The Acoustic Asylum

If you’ve ever got to the point where you can play a song on your guitar to near perfection, but you make frequent errors at various points… this episode is for you. Inside we are taking a look at the TWO key things that could be the cause of your issues. Not only that, I also give you some bits of advice to help you play your songs better. Plus, I even share one of the potentially most embarrassing moments in my musical life where I was on stage playing a gig with my band… and I forgot the parts! If you enjoyed this episode, you can get my free “guitar secrets” video course which will help all beginners, intermediates, and those who are “stuck”. Get the course for free, exclusively at https://fingerstyle101.com/secrets/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

A lot of guitarists find it extremely frustrating when they pluck the wrong strings! I know I used to. In this short episode, I’m giving you a few tips to help. One thing you must remember is that you need good technique and muscle memory. Without the technique, you’ll just build bad guitar playing habits… but if you use precise technique, you’ll find it far easier to end this frustrating feeling… and that’s exactly what we are talking about today! If you enjoyed this, don’t forget you can get my two exclusive free eBooks today... Including The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at - https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

My studio room is full of books. Not all of them are great, but in each, there is something I’ve learnt, even from the books that aren’t that great! Well, today, I’m talking about three books I’ve used a lot over the years. They’re not perfect, but they are great and they’ve had a big influence on me. The books range from classical guitar to advanced guitar and songwriting! For more help from me, until the 1st of July 2024, you can join my Academy. Enrolment will close after that for a while and you can find out more about the academy here - https://fingerstyle101.com/academy/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

I get asked a LOT of questions when it comes to learning guitar. I love to answer them but don’t always get the time to answer everyone’s questions. So today, I thought I’d share some of the most commonly asked questions I get and give you… my answers. We’re talking about how many scales you should learn on guitar, how to move around the fretboard, which guitar teachers I recommend, and if people like Justin Sandercoe and Jamie Andreas are good (honest answers inside)… Plus a whole lot more (including a reference to the awesome character The Riddler from the Batman movies, haha). If you enjoy this podcast and want more help from me, you’ll be pleased to know the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy is now open for enrolment for a short while. You get a whole lot of bonuses posted to you just for trying it out and you can find out more about it here - https://fingerstyle101.com/academy/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

I quickly realised when I started teaching guitar that not many students would ask me to teach them to play the blues… but pretty much all of them would LOVE it when I would introduce them to blues guitar – especially the sounds of Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Stevie Ray Vaughan (and the first blues song I ever loved, which was by Led Zeppelin). In this episode, I’m playing a whole variety of blues styles and sounds for you, from a B.B. King minor blues to an Eric Clapton-style shuffle, and more. There’s so much you can do with the blues and if you want to learn it, then in the new Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy lessons coming on July 1st, you will learn a stunning blues piece. You can find out more about the Academy here - https://fingerstyle101.com/academy/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

One of the most important things you can do on the guitar is to get absolute clarity on what it is you want to achieve. Well, in this episode I’m going over a four-step system to help you make massive progress on the guitar. These have been inspired by author Brian Tracy and adapted as well as simplified for you to use right away. It’s powerful stuff and I highly recommend you apply this today! For more help from me, you’ll be pleased to know the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy is now open for enrolment. One of the big perks of membership is that the “5-Star” Award inside the Academy and my coaching will both help you make big progress and get clarity with your guitar playing. You can find out more about it here - https://fingerstyle101.com/academy/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

One piece of advice I like to share with students is this… beware of learning too many chords. Instead of using those old chord books that are full of 10,000s of guitar chords, you can get a lot more mileage instead from playing just one chord such as C Major… And then learning all the variations of this chord. This is fun and a lot of the time you only need to add or remove a finger to get lots of different flavours from a chord! If you enjoyed this, don’t forget you can get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes the Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at -https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

Most people play guitar with a very mechanical straight feel. Well, today I want to tell you why that isn’t always the best thing to do. In fact, if you want to add instant excitement to your music and play with more life, soul, and vibrancy, then the little tips I’m sharing in this episode will help you right away! If you enjoyed this, don’t forget you can get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at -https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

Back when I was learning guitar, I had no rhythm. I wasn’t born with no rhythm, I just hadn’t developed my rhythm skills. This meant when I played guitar, I was all over the place. It also meant that I had a few slightly embarrassing moments. In this episode, I’m sharing with you a key story that helped awaken me to my bad rhythm, and exactly what I did to fix it. These simple little tips will help you too, so listen today and apply these tips for better rhythm! If you enjoyed this, don’t forget you can get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at -https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

One of the biggest problems a lot of people say is that they simply “do not have enough time to practise” their guitar playing. While that is true for some extremely busy folk, we often all have a few pockets of time where we can pick up the guitar and play something… …So in this episode, I’m going to give you some key tips on making more time to practise, why motivation is possibly more important than time, and the silly game on my phone that once threatened to ruin my practice time (but what I did to beat that). If you enjoyed this, don’t forget you can get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at -https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

Today, I want to share with you my #1 method for helping you to make more progress on the guitar every single day. This will help you practise more effectively, and it’s a super simple technique that all guitarists can benefit from – no matter if you’re a beginner or intermediate guitarist… And this is especially powerful if you’re an adult learning guitar and lacking confidence or you are unsure how to make progress on the songs, scales, and chord progressions you are learning. Listen today, enjoy, and let’s get you making more progress! If you enjoyed this, you can get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at – https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

Today, I want to share a fascinating story from the 1960s that can help you change your guitar playing forever. It’s a simple and sneaky study that shows doing this one thing can blow up your progress massively – meaning you’ll have so much more fun on the guitar. Plus, we are breaking some annoying myths that people believe in when it comes to learning guitar as an adult or if you feel you have no “natural talent”. Listen today and enjoy, because if you apply what you learn here, you will be more likely to make better progress from this day forth! If you enjoyed this, don’t forget you can get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at - https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

Today, let’s talk about the devil on your guitar-playing shoulder. It’s dangerous, most of us are plagued by it, and if you put too much pressure on yourself, it’s likely this devil is screaming down your ear. The good news is, with one simple shift, you can change all that and you can turn the negativity into something much more positive. That will ensure you truly enjoy your guitar playing forever – and you beat the Gatekeeper of the Acoustic Asylum and his devilish henchman… for good! If you enjoyed this, you can get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at –https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

Trying to be creative on the guitar is one of the most daunting and scary thoughts for many guitarists. …But if you want to be more creative, then listen today because I’m teaching you a super simple and incredibly fun step-by-step method to be more creative today. I’m playing these examples on the acoustic guitar but they work perfectly for electric guitar too. The great thing is, being creative is fun, it’s great for the brain and it’s great for the fingers – I aim to get all my students to do something creative on the guitar every lesson! So give it a go. If you enjoyed this, don’t forget you can get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at – https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

If you ever want to jam, but don’t know how to begin, today’s episode will help. We’re talking about the sliding scale of creativity versus structure and how to get the right blend. The truth is, when jamming on the guitar, we need to have both of the above. On the one hand, if you are only trying to be creative without any structure, it can be hard to make music that sounds good. On the other hand, if you just have structure, it can be hard to jam and explore new things. So, listen to today’s episode for more on how to get the ideal blend between both being creative and having structure within your jams. I’ll take you through an example of how to do this and some tips on getting the most out of your playing – especially when you want to jam! Don’t forget you can now get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at - https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

During my many years of teaching, I’ve taught two specific types of guitarists. One type is the student who is full of positivity, resilience, and open-minded thinking. The other is the type who is struggling and looking for a way out. It’s a hard truth and some people don’t like to hear it, but that’s what I’ve found. So, today, I want to explain why this is the case, why it’s probably not your fault if you’re the latter type, and why “natural talent” very rarely has anything to do with it. Most of all though, I want to share with you a few tips to help you become the type of guitarist who finds solutions, enjoys the journey, and loves playing the guitar so much… you literally never want to stop. These tips are especially useful if you’re an adult learning guitar. I hope you enjoy this episode and thanks for listening! Don’t forget you can now get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at - https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

Today, I want to give you some simple tips on jamming one chord on the guitar. Yes, just one chord. Many students want to be able to jam and create beautiful music on the fly… but the problem is they do not know where to begin. This often leads to them getting frustrated, giving up on jamming, and then missing out on all the benefits that being creative has! For some tips on this, listen to this quick episode today for how to jam, fingerpick, strum, and Travis pick, why you should pick one single chord to begin with, and exactly what to do for some jamming fun. This works great on both electric and acoustic guitar, and it will help you play sus chords, Major 7th chords, dominant chords, and more… but the key point is, this will give you more fun when learning guitar as an adult! Don’t forget you can now get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at –https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

Motivation is one of the biggest factors that will decide if you stick with the guitar or quit. Therefore, you must do what it takes to keep your motivation up at all costs… but of course, you don’t want to get too excited because when the inevitable pitfalls get in the way it can be like a sugar crash and your motivation may plummet… Today’s episode is all about a proven study on increasing motivation from the University of Pennsylvania… and it’s all about the power of Double Think! Follow the simple tip inside today’s episode and you can’t fail to be a more motivated guitarist! Don’t forget you can now get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes the Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at –https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

I love being creative on the guitar. Many guitar students out there also want to be creative, but often have no idea where to begin. Well, in this little episode, I share with you a very simple tip on creativity. It involves one chord, one strumming pattern, and one simple concept. With just a little bit of practice, anyone can do it… And the great thing is, according to various studios, being creative is proven to help reduce your brain age. Inside, you’ll hear me talk about a super interesting study from the BBC on identical twins and how the study proved that being creative can help reduce your brain age. …Plus, I play a very cool ‘50s chord progression based around the chords of C Am Fmaj7 and G and show you how to bring them to life! Don’t forget you can now get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes The Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at – https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!

In this episode, we’re talking boxing and how elite-level sports and learning guitar have more in common than you might think. I use the fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to explain some key concepts for learning guitar as an adult. Some of the highlights include how it’s crucial to think outside the box, why most people teach guitar the way they were taught, and the big problem with that. It’s a short episode, but it’s like a Rocky montage – short, sweet, and right to the point. Don’t forget you can now get my two exclusive and free eBooks today... Includes the Guitar Doctor (which will help you fix 35 terrible habits) and The Super Mini Songbook (teaching you stunning songs in unique ways). Get them both for free at – https://fingerstyle101.com/free/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!