Welcome to a new Monday email with 3 random thoughts on all things guitar, music, and life.
Here we go…
#1 – Vinyl
I love vinyl.
When I was about 15 and getting into music for the first time, I discovered vinyl.
We didn’t have many luxuries growing up, but we did have a great hi-fi system with a record player built in.
I’d be at home playing my dad’s old records he left behind.
There were only about ten of them and there were records by Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, and Dexys Midnight Runners.
It was so much fun.
The feeling of putting the record on, moving the needle, and letting it play.
Hearing the warm sound of the vinyl being played through some great speakers.
I’d turn the light off and hear all the ‘crazy’ sounds from bands I’d never heard before.
Vinyl has since made a big comeback and I’ve been thinking it would be ace to get a collection.
Partly because I’d love it, and partly because I’m nostalgic about those times.
Anyway, I’m sure you have similar experiences with music.
It’s experiences like these that have been a huge driving force for many of my students over the years.
…And looking back at those days often helped them if the times ever got tough with the guitar.
Sometimes a little nostalgia is a good thing.
#2 – Artwork
Speaking of records, I love the artwork that comes with an album.
Opening up the album sleeve and reading the inserts…
…Remembering the lyrics to songs and seeing photographs of the band behind the scenes.
Those were all very cool experiences.
Artwork and music work so well together.
And that’s one of the reasons why this year, I’ve been working with a web designer and a graphic artist.
One who has revamped the look of my Guitar Domination blog.
…And another who has helped me create the artwork for the Acoustic Asylum podcast.
One bit of artwork he has created is the fun comic book-style cover for my guide, 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum, which you can see along with some of the other artwork on my podcast website.
The cover of that book shows an inmate of the asylum escaping the horrible building while others are still trapped inside.
Anyway, it’s a bit of fun, and remember, if you want to win a copy of this book sent to you as a gift, then you can still leave the podcast a review on Apple and let me know.
I’ll enter you into the draw which I will do tomorrow.
#3 – A musical superpower
One great thing about having records was that I would play them a LOT.
When I was learning, my best friend, Sefton, was light years ahead of me on the guitar.
…But I had no idea why.
We were really competitive (and we still are).
I was always the sporty one and the one who did well in school, but when it came to music, he destroyed me back then.
Well, one reason was because he practised hard.
He’d sit and listen to a section of music over and over.
He would spend hours working out the parts just from listening to the record.
…And he made it look so easy.
It was like his musical ‘superpower’.
Yet the reason he was so good was because he put in the groundwork behind the scenes.
That’s the beauty of having records – you tend to listen to them and cherish them.
Each record in your collection is an opportunity to work out a song by ear or jam along or just enjoy the music on a deep level.
Sure, you can do this on YouTube or by streaming songs but I find that it is not the same.
Anyway, this email was a little bit of a nostalgic one about music, but I was on a roll writing about these things.
I hope you enjoyed it.
For something else that is nostalgic, you might want to check out my Travis Picking course teaching the all-time classic vintage tune “Tom Dooley”.
Listen to and play my fun Travis picking arrangement of Tom Dooley
It’s a real classic.
Have a great week.
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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