Hi, everyone. I wanted to start us off with a comment to get the ball rolling. I would LOVE it if you could leave a short comment introducing yourself to the other members. ο»ΏIβm Dan Thorpe, from Birmingham, UK (not Alabama!). I love fingerpicking – Paul Simon, James Taylor, Tommy Emmanuel and about a gazillion others! My favourite thing about playing guitar is having some quiet time to play for myself (music is a great outlet for everything in life) and to jam with my 4 year old boy, Archie! I used to be terrible at guitar but after years… Read more »
Hey everyone, I would love to know what lessons you would like to learn. More on fingerpicking, Travis picking, chord changes, theory, jamming???… you name it, leave your ideas below!! This is the place to do so.
Hi Dan, I am an intermediate player, but am fascinated about finger style, and very anxious to get started. But i must admit i do struggle a bit with the dreaded Barr Chords, but am improving a bit. I am a Viet Nam vet, who suffers from PTSD, I am very private, so if you don’t hear much from me please understand. Thanks
Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for getting in touch. It`s great to have you here. Barre chords are tough but do make sure you take your time and use good technique with them.
No problem at all regarding being private and I hope you are doing well regarding the PTSD. Just know that the comments section and the mini-forum is there for you when needed. All the best.
Cool, for sure, let us know some more details. What sort of slaps and slides? The crazy stuff or solid on beats 2 and 4 type thing? What sort of guitarists have inspired this? (I ask, so I know I’m on the right path). π
No particular artist comes to mind but I would say on beats 2 and 4 nothing crazy (yet). Slapping all the strings I find okay, it’s the thumb slap I have trouble with on the low E A strings.
I have come across slaps in the odd piece of music, done right sounds amazing. Just something I would like to add to my repertoire.
Ah, okay cool, thanks for letting me know. The slaps on beats 2 and 4 are very cool. The grooves these can add are great. Will get something ready on this. π
If you would like to submit a video, you can add it to your comment by including a video LINK (for example, a YouTube, Vimeo, or Dropbox link). (Email Dan for help if you get stuck uploading a video)
YouTube and Vimeo links are the preferred video format. Make sure that your links are set to unlisted (not private!) and then only we will see it.
Hopefully, you have all noticed the new comments section at the bottom of each page in the DTAA! I would love for you to comment, ask questions and say “hi”!
Altavan Eck
2 days ago
Hi everyone, I am Alta from South Africa, I am almost 70 years old, and this is the first time ever in my life that I try to do guitar. It really seems not too easy for me, but I am sure with time I will progress and enjoy playing on the guitar for me and my family!
Hi Alta, welcome aboard. It’s an exciting time for you. The guitar is a challenge and everyone struggles with it at first so please don’t worry. Be patient, follow the lessons and enjoy the journey. I wish you all the best with the course. Let us know if you have any questions at any point. π
JFPollozec
2 days ago
Bonjour tout le monde !
Guess what ! I am french, so excuse me for the weirs twisted sentenses I may write.
I have been a fingpicking player on my Ovation custom balladeer 50 years ago.
And now I prepare my retirement by restarting playing guitar and piano.
I live in Mayotte island, little tropical island between Madagascar and Africa, right at the opposite side of the world from Hawaii…
Bonjour and welcome. Your English is more than great so no worries there. I wish you all the best in your retirement and enjoy the course. Let us know if you have any questions. π
TimPayne
3 days ago
Hi. I’m Tim, 73yo. Never played guitar before and just decided to give it a go.
Hi Tim, welcome aboard. I hope you enjoy the course and do keep us posted with how you get on or if you have any questions. π
John
3 days ago
Dan, Hate I missed the live version, but I really enjoyed watching the August 2026 call. The information presented really supported our recent emails and helped ease my mind. This will definitely give me a lot of direction.
Great stuff, thanks, Rich. Pleased you enjoyed the process of building the solo and the rhythm work too. Keep up the good practice and hopefully it inspires your own solos. π
rogercreagh
5 days ago
Having quite large fingers I do find that quite often plucking the B string with the ring finger, or the G string with the index it will touch the next string up and mute it if its ringing or sound it slightly if it is open – any tips to help with this (aside from sticking my fingers in a pencil sharpener!!!)
Yes, definitely no pencil sharpener needed! Iβd experiment a little with the angle of your hand and fingers. Even a tiny change can give you more clearance from the neighbouring string. Try to pluck slightly away from the next string rather than across into it, and practise it slowly until you find the angle that feels clean and natural. There isnβt one perfect position for everyone, so a bit of experimenting here is key. π
rogercreagh
5 days ago
Its surprising how this actually works!. After a few times looking just at fretting, which gets easy if you remember to keep the picking hand close to strings since there is only one involved, then check the picking hand and fairly quickly you are playing without looking.
Great stuff, pleased to hear it, Roger. Love that you remembered to keep the picking hand close to the strings and you have made progress with this so quickly. Keep it up. π
BarbaraFaulkner
6 days ago
Tried a few books and got very disheartened so stopped trying. Started your course and am excited about learning again. Only on Day 5 but have managed to close my eyes and play the piece. So chuffed. Iβm going to be a slow learner but the pace youβre setting is just right for me. Thank you so much.
That’s great to know, Barbara. Very pleasing you are excited and making great progress so far. Keep it up and keep enjoying the lessons at a pace that suits you. Also, keep us posted with how you get on. π
AbhiManerikar
6 days ago
Hi Dan, It’s been a bit of a break with travel, so I haven’t been playing for a while. I’m taking a look at the upgraded life academy, and the lessons I had previously checked off don’t seem to appear as finished here (?). Also, I liked that there were songs or melodies to try with each of the lessons, and it’s not obvious from the new headings where they are – or am I missing something?
Hi Abhi, glad you are back. Regarding the completed lessons, are you seeing any yellow checks on the lessons you have finished? If so, that is good. It may be that the pillars themselves don’t have the yellow checks because some of the pillars have new lessons or sections to check before they show as complete. As for the songs, please see the upgraded Song Library for all the songs (plus more). If any issues, let us know though. π
John
9 days ago
Dan, I just passed the 5th Star test & have found my 5th song. I believe it is going to be your Fingerstyle Blues song that is inspired by the likes of Mississippi John Hurt and Eric Clapton – part of your 12 Bar Blues Mini Class.
Well done, John. Big congratulations to you. I’ve added you to the 5-Star Honours Board now. Good stuff with the 5th song. Enjoy and let us know when it’s ready. π
rogercreagh
10 days ago
Yes I can see this is going to be useful. More structured than my current [now previous] warm up. And nice and simple.
Glad to hear it. Having a short and enjoyable warm up that covers some good ground is very useful. Keep enjoying it. π
GeoffCartwright
11 days ago
110
I chose the wrong picking finger because I was going through the quiz too quickly. So, I guess I got two wrongβ¦..how many times have we been told to βslow it downβ?..
Well done, John. You’ve been added to the Honours Board. Keep up the good practice and the super progress. π
Roseby
12 days ago
Loving this Dan, thank you.
Reinforcing what was covered in the Brainy Guitarist for me nicely.
Still practising what was covered in that, so haven’t sat and figured out my own combinations yet. Nice to be presented with something extra for me to play around with along the same theme.
Super stuff, thanks, Roseby. Delighted you’re enjoying this (and using the idea from the Brainy Guitarist). Keep us posted with how you get on, and hopefully it will inspire you even more. π
Jim
12 days ago
After passing the third star, I’ve decided I want to go back through the first three pillars before moving on to pillar four. I had forgotten about Your Most Awesome Musical Exercise Ever. I feel I brushed over it too quickly my first time through and want to spend more time on it this go round and make it a part of my daily warm up routine. Along with the stretch issues that I’m working on, this time I’m noticing how far my pinky flies away from the fretboard when the other fingers are fretting. Do you have any suggestions… Read more »
That’s great, Jim, and no problems doing that. The Awesome Musicality is a great one – so I’m pleased you’re going back to it and making it part of your routine. Regarding the pinkie, try this – play index and middle on frets 5-6 on each string, nice and slowly, and focus your attention on the pinkie and what it is doing… stopping to relax it and going slowly so you can control it. Let us know how you get on. π
Thank you for this; I was having trouble co-ordinating the movement of the fingers on my left-hand with those of my right and now I’m adding-in my foot! I’m struggling with whether my hands are following my foot tapping or vice versa. I’m like a puppet that’s had its strings cut!!!
Joking apart – I’m loving this course and may even be improving.
That’s great and love the puppet humour. Generally the fingers will follow the foot. A good way to check is to begin with the foot, get it steady and then see if it stays fairly steady when you begin playing. Keep it up! π
DouglasOwens
13 days ago
120. I don’t really like posting scores. The test was useful though (confirms I was paying attention). I have ‘played’ (after a fashion) for many years but still found elements of this course useful and enlightening. I am certainly going to explore distal joint exercises.
Well done. That’s great, thank for sharing, Douglas. Delighted it has helped you so far. Keep up the great practice and let us know how you continue. π
rogercreagh
13 days ago
Like Tania below I also don’t have much strength in my pinkie – and its bent inward (result of a break many years ago, never noticed it till I picked up a guitar), so a simple exercise like this to practice with it is good
That’s great. Finger injuries are very common. (I have the tip of my ring finger missing myself – just a small amount of flesh above the bone). That’s why simple exercises you can use good technique with are so useful. Cheers. π
rogercreagh
13 days ago
That was a really useful reminder – I’d done this before in a previous course of yours, but I think I had let it slip as I was grappling with more tricky chord changes. On revisiting this suddenly they seemed better. Also the conscious relaxing of tension everywhere, including the face, makes you smile and that helps a lot too. Tensed up and grimacing to relaxed and smiling as you play – great reminder. Thanks.
Glad to hear it, Roger. Reminders of things like this are key for sure. It’s great how you noticed the difference from before too! Yeah, smiling as you play is a great tip too – thanks for sharing. It helps relax you and enjoy it all the more. π
rogercreagh
13 days ago
Hi, Roger C-O from Cornwall, UK. I decided to to take up guitar a bit over two years ago soon after my 70th birthday. Started with in person lessons as I found a good local teacher and that got me through the first 18 months and able to play half a dozen chords and roughly play about 6 songs not quite up to the recorded speed. We focussed on one song at a time, right from the beginning. Having a weekly (or later fornightly), fixed time lesson became a bit difficult as I was away a lot so I found… Read more »
Welcome aboard, Roger. Glad you have enjoyed the journey so far and that Fingerstyle 101 has been helpful and enjoyable. It’s still early days so quite natural that reading the TAB is needed. The SSLA will help take your playing to the next level now, so enjoy and keep having fun. Any questions, we’re here to help. π
Hi Bill, if you scroll down you can click “next lesson” or go to the home page of any course and scroll down to see the contents, and click the lesson you are looking for. Let us know how you get on. π
RyanVargo
13 days ago
Been gone and off track for a while. Great refresher. Glad you gave us a place to jump back in. With so many options itβs hard to think of where to start.
Glad you’re back Ryan. Yeah, so many lessons out there. I hope you enjoy the new look Academy and it helps make the journey more focused for you. Keep it up. π
rogercreagh
14 days ago
Hi Roger from Cornwall here. Just watched the intro video, now to go off exploring. See you on the next page, Its sounding good, thanks.
My pleasure, and delighted it has helped. Make this a new habit now and you’ll enjoy your playing more for it. Well done! π
Debbie Jo Mitchell
14 days ago
Hi Dan! This lesson was great because I practiced playing the G chord by feeling my way thru it rather than by looking at what my fingers were doing. And, instead of placing my pinky first (a bad habit that I have been having trouble breaking), I fretted the low E first, and felt my way down towards the high E. A most remarkable thing happened: my pinky landed right where it needed to be, every time! Well, what do you know???
Hi Debbie Jo. Super stuff. It’s never easy changing up old habits but with focus, as you have shown, you can indeed break them. Well done to you on both counts. Keep it up and make this a new habit now. π
StephenWhite
15 days ago
Have loved learning this, can now play it all the way through sounds pretty good too, just need to learn the fill and end piece. Thanks Dan
That’s great, Stephen. Delighted to hear it. I know you’ve worked hard learning this so give yourself a big pat on the back and see this as a big step forward. Well done, buddy. π
StephenWhite
15 days ago
Hi Dan not really a comment more a question, before you upgraded life academy I could which lessons I had done and mark off new ones as I completed them as of now I canβt find my record of where I am. Be grateful for your advice, been absent for a while as I nearly gave up. Steve
Hi Steve, welcome back. When you open up each “pillar” in the 5-star journey you will see yellow checkmarks for lessons you’ve completed. It looks like you have completed a decent chunk of them, but if you want to start from scratch, I can clear them if you like? That may be the best thing to do – each time you go through the lessons they’ll benefit you. π
Hi Steve, welcome back. When you open up each “pillar” in the 5-star journey you will see yellow checkmarks for lessons you’ve completed. It looks like you have completed a decent chunk of them, but if you want to start from scratch, I can clear them if you like? That may be the best thing to do – each time you go through the lessons they’ll benefit you. π
Debbie Jo Mitchell
15 days ago
I do use a footstool, and also a cushion on my left leg to further bring the nut up. However, there is no way I can see to attach a strap to my guitar other than installing a button to the bottom of my guitar, which I prefer not to do. Do most guitars come with these buttons on the bottom?
That’s good. The strap is optional but useful as it keeps the guitar in a stable position. Most guitars have two buttons for straps but not all. I’d never drill a hole in the guitar (which is what some people do). Instead you can buy a strap extender which goes at the top of the neck. They do a good job. Let us know how you get on. π
GeoffCartwright
18 days ago
Hi everyone, Iβm Geoff from Wales. Iβm 68 and Iβve beer messing around on guitar for many years and getting nowhere fast. No structure or direction and no specific goal. Iβve found all of these in some of Dans other material. Itβs fingerstyle for me and Iβm really looking forward to Fingerstyle 101.
Hi Geoff, welcome aboard. Delighted you are enjoying the structure of the Six String Life Academy and other resources, and keep that up with Fingerstyle 101. Keep enjoying the journey. π
ColinThompson
19 days ago
What aboiut the position of your thumb? When single notes and chords ?
Generally the thumb should be flat on the neck – not hooked over the top of the neck. Having it hooked it over the top can cause the fingers to angle and mute strings when playing chords. Ideally use the same position for single notes. Also don’t keep the thumb rigid – it should be allowed to move up and down the neck freely. If you want more on this, let me know. I’ll find a video from another course for this where I cover it and share it here. π
MandyEaster
19 days ago
Hatred for Metronomes seems wide spread…however this lesson does seem interesting and relevant..thoroughly enjoying this course Dan!
Haha, yeah, it fills people with dread for sure! Glad you’ve enjoyed this kickstarter for using a metronome and hopefully you’ll find using one fun! π
MandyEaster
19 days ago
Hi Dan, I was able to sign up for this course πIts awesome! Full of information and great tips, many thanks π
I think this is the page you mean, John. Unless you are talking about another page?
RoxanneHobbs
25 days ago
I just wanted to be the first to comment, just to let you know Iβm paying attention to the changes. Donβt have any suggestions just yet but I appreciate how much you care about us in the Academy.
That’s great, thanks, Roxanne. Much appreciate it and it’s my pleasure. I love teaching and seeing you all improve and enjoy it, so the improvements are absolutely worth the time. I hope you enjoy the changes. π
ThomasDziadosz
26 days ago
Tom from US. Trying to play for years. 75 years old with some knowledge but want to strengthen the basics, looking forward to the fessons
Hi Tom, welcome aboard. Glad to see you here. Enjoy the lessons and do let us know how you get on or if you have any questions. Cheers. π
SteveMcCormack
27 days ago
I was a teenager when one day deciding to buy a cheap guitar and a book to learn it, but stuck with it. The action was too high so it made playing impossible. Many years later my wife bought me a decent Yamaha F-310 for Christmas and I made an effort to learn but that soon dissipated. 10 years later and I now have an electric and bass hung on the wall, just for show LOL. A couple of months ago I met a guy who said come along and join another lad he was teaching bass. Now finally I’m… Read more »
Hi Steve, welcome aboard. Yeah, a high action is never great. It makes learning harder and encourages things like the “Death Grip”, but the Yamaha will be much, much better I’m sure. I love Yamahas myself. Great stuff getting motivated. Stick with it and enjoy Romanza. π
TeresaHalvorson
28 days ago
I cannot seem to find the jam Buddy – can you tell me where to find it?
Please! Maybe add it to the sidebar? I have been looking for a few things and havenβt been able to find them today. It may be just me or it may be that things have been moving but I thought maybe the Jam Buddy could help me find some of them. Still havenβt found Archieβs Song – wanted to hear how you played it compared to how I play it.
Tomorrow we will make one more big change before finalising this update. It will be a new songs page so that should be easier to find. While we are there, JamBuddy will be moved to a more prominent place too. Let us know if you can remember, which other pages you were looking for. Thanks
All these students posting their ages and stages are really inspiring! I am 65 and have played guitar since I was 11. I taught myself (first playing with open tuning and using a dinner knife handle to bar chords (so no minor chords for me!). I gradually learned to play nearly anything I wanted to play by ear in Key of G Forms or C Forms (so I would capo for different keys). I suck at barre chords…only ever nailed the F#m because I really needed it. I never learned proper form and that has really held me back on… Read more »
Hi Paula, welcome aboard. It sounds super interesting using a dinner knife handle to play barres. In all my time teaching, I’ve not come across that before. Creative! I hope you enjoy the course and learn plenty. Let us know how you get on and enjoy. Cheers. π
FredWatts
29 days ago
Hi Dan, On the question identifying then C Add9 chord the chord diagram appears incorrect with only 3 notes identified whereas there should be 4 – I may be wrong but worth checking.
Like the new format and am working through the new lessons.
kind regards
Fred
Hi Fred, good question. It’s a Cadd9 played a slightly different way. You can play it with an open high E string or 3rd high E string. Both versions feature the four notes in that chord which are C E G D. Let us know if that makes sense. Glad you’re enjoying the new format. π
CarolShewan
29 days ago
I did the quiz and it gave me a result, but I couldn’t get it to scroll down. It said practice this for 7 days, not sure what “this” was. Then it went back to the start of the quiz.
Thanks for letting us know, Carol. There is a scroll bar on the side of the quiz. I’ve emailed you the results of the quiz. Let us know if any issues. Thanks. π
suejulene
30 days ago
I need to buy a capo! Havenβt had one since the 70s!
Good stuff, they are a great tool. Hope you enjoy the course and your new capo. π
Roseby
30 days ago
Awesome course. Thanks for this Dan.
First introduction to the Blues Belt and love it. So few notes, sounding great the way you play it. Jammed along myself and I was pleasantly surprised how what I was playing sounded reasonably decent.
This course nicely opening my eyes to the repeating patterns of the notes through the six strings.
Excited to try some bits on the guitar to see how my application of the Blues Belt sounds for some other notes.
Cheers, Roseby. Pleased you enjoyed it. I love minimising the number of notes like this, and the blues belt shows how much fun can be had with just four. Pleased you enjoyed jamming it too. Great stuff. π
Roseby
30 days ago
Absolutely love this Dan. My introduction to dyads.
Drawn up the notes for the Em scale on a chart, that I’m always referring to, and trying to learn, but struggling to use it by myself to make something sounding good.
The idea of plucking the strumming pattern for the chord progression on the notes of the scale has never occurred to me. It sounds so sweet – nice!
The points covered in the course so far have given me a lot to think about and somehow try and apply. Loads of practise ahead.
That’s great, Roseby. Sounds like you have plenty to enjoy practicing. Yeah, what you mention is a great way of turning your strum patterns into melodic picking. Enjoy. π
I love the instant feedback on the quizzes. I lost a lot of the lessons that I had completed due to the upgrade, so I thought I’d take the quizzes again.
That’s great to know. Thanks, Brian. Keep up the good practice. π
Jonty
1 month ago
This is a good challenge! This might be a stupid question, but how do you strum up and down with your finger/thumb? When I strum down it’s with my index finger nail and sounds really sharp, but when I strum up I either try to use the same nail and it gets caught on the sixth string, or I use the pad of my finger and it sounds much ‘softer’. I hope that makes sense – do I just need to get harder skin on the tip of my finger?
Glad you’re enjoying it. Not a stupid question at all. Strumming is a delicate art. No need for harder skin. I strum down with the nail and up with the flesh. Personally, I love the contrast of the brighter sound and the mellow sound. Adds depth. It may be that your downstrums are a bit tense or aggressive (that’s common). I’d relax the finger, practice downstrums on their own, and upstrums on their own, and aim to get a sound with both that you like, then gradually put it together. It does take time refining an ideal strumming tone. Also,… Read more »
Curious what other students have experienced with this course?
See their comments here βο»Ώ
Great tips Dan super duper π
Cheers, Angie. Glad to hear you like the lesson. Keep coming back to it too. π
Hi, everyone. I wanted to start us off with a comment to get the ball rolling. I would LOVE it if you could leave a short comment introducing yourself to the other members. ο»ΏIβm Dan Thorpe, from Birmingham, UK (not Alabama!). I love fingerpicking – Paul Simon, James Taylor, Tommy Emmanuel and about a gazillion others! My favourite thing about playing guitar is having some quiet time to play for myself (music is a great outlet for everything in life) and to jam with my 4 year old boy, Archie! I used to be terrible at guitar but after years… Read more »
Hey everyone, I would love to know what lessons you would like to learn. More on fingerpicking, Travis picking, chord changes, theory, jamming???… you name it, leave your ideas below!! This is the place to do so.
Hi Dan, I am an intermediate player, but am fascinated about finger style, and very anxious to get started. But i must admit i do struggle a bit with the dreaded Barr Chords, but am improving a bit. I am a Viet Nam vet, who suffers from PTSD, I am very private, so if you don’t hear much from me please understand. Thanks
Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for getting in touch. It`s great to have you here. Barre chords are tough but do make sure you take your time and use good technique with them.
No problem at all regarding being private and I hope you are doing well regarding the PTSD. Just know that the comments section and the mini-forum is there for you when needed. All the best.
I would love to see some lessons on guitar slaps and slides please. That is if you possibly find time in your busy schedule.
Cool, for sure, let us know some more details. What sort of slaps and slides? The crazy stuff or solid on beats 2 and 4 type thing? What sort of guitarists have inspired this? (I ask, so I know I’m on the right path). π
No particular artist comes to mind but I would say on beats 2 and 4 nothing crazy (yet). Slapping all the strings I find okay, it’s the thumb slap I have trouble with on the low E A strings.
I have come across slaps in the odd piece of music, done right sounds amazing. Just something I would like to add to my repertoire.
Ah, okay cool, thanks for letting me know. The slaps on beats 2 and 4 are very cool. The grooves these can add are great. Will get something ready on this. π
If you would like to submit a video, you can add it to your comment by including a video LINK (for example, a YouTube, Vimeo, or Dropbox link). (Email Dan for help if you get stuck uploading a video)
YouTube and Vimeo links are the preferred video format. Make sure that your links are set to unlisted (not private!) and then only we will see it.
Post your video below…
Hopefully, you have all noticed the new comments section at the bottom of each page in the DTAA! I would love for you to comment, ask questions and say “hi”!
Hi everyone, I am Alta from South Africa, I am almost 70 years old, and this is the first time ever in my life that I try to do guitar. It really seems not too easy for me, but I am sure with time I will progress and enjoy playing on the guitar for me and my family!
Hi Alta, welcome aboard. It’s an exciting time for you. The guitar is a challenge and everyone struggles with it at first so please don’t worry. Be patient, follow the lessons and enjoy the journey. I wish you all the best with the course. Let us know if you have any questions at any point. π
Bonjour tout le monde !
Guess what ! I am french, so excuse me for the weirs twisted sentenses I may write.
I have been a fingpicking player on my Ovation custom balladeer 50 years ago.
And now I prepare my retirement by restarting playing guitar and piano.
I live in Mayotte island, little tropical island between Madagascar and Africa, right at the opposite side of the world from Hawaii…
Bonjour and welcome. Your English is more than great so no worries there. I wish you all the best in your retirement and enjoy the course. Let us know if you have any questions. π
Hi. I’m Tim, 73yo. Never played guitar before and just decided to give it a go.
Hi Tim, welcome aboard. I hope you enjoy the course and do keep us posted with how you get on or if you have any questions. π
Dan, Hate I missed the live version, but I really enjoyed watching the August 2026 call. The information presented really supported our recent emails and helped ease my mind. This will definitely give me a lot of direction.
Glad you enjoyed the replay, John and very pleased it helped ease your mind too. Cheers. π
Really good lesson Dan. I enjoyed the end to end view of building a solo as well as seeing and being able to play the rythmn.
Great stuff, thanks, Rich. Pleased you enjoyed the process of building the solo and the rhythm work too. Keep up the good practice and hopefully it inspires your own solos. π
Having quite large fingers I do find that quite often plucking the B string with the ring finger, or the G string with the index it will touch the next string up and mute it if its ringing or sound it slightly if it is open – any tips to help with this (aside from sticking my fingers in a pencil sharpener!!!)
Yes, definitely no pencil sharpener needed! Iβd experiment a little with the angle of your hand and fingers. Even a tiny change can give you more clearance from the neighbouring string. Try to pluck slightly away from the next string rather than across into it, and practise it slowly until you find the angle that feels clean and natural. There isnβt one perfect position for everyone, so a bit of experimenting here is key. π
Its surprising how this actually works!. After a few times looking just at fretting, which gets easy if you remember to keep the picking hand close to strings since there is only one involved, then check the picking hand and fairly quickly you are playing without looking.
Great stuff, pleased to hear it, Roger. Love that you remembered to keep the picking hand close to the strings and you have made progress with this so quickly. Keep it up. π
Tried a few books and got very disheartened so stopped trying. Started your course and am excited about learning again. Only on Day 5 but have managed to close my eyes and play the piece. So chuffed. Iβm going to be a slow learner but the pace youβre setting is just right for me. Thank you so much.
That’s great to know, Barbara. Very pleasing you are excited and making great progress so far. Keep it up and keep enjoying the lessons at a pace that suits you. Also, keep us posted with how you get on. π
Hi Dan, It’s been a bit of a break with travel, so I haven’t been playing for a while. I’m taking a look at the upgraded life academy, and the lessons I had previously checked off don’t seem to appear as finished here (?). Also, I liked that there were songs or melodies to try with each of the lessons, and it’s not obvious from the new headings where they are – or am I missing something?
Hi Abhi, glad you are back. Regarding the completed lessons, are you seeing any yellow checks on the lessons you have finished? If so, that is good. It may be that the pillars themselves don’t have the yellow checks because some of the pillars have new lessons or sections to check before they show as complete. As for the songs, please see the upgraded Song Library for all the songs (plus more). If any issues, let us know though. π
Dan, I just passed the 5th Star test & have found my 5th song. I believe it is going to be your Fingerstyle Blues song that is inspired by the likes of Mississippi John Hurt and Eric Clapton – part of your 12 Bar Blues Mini Class.
Well done, John. Big congratulations to you. I’ve added you to the 5-Star Honours Board now. Good stuff with the 5th song. Enjoy and let us know when it’s ready. π
Yes I can see this is going to be useful. More structured than my current [now previous] warm up. And nice and simple.
Glad to hear it. Having a short and enjoyable warm up that covers some good ground is very useful. Keep enjoying it. π
110
I chose the wrong picking finger because I was going through the quiz too quickly. So, I guess I got two wrongβ¦..how many times have we been told to βslow it downβ?..
Good fun and lesson leaned.
Good stuff, Geoff. It’s quite natural to rush in many ways, but yeah, slowing down is key. Enjoy the process too, which it seems like you are. π
I passed the Star 4 Assessment.
Well done, John. You’ve been added to the Honours Board. Keep up the good practice and the super progress. π
Loving this Dan, thank you.
Reinforcing what was covered in the Brainy Guitarist for me nicely.
Still practising what was covered in that, so haven’t sat and figured out my own combinations yet. Nice to be presented with something extra for me to play around with along the same theme.
Super stuff, thanks, Roseby. Delighted you’re enjoying this (and using the idea from the Brainy Guitarist). Keep us posted with how you get on, and hopefully it will inspire you even more. π
After passing the third star, I’ve decided I want to go back through the first three pillars before moving on to pillar four. I had forgotten about Your Most Awesome Musical Exercise Ever. I feel I brushed over it too quickly my first time through and want to spend more time on it this go round and make it a part of my daily warm up routine. Along with the stretch issues that I’m working on, this time I’m noticing how far my pinky flies away from the fretboard when the other fingers are fretting. Do you have any suggestions… Read more »
That’s great, Jim, and no problems doing that. The Awesome Musicality is a great one – so I’m pleased you’re going back to it and making it part of your routine. Regarding the pinkie, try this – play index and middle on frets 5-6 on each string, nice and slowly, and focus your attention on the pinkie and what it is doing… stopping to relax it and going slowly so you can control it. Let us know how you get on. π
hq@guitardomination.net does not exist.
Hi. Were you trying to email this address?
Thank you for this; I was having trouble co-ordinating the movement of the fingers on my left-hand with those of my right and now I’m adding-in my foot! I’m struggling with whether my hands are following my foot tapping or vice versa. I’m like a puppet that’s had its strings cut!!!
Joking apart – I’m loving this course and may even be improving.
That’s great and love the puppet humour. Generally the fingers will follow the foot. A good way to check is to begin with the foot, get it steady and then see if it stays fairly steady when you begin playing. Keep it up! π
120. I don’t really like posting scores. The test was useful though (confirms I was paying attention). I have ‘played’ (after a fashion) for many years but still found elements of this course useful and enlightening. I am certainly going to explore distal joint exercises.
Well done. That’s great, thank for sharing, Douglas. Delighted it has helped you so far. Keep up the great practice and let us know how you continue. π
Like Tania below I also don’t have much strength in my pinkie – and its bent inward (result of a break many years ago, never noticed it till I picked up a guitar), so a simple exercise like this to practice with it is good
That’s great. Finger injuries are very common. (I have the tip of my ring finger missing myself – just a small amount of flesh above the bone). That’s why simple exercises you can use good technique with are so useful. Cheers. π
That was a really useful reminder – I’d done this before in a previous course of yours, but I think I had let it slip as I was grappling with more tricky chord changes. On revisiting this suddenly they seemed better. Also the conscious relaxing of tension everywhere, including the face, makes you smile and that helps a lot too. Tensed up and grimacing to relaxed and smiling as you play – great reminder. Thanks.
Glad to hear it, Roger. Reminders of things like this are key for sure. It’s great how you noticed the difference from before too! Yeah, smiling as you play is a great tip too – thanks for sharing. It helps relax you and enjoy it all the more. π
Hi, Roger C-O from Cornwall, UK. I decided to to take up guitar a bit over two years ago soon after my 70th birthday. Started with in person lessons as I found a good local teacher and that got me through the first 18 months and able to play half a dozen chords and roughly play about 6 songs not quite up to the recorded speed. We focussed on one song at a time, right from the beginning. Having a weekly (or later fornightly), fixed time lesson became a bit difficult as I was away a lot so I found… Read more »
Welcome aboard, Roger. Glad you have enjoyed the journey so far and that Fingerstyle 101 has been helpful and enjoyable. It’s still early days so quite natural that reading the TAB is needed. The SSLA will help take your playing to the next level now, so enjoy and keep having fun. Any questions, we’re here to help. π
How do I get to day 2?
Hi Bill, if you scroll down you can click “next lesson” or go to the home page of any course and scroll down to see the contents, and click the lesson you are looking for. Let us know how you get on. π
Been gone and off track for a while. Great refresher. Glad you gave us a place to jump back in. With so many options itβs hard to think of where to start.
Glad you’re back Ryan. Yeah, so many lessons out there. I hope you enjoy the new look Academy and it helps make the journey more focused for you. Keep it up. π
Hi Roger from Cornwall here. Just watched the intro video, now to go off exploring. See you on the next page, Its sounding good, thanks.
Hi Roger, welcome aboard. I hope you’re enjoying the SSLA so far. keep us posted with how you progress and enjoy! π
Great lesson!! Thank you for the tips on saving my fingertips π
My pleasure, and delighted it has helped. Make this a new habit now and you’ll enjoy your playing more for it. Well done! π
Hi Dan! This lesson was great because I practiced playing the G chord by feeling my way thru it rather than by looking at what my fingers were doing. And, instead of placing my pinky first (a bad habit that I have been having trouble breaking), I fretted the low E first, and felt my way down towards the high E. A most remarkable thing happened: my pinky landed right where it needed to be, every time! Well, what do you know???
Hi Debbie Jo. Super stuff. It’s never easy changing up old habits but with focus, as you have shown, you can indeed break them. Well done to you on both counts. Keep it up and make this a new habit now. π
Have loved learning this, can now play it all the way through sounds pretty good too, just need to learn the fill and end piece. Thanks Dan
That’s great, Stephen. Delighted to hear it. I know you’ve worked hard learning this so give yourself a big pat on the back and see this as a big step forward. Well done, buddy. π
Hi Dan not really a comment more a question, before you upgraded life academy I could which lessons I had done and mark off new ones as I completed them as of now I canβt find my record of where I am. Be grateful for your advice, been absent for a while as I nearly gave up. Steve
Hi Steve, welcome back. When you open up each “pillar” in the 5-star journey you will see yellow checkmarks for lessons you’ve completed. It looks like you have completed a decent chunk of them, but if you want to start from scratch, I can clear them if you like? That may be the best thing to do – each time you go through the lessons they’ll benefit you. π
Hi Steve, welcome back. When you open up each “pillar” in the 5-star journey you will see yellow checkmarks for lessons you’ve completed. It looks like you have completed a decent chunk of them, but if you want to start from scratch, I can clear them if you like? That may be the best thing to do – each time you go through the lessons they’ll benefit you. π
I do use a footstool, and also a cushion on my left leg to further bring the nut up. However, there is no way I can see to attach a strap to my guitar other than installing a button to the bottom of my guitar, which I prefer not to do. Do most guitars come with these buttons on the bottom?
That’s good. The strap is optional but useful as it keeps the guitar in a stable position. Most guitars have two buttons for straps but not all. I’d never drill a hole in the guitar (which is what some people do). Instead you can buy a strap extender which goes at the top of the neck. They do a good job. Let us know how you get on. π
Hi everyone, Iβm Geoff from Wales. Iβm 68 and Iβve beer messing around on guitar for many years and getting nowhere fast. No structure or direction and no specific goal. Iβve found all of these in some of Dans other material. Itβs fingerstyle for me and Iβm really looking forward to Fingerstyle 101.
Hi Geoff, welcome aboard. Delighted you are enjoying the structure of the Six String Life Academy and other resources, and keep that up with Fingerstyle 101. Keep enjoying the journey. π
What aboiut the position of your thumb? When single notes and chords ?
Generally the thumb should be flat on the neck – not hooked over the top of the neck. Having it hooked it over the top can cause the fingers to angle and mute strings when playing chords. Ideally use the same position for single notes. Also don’t keep the thumb rigid – it should be allowed to move up and down the neck freely. If you want more on this, let me know. I’ll find a video from another course for this where I cover it and share it here. π
Hatred for Metronomes seems wide spread…however this lesson does seem interesting and relevant..thoroughly enjoying this course Dan!
Haha, yeah, it fills people with dread for sure! Glad you’ve enjoyed this kickstarter for using a metronome and hopefully you’ll find using one fun! π
Hi Dan, I was able to sign up for this course πIts awesome! Full of information and great tips, many thanks π
Hi Mandy, delighted to hear it. Super pleased you’re enjoying this so far. Keep up the great practice. π
Dan,
Where is the page where we were able to see all the questions and answers from you & other members?
I think this is the page you mean, John. Unless you are talking about another page?
I just wanted to be the first to comment, just to let you know Iβm paying attention to the changes. Donβt have any suggestions just yet but I appreciate how much you care about us in the Academy.
That’s great, thanks, Roxanne. Much appreciate it and it’s my pleasure. I love teaching and seeing you all improve and enjoy it, so the improvements are absolutely worth the time. I hope you enjoy the changes. π
Tom from US. Trying to play for years. 75 years old with some knowledge but want to strengthen the basics, looking forward to the fessons
Hi Tom, welcome aboard. Glad to see you here. Enjoy the lessons and do let us know how you get on or if you have any questions. Cheers. π
I was a teenager when one day deciding to buy a cheap guitar and a book to learn it, but stuck with it. The action was too high so it made playing impossible. Many years later my wife bought me a decent Yamaha F-310 for Christmas and I made an effort to learn but that soon dissipated. 10 years later and I now have an electric and bass hung on the wall, just for show LOL. A couple of months ago I met a guy who said come along and join another lad he was teaching bass. Now finally I’m… Read more »
Hi Steve, welcome aboard. Yeah, a high action is never great. It makes learning harder and encourages things like the “Death Grip”, but the Yamaha will be much, much better I’m sure. I love Yamahas myself. Great stuff getting motivated. Stick with it and enjoy Romanza. π
I cannot seem to find the jam Buddy – can you tell me where to find it?
It’s in the “practice hub” found on the members area. We can make it more prominent if you like though. π
Please! Maybe add it to the sidebar? I have been looking for a few things and havenβt been able to find them today. It may be just me or it may be that things have been moving but I thought maybe the Jam Buddy could help me find some of them. Still havenβt found Archieβs Song – wanted to hear how you played it compared to how I play it.
Shoot! Jam buddy did not find Archieβs Song either. Where does it live?
Thanks for letting us know. Here is Archie’s song. Updates on the songs page making them easier to find, will come tomorrow. π
Tomorrow we will make one more big change before finalising this update. It will be a new songs page so that should be easier to find. While we are there, JamBuddy will be moved to a more prominent place too. Let us know if you can remember, which other pages you were looking for. Thanks
Love the new song index!
Great stuff, delighted to hear it. π
All these students posting their ages and stages are really inspiring! I am 65 and have played guitar since I was 11. I taught myself (first playing with open tuning and using a dinner knife handle to bar chords (so no minor chords for me!). I gradually learned to play nearly anything I wanted to play by ear in Key of G Forms or C Forms (so I would capo for different keys). I suck at barre chords…only ever nailed the F#m because I really needed it. I never learned proper form and that has really held me back on… Read more »
Hi Paula, welcome aboard. It sounds super interesting using a dinner knife handle to play barres. In all my time teaching, I’ve not come across that before. Creative! I hope you enjoy the course and learn plenty. Let us know how you get on and enjoy. Cheers. π
Hi Dan, On the question identifying then C Add9 chord the chord diagram appears incorrect with only 3 notes identified whereas there should be 4 – I may be wrong but worth checking.
Like the new format and am working through the new lessons.
kind regards
Fred
Hi Fred, good question. It’s a Cadd9 played a slightly different way. You can play it with an open high E string or 3rd high E string. Both versions feature the four notes in that chord which are C E G D. Let us know if that makes sense. Glad you’re enjoying the new format. π
I did the quiz and it gave me a result, but I couldn’t get it to scroll down. It said practice this for 7 days, not sure what “this” was. Then it went back to the start of the quiz.
Thanks for letting us know, Carol. There is a scroll bar on the side of the quiz. I’ve emailed you the results of the quiz. Let us know if any issues. Thanks. π
I need to buy a capo! Havenβt had one since the 70s!
Good stuff, they are a great tool. Hope you enjoy the course and your new capo. π
Awesome course. Thanks for this Dan.
First introduction to the Blues Belt and love it. So few notes, sounding great the way you play it. Jammed along myself and I was pleasantly surprised how what I was playing sounded reasonably decent.
This course nicely opening my eyes to the repeating patterns of the notes through the six strings.
Excited to try some bits on the guitar to see how my application of the Blues Belt sounds for some other notes.
Cheers, Roseby. Pleased you enjoyed it. I love minimising the number of notes like this, and the blues belt shows how much fun can be had with just four. Pleased you enjoyed jamming it too. Great stuff. π
Absolutely love this Dan. My introduction to dyads.
Drawn up the notes for the Em scale on a chart, that I’m always referring to, and trying to learn, but struggling to use it by myself to make something sounding good.
The idea of plucking the strumming pattern for the chord progression on the notes of the scale has never occurred to me. It sounds so sweet – nice!
The points covered in the course so far have given me a lot to think about and somehow try and apply. Loads of practise ahead.
That’s great, Roseby. Sounds like you have plenty to enjoy practicing. Yeah, what you mention is a great way of turning your strum patterns into melodic picking. Enjoy. π
That F explanation is really great.
Great stuff, thanks! π
I love the instant feedback on the quizzes. I lost a lot of the lessons that I had completed due to the upgrade, so I thought I’d take the quizzes again.
Thanks, Leslie. Pleased to hear that change is helpful. I hope you’re enjoying the updates. π
Just a reminder to send us an email on what is new in the In Focus Essentials?
Thank you!
Cheers John. Updates still happening but will get this done ASAP. π
hi, 77 yr old here
Hi Colin, welcome aboard. I hope you enjoy the lessons and let us know how you get on or if you have any questions. π
The Clearest description of Metronome use that I have watched.
That’s great to know. Thanks, Brian. Keep up the good practice. π
This is a good challenge! This might be a stupid question, but how do you strum up and down with your finger/thumb? When I strum down it’s with my index finger nail and sounds really sharp, but when I strum up I either try to use the same nail and it gets caught on the sixth string, or I use the pad of my finger and it sounds much ‘softer’. I hope that makes sense – do I just need to get harder skin on the tip of my finger?
Glad you’re enjoying it. Not a stupid question at all. Strumming is a delicate art. No need for harder skin. I strum down with the nail and up with the flesh. Personally, I love the contrast of the brighter sound and the mellow sound. Adds depth. It may be that your downstrums are a bit tense or aggressive (that’s common). I’d relax the finger, practice downstrums on their own, and upstrums on their own, and aim to get a sound with both that you like, then gradually put it together. It does take time refining an ideal strumming tone. Also,… Read more »