The Acoustic Asylum

Distractions are everywhere – especially in the guitar world! Today’s episode is dedicated to avoiding all these crazy distractions when improving our guitar playing! There’s one really big tip I want to share today. …And it’s been working like a charm for my students – especially for Ryan, who is a super busy father, coach of the kids’ soccer team, and is very busy with his career. Listen to Ryan’s experience and how he is now on the path to achieving his guitar goals simply because we have been doing one simple and specific thing each week. Use the simple tips in the podcast and you too will get some clarity in your playing! You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

Let’s talk about chord progressions. …And specifically, two super popular chord progressions that I love and that get used in a tonne of songs! When I started off learning guitar, I never used to think about chord progressions. That was a huge mistake because learning just a few chord progressions could have saved me a tonne of time… It would have given me a better understanding of how music works, improved my aural skills, and given me more confidence. Listen today and discover how to put this simple knowledge into practice and have lots of fun with these two chord progressions! The funny thing is both of these chord progressions use the exact same four chords… yet when you change up the order of the chords, the whole tone of the song changes. It’s simple, but it’s powerful stuff! You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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 talk a little bit about connecting the dots in music. One of the key things about music and being a musician is being able to know where the notes are that you hear in your head. This ability is what separates a beginner guitarist from an intermediate guitarist. In today’s episode, I give you a little way of testing your aural skills. I play a little riff and set you the challenge of trying to work it out by ear. It’s as simple as starting out by finding the first note. I’ll also give you some advice on how to work stuff out without just randomly trying to guess the notes. This episode will help you learn how to work stuff out by ear and improve your aural skills, which will help you enjoy your playing more! You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

Have you ever learnt something on the guitar, enjoyed it, but then later on… forgotten all about it? …You’ve spent all that time learning it, only to not play it again, and then, of course, you have to spend time re-learning it. That’s the sort of madness that would make the malevolent Gatekeeper of the Acoustic Asylum proud. Well, today I want to show you a simple plan to help you so you never forget to practise the things you love. As well as that, I’m sharing a story about Led Zeppelin getting lost in Iceland, why some folk should not try to be too organised, and how I started learning guitar with a dusty old book in pre-internet times (and how that was a good thing in some ways). It’s a fun episode with my tips as well as me talking about various guitar styles such as acoustic, blues, rock, classical, Travis picking, fingerpicking, and even flamenco guitar! You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about a guitar hero of mine, Kurt Cobain, who passed away thirty years ago, on April 5th. I have many guitar heroes, people like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Chet Atkins, and so many more, but Kurt Cobain was one of my favourites. He was in the band Nirvana and he was only 27 years old when he died. In this episode, I talk about my own discovery of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, and I also talk about the album Nevermind. Nirvana did some really cool stuff, including some amazing covers, and you could see the direction they were heading in before Kurt died. Kurt Cobain was a really underrated guitar player. A lot of people have tried to teach or recreate his solos, but unsuccessfully. He was a student of classic music, which showed in his playing. Whether or not you’re a Nirvana fan, I think there is a lot to appreciate listening to Kurt’s music. Sometimes it’s good to look back at your early guitar heroes who made you passionate about music. This episode is all about guitar heroes and the journey of discovering music. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

Let’s talk fingerstyle arrangements. There’s a secret to playing fingerstyle arrangements… Especially ones that sound great, but aren’t painstaking to learn. In this episode, I’m sharing with you these secrets all broken down into three simple steps. You’ll discover some key advice the great guitarist, George Benson, once shared on a TV show called Guitar Star. Plus, I talk about what you can do today to start making more progress on the guitar, why listening to very experienced guitarists may not be such a good thing… …And you’ll get to hear my brand new and exciting Travis picking arrangement of “You’ve Got to Walk That Lonesome Valley”, which I hope will bring a smile to your face today. This episode will help you learn how to play fingerstyle arrangements and have more fun on the guitar. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful free eBook called 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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 talk about licks and the importance of having just ONE powerful lick in your tool belt. So many people want to teach you dozens of licks, sometimes more... but the problem is, many licks don't work... at least not in a practical setting. That's why having one lick you can use, jam, and mould into different forms is super powerful. In this episode, I take one of my favourite simple licks and give you multiple examples of how to jam it. Plus, I share with you a secret of why treating lead guitar like rhythm guitar is super important and some words of wisdom from the great Tommy Emmanuel… And stick around till the end where I tell you all about some tips from my brand new spiral-bound book, The Six String Lifer's Handbook. This episode will help you learn how to have one lick you can jam with and develop. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about a little tone test I’m doing on three different acoustic guitars. It’s really important to find a guitar that suits you and inspires you to pick up the guitar every day. One of the best ways to choose a guitar is to try out several guitars and do a little tone test on them. In today’s episode, I’m showing you how to do this by doing a little tone test of three of my acoustic guitars so that you can hear the difference. We look at the importance of trying out different styles of playing on the guitar to get a feel for the tone and to be able to see how it fits your style of playing and what you are looking for. I do a quick bit of strumming and play some blues on each of the guitars, which highlights the differences in tone of the three acoustic guitars. I also give some tips and advice on what type of pieces and how many to play when trying out a guitar. This episode will help you learn how to do a tone test when trying out different guitars. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about Rule #11 of the Asylum, which is all about the break / blast method. When people practise, they tend to play everything too fast, causing everything to be full of buzzing notes. Today we are looking at how to avoid this when practising. Most of your practice should be slow and methodical. Practising slowly allows you to focus on all the details and consciously think about what you are doing. However, we also look at how in your practice routine, every now and then, you should play fast. The reason why is that it feels different. When you just practise slowly, you can get into the bad habit of letting your fingers drift slowly, and then when you go to play at regular speed, your fingers aren’t ready. Playing fast will fire your fingers up, test your muscle memory, and it’s fun. This episode will help you to learn how to use and apply the break / blast method to your practice routine. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about overcoming your biggest guitar-playing hurdles. Last week, I sent out an email asking everybody what their biggest hurdle was in guitar playing. Loads of people replied, and I decided to pick out some of those and address them in today’s podcast episode. These include questions about how you can practise guitar without your guitar on hand, when you should start introducing fingerstyle to your playing, how to practise with a metronome, and more. In the episode, I go over the questions and give you tips and advice on how to overcome the biggest guitar struggles. I discuss some tips from Jeff Beck, advice on how to play challenging chords, how to make switching between chords easier, and much more. Give it a listen and start solving some of your guitar-playing struggles. This episode will help you to learn how to overcome some very common guitar-playing hurdles and enjoy your playing more. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about ear training, working out songs by ear, and a fun little challenge. Today, we are looking at the importance of ear training, and how ear training can help you work out songs by ear. Working out songs by ear (without using TAB, without using videos) is a wonderful skill that everyone should develop. Even if you’re at the beginning of your guitar journey, it’s important to start working on this skill as it will bring you many hours of joy to be able to work out songs you love by ear. In the episode, I go over tips that will help you work out a song by ear. It’s as simple as starting by trying to work out the first note or chord. I also give you a little challenge in the episode that you can work out by ear. I tell you what string the melody is being played on, and you simply need to try to find the patterns and work it out by ear. A really useful tip is to break it up into smaller chunks. This episode will help you to learn all about ear training and how to start working songs out by ear. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about Rule #10 of the Acoustic Asylum. It’s based on a famous boxing quote that can be applied to guitar playing. Today, we are looking at a famous old quote by Muhammad Ali, which is also rule #10 of the Acoustic Asylum. This is a very powerful rule and, in the episode, we go into depth looking at how you can apply it to your playing. For most people, when they play guitar, their fingers are stiff and rigid, making playing painful. By remembering to let your fingers move around in a relaxed way, you can avoid all the tension. In the episode, I give you some tips on how to keep your fingers relaxed. We also look at how to keep your playing sounding powerful by using dynamics. Take a listen and learn these helpful tips! This episode will help you to learn all about Rule #10 of the Asylum and how to apply it to your guitar playing. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about a movie-inspired tip that will help your guitar playing. It’s about working your way backwards to find the root cause of an issue and fix it. Today, we are looking at a super useful tip inspired by the movie Memento. It’s all about going backwards to check more than just the surface issue. Taking a look at more than just “fixing” your fingers when you play will help you have a whole-body approach to playing. We tend to just focus on one thing, but in this episode, I talk about the importance of looking at the whole process. Everything from your seating position to your posture can affect your playing and your tone. Take a listen to discover more about this super useful tip that can help improve your playing. This episode will help you to start looking at the whole process when you are practising so you can have a whole-body approach to playing. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about the famous character Pennywise the Clown from the horror movie It and how he can inspire you to be a better guitarist. Today, we are looking at how to make 2024 the best year possible for you when it comes to playing guitar. It’s a new year and a new start. It’s “go-time”, which means it’s the best time to take action and start the year committing to your guitar playing. To help you with that, today I am delving into Stephen King’s character Pennywise the clown and how his story can help you improve your guitar playing. One of the things we are talking about is the importance of resolution in playing music. Music is often about building tension and resolution. We also look at not giving up when learning, especially songs, and how choosing the right song is key. Finally, we look at facing your fears about guitar playing and overcoming them. This episode will help you to understand the importance of tension and resolution in music, the importance of not giving up on what you’re learning, and facing your fears so you can enjoy practising and playing the guitar more. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

Merry Christmas! Today, let's dive into a celebration of festive joy. In this podcast I share some tips, advice, and the unveiling of the Nice and Naughty list of 2023. On the Nice list, we honour the great musicians we lost this year. These include a diverse range from Tony Bennett, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Gordon Lightfoot, and the legendary Jeff Beck. I recall the awe-inspiring performance by Jeff at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club which left a powerful mark on me when I first embarked on my guitar teaching journey. Also on the Nice list is the incredible Jamie Andreas, the dedicated guitar teachers around the globe, and, of course, you! However, let's not overlook the Naughty list, where I candidly share a famous name who has earned a spot on my not-so-favourable roster. We'll also delve into the enchanting realm of guitar-playing gifts, exploring both the thoughtful presents and the quirky offerings that our families love to surprise us with. Beyond that, we'll take a glimpse into the future, discussing the exciting prospects awaiting us in 2024. I'll be sharing some cool stuff and insights, urging you to start contemplating and planning ahead for 2024 to ensure it becomes the absolute best year you can imagine! You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about nostalgia and some powerful tips. Today, we are looking at some of the main 10-second tips I’ve shared over the years that can quickly and easily help you improve your playing. I had a little trip down memory lane today, which inspired me to take a look at some of the tips I have shared over the years. I’ve been sharing 10-second tips in my emails for a while now, and I thought I’d select some of the most powerful ones to go over with you. These include tips such as, “The Magic Number 7”, “The Snowball Effect”, “The Power of the Breath”, “Finishing on a High”, and more. These tips cover topics about memorising what you’re learning, looking back and forth at your hands when playing, the cumulative effect of being consistent with your practice, how to use a metronome, how to improve your weak pinky, and many more tips for different areas of your playing. Take a listen and apply these to start improving your guitar playing today. This episode will help you to understand and apply these quick and powerful tips to your playing to make sure you can enjoy your guitar playing to the fullest. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about not letting negative thoughts win. Today, we are looking at how to overcome defeatist thinking and not give up on your guitar-playing dreams. I’ve spoken about the Gatekeeper before in these podcasts, and today we are looking at what to do when he is winning. Over the years, I’ve heard people say things like “I wasn’t meant to play the guitar.” I always say anyone can play the guitar as long as they are physically able to play and mentally able to process the information. However, the randomness of everything available to learn guitar can make it challenging, and it can be difficult to stay positive on the journey. So, I talk about how to avoid getting lost in this process, I also talk about a funny story of me getting into trouble at school for printing off dozens of pages of TAB. The guitar should be a source of joy and fun, and in this episode, I give you some tips and ideas on how to make sure you’re enjoying the journey. This episode will help you learn how to stay persistent with your guitar dream, how not to give up, and keep improving on your guitar-playing journey. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about warm-ups. Today, we are looking at tips that will help you warm up your hands before you play. There’s nothing worse than trying to play with cold hands. This can be frustrating, painful, and can even lead to injuries. It’s especially challenging in wintertime when it’s freezing cold outside. It’s important to get your hands and fingers warmed up to a decent temperature. To help you do this, I give you some useful warm-up tips to get the blood flowing in your fingers. In addition to preventing injury, warm-ups also help you to get the most out of your guitar practice. In today’s episode, I talk about the different issues that might come up when you dive straight into your practice without a warm-up. I talk about ways to avoid the “Death Grip”, strumming mistakes, and other bad habits taught by the “Gatekeeper” of the Acoustic Asylum. This episode will help you start every practice session with a warm-up so that you can get the most out of your guitar playing and avoid injury and pain. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about gratitude and the power of gratitude. Today, we are looking at thankfulness as a guitarist, how gratitude can make people happier, and more. Gratitude is a powerful thing. Being grateful can help you be happier, physically healthier, and feel more optimistic about the future. The guitar can be a frustrating instrument, but focusing on gratitude can help you improve your attitude toward your guitar playing. Every time you overcome a little hurdle, remember to celebrate it and be grateful, even if it’s something small, like being able to play a chord. In today’s episode, I talk about how writing down what you’re grateful for can help you on your guitar journey, I talk about three things I’m grateful for, a trip I took that made me fall in love with music, and more. This episode will help you realise the power of gratitude, the importance of celebrating when you overcome little hurdles, and how to look forward with positivity. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!

This week’s episode is all about the musical magic of the ‘No Chord Fingerstyle’ method and Christmas songs. Today, we are looking at the main reasons why you should learn a couple of Christmas songs and how you can do this. Apart from the wonderful joy and cheer of being able to play a Christmas carol, it’s also a great way of measuring your progress each year when Christmas rolls around. It can be hard sometimes to see your progress day-to-day, but dusting off the old Christmas songs is a great way of seeing how far you’ve come. In today’s episode, I talk about what Christmas songs to learn and how to learn them, the benefits of measuring your progress, where to start if you’re a beginner, and how to “embellish” your Christmas tunes if you can already play them. I also talk about the histories of some famous Christmas songs, the new course I’m releasing called Christmas Crackers, and I’ll play a little medley of the songs in the course for you. To round off the episode, I reveal “The Gatekeeper’s” favourite Christmas song, so take a listen to find out which one it is. This episode will help you realise the benefits of tracking your progress, how Christmas carols can help you do this, and where to start if you want to learn some holiday tunes. You can get more tips, advice, and a powerful new free eBook on the 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum from me, Dan Thorpe, by joining the email list here – https://acousticasylum.com/ 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!