The Acoustic Asylum

Is songwriting an art? Is it a science? Well, you tell me.
Personally, I see it as both. In this episode, I’m sharing a simple process with you on how to create some lovely music of your own. Everyone should write a song in their lifetime and anyone can do it!
 
Big thanks to my student, Larry, for inspiring this episode with the brilliant song he wrote for his wife on their 50th wedding anniversary.
 
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!

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!