The Acoustic Asylum
If learning guitar leaves you feeling mad, frustrated, or like you want to tear your hair out, this podcast is for you. Dan Thorpe specialises in teaching beginner guitar lessons to older adults. If you want to discover Dan’s methods for the best way to learn guitar, to play easy guitar songs while having more fun, and to do so without feeling like you have a one-way ticket to the Acoustic Asylum, then listen closely and... Join us as Dan shares the best tips, tricks, and motivating stories from his 10,000+ hours of teaching beginner guitar songs and techniques... All of which will help you on your guitar-playing journey immediately. Get two free and exclusive eBooks and more unique lessons from fingerstyle101.com/free
Episodes

Jun 12, 2024
Jun 12, 2024
11 min
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!

Jun 9, 2024
Jun 9, 2024
9 min
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!

Jun 7, 2024
Jun 7, 2024
7 min
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!

Jun 5, 2024
Jun 5, 2024
8 min
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!

Jun 3, 2024
Jun 3, 2024
7 min
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!

Jun 2, 2024
Jun 2, 2024
8 min
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!

May 31, 2024
May 31, 2024
9 min
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!

May 29, 2024
May 29, 2024
7 min
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!

May 25, 2024
May 25, 2024
9 min
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!

May 24, 2024
May 24, 2024
5 min
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!



