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. ๏ปฟIโm 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). ๐
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. ๐
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”!
Interesting! After playing for many years in the conventional position, the classical with strap does seem to take out a lot of effort from playing. Also, I was struggling to get the nut up to shoulder height until I realised the guitar I was using has a much smaller ‘parlour’ sized body compared to Dan’s dreadnought!
Glad to hear it, Peter. It is a little tricky to adjust to at first but yes, the classical position is so powerful. Glad you have it sorted with your guitar, and do let us know how you continue on with it, and welcome to the DTAA. ๐
Hi yโall, Iโm Sandy Williams from McKinney, Texas.
This is my second month in the DTAA. I started playing about two years ago. Initially with in person lessons, resulting in wrist tendinitis in my fretting hand, took 5-6 months to heal and happened again trying to learn bar chords. Sorely needed Dans in depth lessons! Iโm been jumping around the website but need to slow down and focus. I love finger picking, been working on Blackbird and Landslide (would love to learn some Dan Fogelberg). I suck at timing/musicality, so lots of room for improvement there.
Ever On!
Hi Sandy, welcome aboard. Sorry to hear about the past issues you had. Such a shame but glad you are healing and now on the right path. Very pleased you are enjoying yourself, and yes, slow it down, enjoy the journey – progress is often faster that way, as ironic as that is. Keep enjoying yourself and let us know if you have any questions. ๐
Hi all, my name is Larry. I live in Port Elgin Ontario Canada. It’s a small town on the shores of Lake Huron. I am very excited about learning to play guitar. I just love the sound of an acoustic guitar in the hands of someone who can play it. I want that someone to be me. I play for myself and my family strumming and singing. I really want to learn fingerstyle as well. I look forward to learning with the group.
Hi Larry, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here. Sounds like a great place to live. Excited for you on this journey. Do keep enjoying the journey and let us know if you have any questions at any point. Let’s make it all happen for you now. ๐
I’ve just begun my journey with DTAA this week and am working through the 30-Day Plan. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned already…things no one has ever told or taught me before. Learning the 3 P’s has moved several obstacles for me. Amazing! This has given me so much more enthusiasm to simply practice the small things and have fun while doing it. Kudos to you, Dan Thorpe!
Thanks, that’s great to know. Keep up the excellent start and do keep revisiting the 3Ps – as you know they are super powerful and will keep helping the more you use them. Well done for the progress so far, Christie. ๐
Hi, I’m David. Been wanting to learn guitar. I’m 70 so I figured I need to start> LOL. I just want to learn to be able to play for myself. Fingerstyle is want to learn. looking forward to Dan’s lessons.
Hi David, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here. Sounds like you are in the right place for sure. Fingerstyle is the best. Keep logging in, using the lessons, and having fun playing for yourself. Any questions, do let us know. ๐
G’day all, my name is Steve, and I am from Melbourne, Australia. I am 64 years young and feel like I have been a “Beginner” for about 8 years or more. Really, I am not sure how long it has been – not because of a failing memory, but because I feel like I have never even reached my first guitar-playing “milestone” – whatever that is (and I use the term “playing” very loosely !) I am what I think could best be described as a 3-chord strummer, suffering from delusions of mediocrity. I have never had a solid clearly-defined… Read more »
Hi Steve, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here. It sounds like you have some of the groundwork down and sorted which is good. Now, hopefully you will find the DTAA will help to refine everything and give you much more clarity. The In Focus course will really help with technique, and the “5-Star” Award will give you long term goals. You’ll also find the daily workouts to be very helpful by the sound of it too. Most of all, enjoy and let us know how you get on or if you have any questions. ๐
Greetings all! My name is Neil and I started playing guitar 40+ years ago. Actually played professionally in a C&W band for a few years so I thought I was pretty good. Then I moved to Austin, TX and was immediately disheartened to come across SO many really talented musicians that I believed put me to shame…so I sold my electric guitar/amp. I held on one acoustic (that I picked up every few years for about 10 minutes) so I basically went 25 years NOT playing…Then in 2015 my boss wanted to form a band to play at our company… Read more »
Hi Neil, thanks for the introduction and telling us your backstory. Very cool that you played in a pro C&W band! So cool that you got back on the saddle so to speak and got ready in super fast time. Nothing like having a goal! Very pleased you are here and I hope you find everything you need on your journey to take you to the next level. Any questions, do let us know. ๐
Hi all, I am Jim from Idaho, USA. I am 62 years old and recently retired. I always said when I retired I would learn guitar, for myself but motivated as a tribute to a late friend/college roommate. I think eventually I want to get to fingerstyle, but letโs see where the journey takes me. I have been wandering through YouTube on my guitar journey thus far and decided to try a little more focus, so here I am!
Hi Jim, thanks for the introduction and welcome aboard. Yeah, YouTube can be full of so much randomness, but I am glad you are here. Take your time getting started and then dive in. Hope you find this gives you exactly the focus you need – any questions, do let us know. ๐
I like this a lot, Dan! It actually looks like it will organize what I do and point out what I’m neglecting. I see already that I need to brush up on the fretboard. I used to know it pretty well, but…
Thanks, Pamela. Glad to hear it. For sure, and I am glad you are finding it helpful so far. Having clarity and a way to align everything you know in one place is great, and I hope you find that the “5-Star” Award and DTAA is that place. Do let us know how you get on. ๐
Hi Pamela, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here and I hope you are enjoying each moment of it so far. Good luck but more importantly, I wish you good practice. ๐ Enjoy and any questions let us know. Thanks ๐
Hello, everyone! My name is Christie and I’m from Minnesota, USA. I’ve been dabbling in playing musical instruments since I was in junior high school. I started with piano, clarinet, and violin, but found my passion in acoustic guitar. I took private tutor lessons years ago, but my instructor didn’t really teach me anything. He jumped right into “showing me” how to play a couple cords, not by teaching me the names of the strings or notes on the strings, but by physically placing my fingers and then telling me to strum. That’s literally all we did for an entire… Read more »
Hi Christie, welcome aboard. What a cool bunch of instruments you have dabbled with! Wow, sorry to hear about your past with the teacher. It’s a shame there are folk like that out there making things so much harder than they need be. So cool how you have enjoyed Fingerstyle 101 and Breakthrough Beginner and my (bad) sense of humour! Anyway, enjoy and let us know how you get on. ๐
Hi, my name is Terry and I live in the Chicago area in US. I’m 54 and have been noodling with music for the past 10 years or so – dabbling with guitar, ukulele, piano (barely) and voice. I’ve followed Dan Thorpe’s Elite Guitarist for many years and have purchased courses in the past. But spread myself too thin to make any real progress, so want to try a more focused approach to fingerstyle guitar and see how much I can improve following this process.
Hi Terry, thanks for the intro and welcome aboard. Very cool to read about your dabbling with other instruments. Glad you are here now in the DTAA – as long as you use it, it will really help you focus on the right stuff and make real progress. If you have any questions at any point, do let us know and welcome! ๐
Hello, I’m Peter. I’m originally from the northeast of England but now I’m a proud Western Australian living in the city of Perth on the west coast of Australia. I’m 56 years old and I’ve been able to strum basic chords the guitar since I took a few free lessons at school when I was 12. A few years ago I started up a small band with a couple of friends intending to play cover versions of songs but discovered the joy of writing my own songs and have written around over one hundred in the last 3 years –… Read more »
Welcome aboard, Peter. Weather is a bit nicer there in Perth than the northeast I bet (although I imagine you hear that all the time). The band Karnivool from Perth, are one of many I love from that area. It’s been a while since I gave them a full on listen but great band. Anyway, thanks for the introduction and I hope you love it here. Let’s rocket your playing levels up to match your songs now. Any questions, do let us know. ๐
Congrats Dan on 8 beautiful years of DTAA – I love it here and itโs getter better and better all the time!! Really enjoyed these fun and creative 8 tricks so much! Every single one of them was so good. I like that Travis picking started real simple, flamenco was a blast, moveable chords and dyads are beautiful and itโs so good to learn the strumming pattern the rhythm theyโre based on, embellishments was a fav too along with the blues. Loved playing along too! That was great! Thanks for these awesome lessons. Had fun and learned a lot!!
Ah, thanks, Krystal. I much appreciate the kind words. Was lots of fun putting this lesson together so I’m super pleased you enjoyed it. Lots to keep coming back to and I’ll no doubt take some of these lessons and go deeper on them at some point in the future so we can explore lots more great ideas. Cheers and keep having fun with them. ๐
I absolutely love the way this pdf/tab is written out with all the notes in the key of G. It’s easier for my brain to remember them this way instead of the I II III iV V …. Can you do this for all the keys? LOVE it. It’s a blast creating with all the correct notes in the key, as well. I tend to stray away from (any) lesson and start doing my own thing. For instance, I’ve been attempting to learn Sound of Silence forever. Once I hit a wrong note, I take it from there and go… Read more »
Glad to hear this is helpful for you. Yeah, think that would be a good lesson on its own notating like that. It’s actually very cool in some ways what you are doing – sounds like you have a real creative edge. Adding a little focus to that will go a long way. For instance, take a section of “Sound of Silence” and apply the 10x Method to it. Nail that and then go off on a tangent. That should well help. ๐
Ha, keep at it. You do get a bonus one on one lesson for being a member – let me know if you want to book that. I may do a group coaching thing on top of the DTAA for anyone who wants it at some point. Maybe, if enough folk want that too ๐
Progress! I only got 4 wrong! Feels like 100% right after the dismal 10 right 3 months ago. Not sure exactly how I managed so poorly then, but I do know what I did this time around. I listened and then tried very hard to mimic what I heard… and relaxed on both ends
Hello everyone! My name is Christie from Minnesota, USA. I’m 58 years young and have been dabbling with musical instruments since I was in grade school (piano, clarinet, violin, and guitar). I have 3 acoustic guitars: a Franciscan Dreadnought, a Winzz Concert, and a Luna Parlor. I love the distinct sound of each, but am truly loving my Luna Parlor for fingerstyle playing. I have tried teaching myself, but could only get so far in method books. I also tried a private tutor, but he only taught me 3 chords to play one song. He never taught me the names… Read more »
Hi Christie, that’s great you have dabbled for a while and you have a nice combo of guitars. Yeah, YouTube can be good for additional stuff I find but usually only once the fundamentals are rock solid. I hope you enjoy the structure and fun stuff here. Cheers. ๐
This quiz remains tough for me Dan 3 months ago I did not use my guitar at all. Result was only 8 right. This time, I played the sandwich chords before starting the sound bit. Correct on 11 of them. Only a bit better. I think I need to concentrate more on whether the sandwich chord sounds higher or lower than the base chord. Did not really do that this time busy thinking too much about the choices and how each of them sounds. Will try that strategy next time!
Hi Peter, glad you came back to it. As I always say with this sort of thing, it is far from easy. Definitely a skill that can be developed. Yeah, using a variety of methods really helps and remember ear training like this does take time and regular practice though. I’m very confident you will get there with it. Keep up the good practice ๐
Dennis McGuireโUSโ72 years old
Iโve had a love-hate relationship with guitar for quite a few years. When I retired, I thought taking guitar seriously, getting live lessons, etc. would have me playing in no time. (This is not my first foray into guitar). I did progress fairly rapidly, then plateaued, then lost interest again.
So, Iโm jumping back in nowโhoping to get better.
Hi Dennis, welcome aboard. Pleased you are here and I hope you enjoy the course. The guitar definitely can have that effect but you are in a supportive place. Hopefully, now we can help you kick on and love every second of it. Any questions, do let us know. ๐
Hi Dan, sorry for the tactical site question, but I unlocked box number 3 fingerpicking treasure huntโฆis it supposed to show up inโmy contentโ? As of now it does notโฆI need to remember where it was that I unlocked this content in order to find it each time I want to access it. Thanks.
I don’t have much problem with my fretting shoulder, but I get a pinch in my trapezius on the picking shoulder. I think part of it has to do with lifting my arm over the guitar, but I’m going to focus on relaxing it more.
Yeah, that could well be the issue. If the body of the guitar is large it can raise the picking arm shoulder. Definitely worth tweaking the position of the guitar a little and of course, as you mention, relaxing this arm as much as you can. Keep at it. ๐
Great lesson. I tend to have a lot of pressure in my shoulders and frequently have a pain in my right shoulder when I’m done playing. I will try to apply this method when I’m playing. Thanks.
Glad to hear it. Do let us know how it helps and keep stopping every minute or two to assess the tension. The more aware you are the better it should start to get. ๐
Paul Usher. Ireland
Hello, I am 66 and although I am English I now live in Ireland. I have messed around with the guitar for several years without much success. I am now looking forward to starting this course and see what advances I can make.
I enjoyed this video very much. There were some tips about hand positioning that I didn’t know, and I’m going to work on keeping that shoulder down. Thanks!
I currently play with my right leg on a footstool, but playing with my left leg in classical position isn’t very comfortable now that I’m getting older. I’m going to order a cushion. Also, I need to go buy a strap.
Changing to the classical postiion can take a lot of getting used to particularly if the body of the guitar is large, but it’s well worth trying to transition even if for just a few minutes per day. The cushion and the strap should help. I hope they do. ๐
One thing I do when Iโm learning a new pattern (or maybe practicing one I know) is to adapt it to Amazing Grace if I can. That song is so very flexible. It works well in several keys and slight rhythm changes. Once I can do that well with a new pattern, itโs mine, I own it now.
Thanks, Jim. Glad to hear it. Yeah, some will be easier than others, so do be patient especially with the ones that are newer to you. Pleased you are enjoying the lessons and the Boom-Chick blues. Keep having fun. ๐
Dan… I was taking private lessons for a number of years, with multiple teachers, prior to joining DTAA. No one ever explained this basic fundamental routine to me. You mention it a lot and it is such a game changer. It has become a habit for me to check the tension in my fingers, shoulders, and neck. Unrelated to guitar playing but, here in eastern PA in the US, we’ve only had a few decent days for bike riding this winter. When I get the opportunity to get outside, and I feel the tension building in my hands and shoulders,… Read more »
Thanks, Jack. Glad to hear it. Very pleasing you have made it a habit checking for tension. As you know, it’s so crucial. Good to hear that you have been out on the bike too (and apologies for my voice following you everywhere, haha). Good stuff and keep it up. ๐
WOW!! What a great lesson! I am excited for the opportunity to learn these different skills. Happy Birthday and the present has been given to all of us. Hope to be around for the next 8 years of lessons. Thanks Dan.
Thanks, Allan. Pleased you’re excited to learn these and thanks for being a great member for the last few years. Long may you continue to keep improving and enjoying the lessons. ๐
Hi Angie, that’s cool about the boom-chick blues. Glad to hear it. Slow the flamenco strum right down and use a capo if you like to make the chord shape a little easier. Pleased you’re enjoying the pieces. ๐
Happy Anniversary Dan! Went to a Vancouver Symphony Orchestra concert last night featuring Aniello Desiderio on guitar. He was soooo… good. Made me excited to get to your new lessons for this month. They do not disappoint! Love the Boom-Chick Blues.
Thanks, Peter. Wow, sounds very cool. Will have to check Aniello out. Love that the concert got you excited for the new lessons. Live music has that power! I hope you enjoy them and glad you’re loving the Boom-chick blues. ๐
That can happen for sure. Keeping the nails short, relaxing the shoulder and letting your elbow move freely so you can get on the tips can help. Also feel free to try the capo a little higher up if you like too. You’ll nail it. ๐
Happy Birthday (anniversary?). This is good stuff! I love it when I get presents for someone elseโs birthday! (Also wish I had started with you a lot sooner than I did!)
Thanks, Teresa, glad to hear it and it’s also the last month filming with the old cameras/setup. ๐ Plenty more stuff coming soon. Enjoy, and you are definitely making up for any lost time now. ๐
I noticed the new set up on the finger picking you tube. I really like it . . . Like how you now have your guitars behind you and really like the colored lighting. Very nice!
Thanks. Yeah, it’s cool. These most recent DTAA lessons were filmed just before I was getting the changeover of gear fully set up. Excited to release the new DTAA lessons next month with this new setup. For now, I hope you enjoy these ๐
Hi Dan and Happy 8th Anniversary!!! I just listened to the 8 pieces and am looking forward to giving them a go!!! What a great idea throwing together 8 different styles.. this will definitely be fun getting a taste of them all! Thanks for opening us up to these variations!!!
Cheers
Cheers, Logan. Pleased to hear it. Yeah, it’s so much fun playing in different styles and there’s a good variety of skills to enjoy here. I hope you have loads of fun with them and let us know how you get on. ๐
Congrats to February’s winner of the Leaderboard. Gold โ Jim Davis, Silver โ “Danimal” Dan Garrioch and Bronze โ Denise Gillard. I will be in touch about the prizes and well done! ๐
Hi, I’m Leslie from Branson, MO, the musical capitol of Missouri. I’m 75 years old and have fooled around with guitar since I was in my twenties. I’m a pretty good rhythm player, but I want to learn fingerstyle solo guitar, and this looks like a good place to be.
Hi Leslie, welcome aboard. Super pleased you are here. Sounds like you’ve had some fun on the guitar and glad to hear you are happy with your rhythm skills. I hope you enjoy all the lessons here and the fingerstyle materials. Let us know if you want pointing in the right direction at any point and enjoy ๐
Working on learning this and have run into the oddest problem. In measure three, I can get the first three notes fine, but when I go to move my pinky from the fifth fret to the fourth, it (my pinky) gets stuck and wonโt bend. Eventually it snaps to bend, but it isnโt smooth. It does it every time. It doesnโt do it on the stretch in the first two measures. I have started playing measure three with 424 for all three triplets because if I donโt, I have a big gap in the music. Any ideas?
Sounds like a slight technical thing but that is not surprising – this is a tough piece. Things that helped me were making sure my playing position was as good as it could be. Classical position with the headstock high. Relaxed shoulder and elbow allowing me to get the fingers in the ideal position, placing the pinky on first to get in position. You might like to practice this bar on its own and move it up the fretboard a little to help reduce strain. I hope that helps and let us know how you get on. ๐
That’s great to know, Larry. Yeah, using the same lessons multiple times, and in different formats is so powerful. Pleased you are enjoying it and seeing progress. ๐
Hi Howard, a big warm welcome to you. I hope you are enjoying the DTAA so far, and if you are very early on with your playing, it is well worth going through the Breakthrough Beginner course. If you have any questions, do let us know, and welcome to what will be a super exciting journey. ๐
Great tips Dan super duper ๐
Cheers, Angie. Glad to hear you like the lesson. Keep coming back to it too. ๐
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. ๏ปฟIโm 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). ๐
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. ๐
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”!
Interesting! After playing for many years in the conventional position, the classical with strap does seem to take out a lot of effort from playing. Also, I was struggling to get the nut up to shoulder height until I realised the guitar I was using has a much smaller ‘parlour’ sized body compared to Dan’s dreadnought!
Glad to hear it, Peter. It is a little tricky to adjust to at first but yes, the classical position is so powerful. Glad you have it sorted with your guitar, and do let us know how you continue on with it, and welcome to the DTAA. ๐
Hi yโall, Iโm Sandy Williams from McKinney, Texas.
This is my second month in the DTAA. I started playing about two years ago. Initially with in person lessons, resulting in wrist tendinitis in my fretting hand, took 5-6 months to heal and happened again trying to learn bar chords. Sorely needed Dans in depth lessons! Iโm been jumping around the website but need to slow down and focus. I love finger picking, been working on Blackbird and Landslide (would love to learn some Dan Fogelberg). I suck at timing/musicality, so lots of room for improvement there.
Ever On!
Hi Sandy, welcome aboard. Sorry to hear about the past issues you had. Such a shame but glad you are healing and now on the right path. Very pleased you are enjoying yourself, and yes, slow it down, enjoy the journey – progress is often faster that way, as ironic as that is. Keep enjoying yourself and let us know if you have any questions. ๐
Hi all, my name is Larry. I live in Port Elgin Ontario Canada. It’s a small town on the shores of Lake Huron. I am very excited about learning to play guitar. I just love the sound of an acoustic guitar in the hands of someone who can play it. I want that someone to be me. I play for myself and my family strumming and singing. I really want to learn fingerstyle as well. I look forward to learning with the group.
Hi Larry, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here. Sounds like a great place to live. Excited for you on this journey. Do keep enjoying the journey and let us know if you have any questions at any point. Let’s make it all happen for you now. ๐
I’ve just begun my journey with DTAA this week and am working through the 30-Day Plan. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned already…things no one has ever told or taught me before. Learning the 3 P’s has moved several obstacles for me. Amazing! This has given me so much more enthusiasm to simply practice the small things and have fun while doing it. Kudos to you, Dan Thorpe!
Thanks, that’s great to know. Keep up the excellent start and do keep revisiting the 3Ps – as you know they are super powerful and will keep helping the more you use them. Well done for the progress so far, Christie. ๐
Hi, I’m David. Been wanting to learn guitar. I’m 70 so I figured I need to start> LOL. I just want to learn to be able to play for myself. Fingerstyle is want to learn. looking forward to Dan’s lessons.
Hi David, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here. Sounds like you are in the right place for sure. Fingerstyle is the best. Keep logging in, using the lessons, and having fun playing for yourself. Any questions, do let us know. ๐
G’day all, my name is Steve, and I am from Melbourne, Australia. I am 64 years young and feel like I have been a “Beginner” for about 8 years or more. Really, I am not sure how long it has been – not because of a failing memory, but because I feel like I have never even reached my first guitar-playing “milestone” – whatever that is (and I use the term “playing” very loosely !) I am what I think could best be described as a 3-chord strummer, suffering from delusions of mediocrity. I have never had a solid clearly-defined… Read more »
Hi Steve, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here. It sounds like you have some of the groundwork down and sorted which is good. Now, hopefully you will find the DTAA will help to refine everything and give you much more clarity. The In Focus course will really help with technique, and the “5-Star” Award will give you long term goals. You’ll also find the daily workouts to be very helpful by the sound of it too. Most of all, enjoy and let us know how you get on or if you have any questions. ๐
Greetings all! My name is Neil and I started playing guitar 40+ years ago. Actually played professionally in a C&W band for a few years so I thought I was pretty good. Then I moved to Austin, TX and was immediately disheartened to come across SO many really talented musicians that I believed put me to shame…so I sold my electric guitar/amp. I held on one acoustic (that I picked up every few years for about 10 minutes) so I basically went 25 years NOT playing…Then in 2015 my boss wanted to form a band to play at our company… Read more »
Hi Neil, thanks for the introduction and telling us your backstory. Very cool that you played in a pro C&W band! So cool that you got back on the saddle so to speak and got ready in super fast time. Nothing like having a goal! Very pleased you are here and I hope you find everything you need on your journey to take you to the next level. Any questions, do let us know. ๐
Hi all, I am Jim from Idaho, USA. I am 62 years old and recently retired. I always said when I retired I would learn guitar, for myself but motivated as a tribute to a late friend/college roommate. I think eventually I want to get to fingerstyle, but letโs see where the journey takes me. I have been wandering through YouTube on my guitar journey thus far and decided to try a little more focus, so here I am!
Hi Jim, thanks for the introduction and welcome aboard. Yeah, YouTube can be full of so much randomness, but I am glad you are here. Take your time getting started and then dive in. Hope you find this gives you exactly the focus you need – any questions, do let us know. ๐
Congrats to everyone! I’m hoping to add my name soon.
Cheers from everyone, and pleased to hear it. I’m confident your name will be up there very soon. ๐
I like this a lot, Dan! It actually looks like it will organize what I do and point out what I’m neglecting. I see already that I need to brush up on the fretboard. I used to know it pretty well, but…
Thanks, Pamela. Glad to hear it. For sure, and I am glad you are finding it helpful so far. Having clarity and a way to align everything you know in one place is great, and I hope you find that the “5-Star” Award and DTAA is that place. Do let us know how you get on. ๐
Hi Dan and all! I’m Pamela. Been working on learning guitar for years. Still pretty bad lol. About to do the Kickstarter lesson; wish me luck!
Hi Pamela, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here and I hope you are enjoying each moment of it so far. Good luck but more importantly, I wish you good practice. ๐ Enjoy and any questions let us know. Thanks ๐
Hello, everyone! My name is Christie and I’m from Minnesota, USA. I’ve been dabbling in playing musical instruments since I was in junior high school. I started with piano, clarinet, and violin, but found my passion in acoustic guitar. I took private tutor lessons years ago, but my instructor didn’t really teach me anything. He jumped right into “showing me” how to play a couple cords, not by teaching me the names of the strings or notes on the strings, but by physically placing my fingers and then telling me to strum. That’s literally all we did for an entire… Read more »
Hi Christie, welcome aboard. What a cool bunch of instruments you have dabbled with! Wow, sorry to hear about your past with the teacher. It’s a shame there are folk like that out there making things so much harder than they need be. So cool how you have enjoyed Fingerstyle 101 and Breakthrough Beginner and my (bad) sense of humour! Anyway, enjoy and let us know how you get on. ๐
Hi, my name is Terry and I live in the Chicago area in US. I’m 54 and have been noodling with music for the past 10 years or so – dabbling with guitar, ukulele, piano (barely) and voice. I’ve followed Dan Thorpe’s Elite Guitarist for many years and have purchased courses in the past. But spread myself too thin to make any real progress, so want to try a more focused approach to fingerstyle guitar and see how much I can improve following this process.
Hi Terry, thanks for the intro and welcome aboard. Very cool to read about your dabbling with other instruments. Glad you are here now in the DTAA – as long as you use it, it will really help you focus on the right stuff and make real progress. If you have any questions at any point, do let us know and welcome! ๐
Hello, I’m Peter. I’m originally from the northeast of England but now I’m a proud Western Australian living in the city of Perth on the west coast of Australia. I’m 56 years old and I’ve been able to strum basic chords the guitar since I took a few free lessons at school when I was 12. A few years ago I started up a small band with a couple of friends intending to play cover versions of songs but discovered the joy of writing my own songs and have written around over one hundred in the last 3 years –… Read more »
Welcome aboard, Peter. Weather is a bit nicer there in Perth than the northeast I bet (although I imagine you hear that all the time). The band Karnivool from Perth, are one of many I love from that area. It’s been a while since I gave them a full on listen but great band. Anyway, thanks for the introduction and I hope you love it here. Let’s rocket your playing levels up to match your songs now. Any questions, do let us know. ๐
Congrats Dan on 8 beautiful years of DTAA – I love it here and itโs getter better and better all the time!! Really enjoyed these fun and creative 8 tricks so much! Every single one of them was so good. I like that Travis picking started real simple, flamenco was a blast, moveable chords and dyads are beautiful and itโs so good to learn the strumming pattern the rhythm theyโre based on, embellishments was a fav too along with the blues. Loved playing along too! That was great! Thanks for these awesome lessons. Had fun and learned a lot!!
Ah, thanks, Krystal. I much appreciate the kind words. Was lots of fun putting this lesson together so I’m super pleased you enjoyed it. Lots to keep coming back to and I’ll no doubt take some of these lessons and go deeper on them at some point in the future so we can explore lots more great ideas. Cheers and keep having fun with them. ๐
I absolutely love the way this pdf/tab is written out with all the notes in the key of G. It’s easier for my brain to remember them this way instead of the I II III iV V …. Can you do this for all the keys? LOVE it. It’s a blast creating with all the correct notes in the key, as well. I tend to stray away from (any) lesson and start doing my own thing. For instance, I’ve been attempting to learn Sound of Silence forever. Once I hit a wrong note, I take it from there and go… Read more »
Glad to hear this is helpful for you. Yeah, think that would be a good lesson on its own notating like that. It’s actually very cool in some ways what you are doing – sounds like you have a real creative edge. Adding a little focus to that will go a long way. For instance, take a section of “Sound of Silence” and apply the 10x Method to it. Nail that and then go off on a tangent. That should well help. ๐
Trust me.. I’m trying. I need one on one lessons with you! You are lucky you in the UK or I’d be your pesky student.
Ha, keep at it. You do get a bonus one on one lesson for being a member – let me know if you want to book that. I may do a group coaching thing on top of the DTAA for anyone who wants it at some point. Maybe, if enough folk want that too ๐
So good to go back and review the fundamentals now and again. I think I was getting lazy ๐
Glad to hear it, Jack. Yep, it’s easy to neglect the fundamentals after a while but a regular refresh goes a long way. Good stuff doing so. ๐
Progress! I only got 4 wrong! Feels like 100% right after the dismal 10 right 3 months ago. Not sure exactly how I managed so poorly then, but I do know what I did this time around. I listened and then tried very hard to mimic what I heard… and relaxed on both ends
Brill. Well done, Peter. Great stuff and keep up the good practice and progress. Yeah, focus and relaxation are key. Well done ๐
Hello everyone! My name is Christie from Minnesota, USA. I’m 58 years young and have been dabbling with musical instruments since I was in grade school (piano, clarinet, violin, and guitar). I have 3 acoustic guitars: a Franciscan Dreadnought, a Winzz Concert, and a Luna Parlor. I love the distinct sound of each, but am truly loving my Luna Parlor for fingerstyle playing. I have tried teaching myself, but could only get so far in method books. I also tried a private tutor, but he only taught me 3 chords to play one song. He never taught me the names… Read more »
Hi Christie, that’s great you have dabbled for a while and you have a nice combo of guitars. Yeah, YouTube can be good for additional stuff I find but usually only once the fundamentals are rock solid. I hope you enjoy the structure and fun stuff here. Cheers. ๐
This quiz remains tough for me Dan 3 months ago I did not use my guitar at all. Result was only 8 right. This time, I played the sandwich chords before starting the sound bit. Correct on 11 of them. Only a bit better. I think I need to concentrate more on whether the sandwich chord sounds higher or lower than the base chord. Did not really do that this time busy thinking too much about the choices and how each of them sounds. Will try that strategy next time!
Hi Peter, glad you came back to it. As I always say with this sort of thing, it is far from easy. Definitely a skill that can be developed. Yeah, using a variety of methods really helps and remember ear training like this does take time and regular practice though. I’m very confident you will get there with it. Keep up the good practice ๐
Dennis McGuireโUSโ72 years old
Iโve had a love-hate relationship with guitar for quite a few years. When I retired, I thought taking guitar seriously, getting live lessons, etc. would have me playing in no time. (This is not my first foray into guitar). I did progress fairly rapidly, then plateaued, then lost interest again.
So, Iโm jumping back in nowโhoping to get better.
Hi Dennis, welcome aboard. Pleased you are here and I hope you enjoy the course. The guitar definitely can have that effect but you are in a supportive place. Hopefully, now we can help you kick on and love every second of it. Any questions, do let us know. ๐
Hi Dan, sorry for the tactical site question, but I unlocked box number 3 fingerpicking treasure huntโฆis it supposed to show up inโmy contentโ? As of now it does notโฆI need to remember where it was that I unlocked this content in order to find it each time I want to access it. Thanks.
I don’t have much problem with my fretting shoulder, but I get a pinch in my trapezius on the picking shoulder. I think part of it has to do with lifting my arm over the guitar, but I’m going to focus on relaxing it more.
Yeah, that could well be the issue. If the body of the guitar is large it can raise the picking arm shoulder. Definitely worth tweaking the position of the guitar a little and of course, as you mention, relaxing this arm as much as you can. Keep at it. ๐
Great lesson. I tend to have a lot of pressure in my shoulders and frequently have a pain in my right shoulder when I’m done playing. I will try to apply this method when I’m playing. Thanks.
Glad to hear it. Do let us know how it helps and keep stopping every minute or two to assess the tension. The more aware you are the better it should start to get. ๐
Paul Usher. Ireland
Hello, I am 66 and although I am English I now live in Ireland. I have messed around with the guitar for several years without much success. I am now looking forward to starting this course and see what advances I can make.
Welcome aboard, Paul. Glad to have you on board and I hope you enjoy the lessons. All the best with them and let us know how you get on. ๐
I enjoyed this video very much. There were some tips about hand positioning that I didn’t know, and I’m going to work on keeping that shoulder down. Thanks!
Excellent, pleasing to know, and glad you are going through the In Focus course from top down – really useful that. ๐
I currently play with my right leg on a footstool, but playing with my left leg in classical position isn’t very comfortable now that I’m getting older. I’m going to order a cushion. Also, I need to go buy a strap.
Changing to the classical postiion can take a lot of getting used to particularly if the body of the guitar is large, but it’s well worth trying to transition even if for just a few minutes per day. The cushion and the strap should help. I hope they do. ๐
I have worked through the first sixโฆreally very good material, very interesting.
Super stuff. Glad to hear it. Keep having fun with them and sure you will enjoy the last two as well. ๐
These were all excellent lessons, and all so different! I really enjoyed them.
Glad to hear it, Rich. Thanks and I hope you keep on enjoying and using them ๐
good lesson1 ! I was doing the air changes an d thought it was wrong or rushing the chord change. so good to know
Thanks, Cindy. Glad to hear it. Yeah, it can feel like cheating, such is its power, but it is a really useful technique. ๐
120 out of 120. Thanks
Well done, Alan. That’s brill. ๐
One thing I do when Iโm learning a new pattern (or maybe practicing one I know) is to adapt it to Amazing Grace if I can. That song is so very flexible. It works well in several keys and slight rhythm changes. Once I can do that well with a new pattern, itโs mine, I own it now.
Good stuff, Larry, and nice idea that. It’s a great song for that sort of thing for sure and I love how you have done this. ๐
The Travis Picking and Boom Chick Picking is beautiful! Thanks again for sharing this excercise!
My pleasure, and very pleased you are enjoying them. Do let us know how you get on with the rest throughout the month too. ๐
Happy Birthday! Great celebration idea. Struggled a bit with the Embellishments and Flamenco but good intro. Particularly liked the Boom-Chick Blues.
Thanks, Jim. Glad to hear it. Yeah, some will be easier than others, so do be patient especially with the ones that are newer to you. Pleased you are enjoying the lessons and the Boom-Chick blues. Keep having fun. ๐
Dan… I was taking private lessons for a number of years, with multiple teachers, prior to joining DTAA. No one ever explained this basic fundamental routine to me. You mention it a lot and it is such a game changer. It has become a habit for me to check the tension in my fingers, shoulders, and neck. Unrelated to guitar playing but, here in eastern PA in the US, we’ve only had a few decent days for bike riding this winter. When I get the opportunity to get outside, and I feel the tension building in my hands and shoulders,… Read more »
Thanks, Jack. Glad to hear it. Very pleasing you have made it a habit checking for tension. As you know, it’s so crucial. Good to hear that you have been out on the bike too (and apologies for my voice following you everywhere, haha). Good stuff and keep it up. ๐
Dan, the first 2 lessons were greatโฆI have never played Flamenco before but found to be great fun. Thanks.
Glad to hear it, Rich. Yeah, it’s a bit different is flamenco style playing but lots of fun. Glad you are enjoying it. ๐
WOW!! What a great lesson! I am excited for the opportunity to learn these different skills. Happy Birthday and the present has been given to all of us. Hope to be around for the next 8 years of lessons. Thanks Dan.
Thanks, Allan. Pleased you’re excited to learn these and thanks for being a great member for the last few years. Long may you continue to keep improving and enjoying the lessons. ๐
For me Dan boom chick blues is the easiest. Flamenco is a bit of a struggle, . They’re all really nice pieces to learn.
Hi Angie, that’s cool about the boom-chick blues. Glad to hear it. Slow the flamenco strum right down and use a capo if you like to make the chord shape a little easier. Pleased you’re enjoying the pieces. ๐
Happy Anniversary Dan! Went to a Vancouver Symphony Orchestra concert last night featuring Aniello Desiderio on guitar. He was soooo… good. Made me excited to get to your new lessons for this month. They do not disappoint! Love the Boom-Chick Blues.
Me too Peter
Thanks, Peter. Wow, sounds very cool. Will have to check Aniello out. Love that the concert got you excited for the new lessons. Live music has that power! I hope you enjoy them and glad you’re loving the Boom-chick blues. ๐
Little trouble with Travis picking – C chord – ok until i add the pinkie on the D – my ring finger wants to mute the third string abit.
That can happen for sure. Keeping the nails short, relaxing the shoulder and letting your elbow move freely so you can get on the tips can help. Also feel free to try the capo a little higher up if you like too. You’ll nail it. ๐
Love these Dan. Well done on 8 years
Thanks, Angie and thank you for being a part of it for a good few years, and I hope you continue to enjoy the lessons ๐
Happy Birthday (anniversary?). This is good stuff! I love it when I get presents for someone elseโs birthday! (Also wish I had started with you a lot sooner than I did!)
Thanks, Teresa, glad to hear it and it’s also the last month filming with the old cameras/setup. ๐ Plenty more stuff coming soon. Enjoy, and you are definitely making up for any lost time now. ๐
I noticed the new set up on the finger picking you tube. I really like it . . . Like how you now have your guitars behind you and really like the colored lighting. Very nice!
Thanks. Yeah, it’s cool. These most recent DTAA lessons were filmed just before I was getting the changeover of gear fully set up. Excited to release the new DTAA lessons next month with this new setup. For now, I hope you enjoy these ๐
Happy b-day to you, Happy b-day to you, Happy b-day DTAA……. and thank you for putting this all together…..
My pleasure, and thanks, Susan. I should have gone and got a cake. Enjoy. ๐
Happy Birthday… DTAA!
Cheers, Jack, and I hope you enjoy the new lessons. Thanks for being part of it. ๐
Hi Dan and Happy 8th Anniversary!!! I just listened to the 8 pieces and am looking forward to giving them a go!!! What a great idea throwing together 8 different styles.. this will definitely be fun getting a taste of them all! Thanks for opening us up to these variations!!!
Cheers
Cheers, Logan. Pleased to hear it. Yeah, it’s so much fun playing in different styles and there’s a good variety of skills to enjoy here. I hope you have loads of fun with them and let us know how you get on. ๐
Congrats to February’s winner of the Leaderboard. Gold โ Jim Davis, Silver โ “Danimal” Dan Garrioch and Bronze โ Denise Gillard. I will be in touch about the prizes and well done! ๐
Hi, I’m Leslie from Branson, MO, the musical capitol of Missouri. I’m 75 years old and have fooled around with guitar since I was in my twenties. I’m a pretty good rhythm player, but I want to learn fingerstyle solo guitar, and this looks like a good place to be.
Hi Leslie, welcome aboard. Super pleased you are here. Sounds like you’ve had some fun on the guitar and glad to hear you are happy with your rhythm skills. I hope you enjoy all the lessons here and the fingerstyle materials. Let us know if you want pointing in the right direction at any point and enjoy ๐
120/120โฆI do appreciate these quizzes.
Awesome stuff and well done. ๐
Working on learning this and have run into the oddest problem. In measure three, I can get the first three notes fine, but when I go to move my pinky from the fifth fret to the fourth, it (my pinky) gets stuck and wonโt bend. Eventually it snaps to bend, but it isnโt smooth. It does it every time. It doesnโt do it on the stretch in the first two measures. I have started playing measure three with 424 for all three triplets because if I donโt, I have a big gap in the music. Any ideas?
Sounds like a slight technical thing but that is not surprising – this is a tough piece. Things that helped me were making sure my playing position was as good as it could be. Classical position with the headstock high. Relaxed shoulder and elbow allowing me to get the fingers in the ideal position, placing the pinky on first to get in position. You might like to practice this bar on its own and move it up the fretboard a little to help reduce strain. I hope that helps and let us know how you get on. ๐
Iโm getting so much more out of this the 2nd time through – with the video course this time. ๐
That’s great to know, Larry. Yeah, using the same lessons multiple times, and in different formats is so powerful. Pleased you are enjoying it and seeing progress. ๐
I Howard, I live in the USA just north of Philadelphia. I would Ike to learn guitar. I am 74 yrs old.
Hi Howard, a big warm welcome to you. I hope you are enjoying the DTAA so far, and if you are very early on with your playing, it is well worth going through the Breakthrough Beginner course. If you have any questions, do let us know, and welcome to what will be a super exciting journey. ๐