fun jam to play out on your porch or in the garden!
Have a great Monday!
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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