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PODCAST

The Acoustic Asylum

If learning guitar leaves you feeling mad, frustrated, or like you want to tear your hair out, this podcast is for you. Dan Thorpe specialises in teaching beginner guitar lessons to older adults. If you want to discover Dan’s methods for the best way to learn guitar, to play easy guitar songs while having more fun, and to do so without feeling like you have a one-way ticket to the Acoustic Asylum, then listen closely and... Join us as Dan shares the best tips, tricks, and motivating stories from

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All Episodes

07:59

Ep109 – When Guitar Gods Get Nervous: Clapton’s Story

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/03/30

Today’s episode is all about one of Eric Clapton’s proudest moments. It all happened when he was asked to play on an album with one of the greatest musicians of all time. The thing that makes the story stand out is that it shows even the greats of guitar get nervous.In the episode, I share Clapton’s story and what he had to say about his incredible and unique experience. But all of us have been there on a smaller scale – feeling nervous about playing in front of others. Everybody gets nervous, and

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05:08

Ep108 – The Rules of the Asylum: Rule #20 – Face Up...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/03/23

Today we’re going to talk about a new rule of the Acoustic Asylum. There are many rules to escape the Asylum and beat The Gatekeeper. Today’s rule is face up to your Michael Myers. On the guitar, we all have our Michael Myers, things that we fear. He’s very much like the fear of failure.So how do you overcome that? In today’s episode, I discuss the steps you can take to face your fears and overcome them. You have to face up to these things, otherwise they will get you and you won’t be able to enjoy

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07:58

Ep107 – The Rules of the Asylum: Rule #19 – Enjoy The...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/03/08

Today’s episode is about a new rule of the Acoustic Asylum that’s all about embracing the Game of Tones (yes, that’s a pun on the TV show Game of Thrones). This rule is about tone. Make a game of improving your tone.The best players out there spend a lot of time working on their technique because it helps their tone improve so much more. Tone comes from the fingers. I’m going to play you some examples of different tones in the episode and give you advice on how to improve your tone. Take a listen

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12:55

Ep106 – Double Trouble Blues

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/02/27

In today’s episode, we’ll talk about music, cinema, and blues. Movies were probably one of my main introductions to music. I fell in love with movie soundtracks and, as a result, with music. Inspired by movies and doubleheaders in cinema, for the March lessons in the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy, I have a doubleheader of blues coming up.I’ve created two blues lessons, both very different. In the episode, I also play a little preview of what will be in the lessons. The idea behind the lessons is

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09:59

Ep105 – How The Exorcist Reminded Me I Wasn’t the...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/02/23

In today’s episode, I talk about the horrors of guitar playing, kind of. I was reminded by the movie The Exorcist that often people put on bravado about how scary something is, whether it’s a movie or their struggles with the guitar. People often downplay how much they practise, how hard they find it. It’s important to be honest if you’re struggling and it’s hard. That honesty goes a long way. If you open up to people that you find it difficult, they’re more likely to do the same, or they can

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10:56

Ep104 – The Rules of the Asylum: Rule #18 – Top Up...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/02/16

In the latest episode, I discuss a new rule of the asylum, which is to top up your inspiration jar. It’s an imaginary jar filled with your inspiration, dreams, and reasons why you want to play. Often when you first start out playing the guitar, this jar will be full, which makes you motivated to pick up and learn the guitar.But with time, and the challenges most guitarists face when starting out playing, the jar starts getting emptier and emptier. It’s important to never let that jar empty, this

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11:17

Ep103 – The Power of Community

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/02/12

Today I talk about the power of community. It’s such an important thing in the world of music. Learning an instrument like the guitar can be a lonely experience. In the episode, I suggest a number of ways you can connect with other guitar players and musicians. Some of the suggestions I discuss include jamming with others, performing in front of others, and more. Community is really important, and it’s great to find people who are supportive, encouraging, and are on a similar level to you. Take a

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10:51

Ep102 – The Rules of the Asylum: Rule #17 – Be at One...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/02/09

Today’s episode is about a new rule of the Asylum. It covers every single thing you ever do when you play guitar. The rule is – be at one with your guitar. It’s about having the guitar connected to you, rather than battling it. The goal is to have the guitar be an extension of you.If you’re battling the guitar, you might tense up and hold your breath, which shouldn’t be the case. It shouldn’t feel like you’re fighting your guitar. In the episode, I give you some tips on how to make sure you’re

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11:01

Ep101 – The Rules of the Asylum: Rule #16 – Find Your...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/02/04

In today’s episode, I want to talk about a new rule of the Asylum. It’s called Find Your Treasure. There are going to be certain things that are like gold to you, things that you love to play, little riffs or styles that you enjoy. It’s key to find these early on in your playing. In the podcast, I’ll show you some examples of things you might enjoy, things that could become your treasure, and I offer some advice on how to find your treasure. When you find your treasure, this will make your guitar

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18:59

Ep100 – The Hundredth Episode

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/02/02

Today we’re celebrating a really big milestone of the Acoustic Asylum podcast – Episode 100! I started this podcast two years ago on a bit of a whim. In these one hundred episodes, I’ve covered some really cool topics. I’d like to thank everyone for listening and coming along on this journey! I want to give you something to celebrate – I’m giving away a physical copy of my book 13 Ways to Escape the Acoustic Asylum. In the episode, I look back at my own journey with teaching and playing guitar,

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11:30

Ep99 – A Love Letter to Dyads

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/01/30

Today’s podcast is all about dyads. In case you aren’t familiar with them, dyads are just two-string chords. In the episode, I discuss a number of ways you can use dyads, such as bass & treble string dyads, and in particular, I’ll talk about twisted dyads.Playing dyads is a fantastic way of unlocking the fretboard. Dyads free you up to play mini chords up and down the fretboard. In the episode, I also play some examples to show you how you can add more drama and interest to your playing. Take

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10:00

Ep98 – The Rules of the Asylum: Rule #15 – Stop...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/01/27

In today’s episode, I talk about a new rule of the asylum that can help guitarists let go of the brake they’re holding on their playing. One common issue is that players let themselves get frustrated. In the episode, I offer some advice on how to overcome frustration. A lot of guitarists make life harder for themselves by comparing themselves to others. So in today’s podcast, I offer some advice on how to avoid this and some good reminders that can help you on the journey so you don’t hold

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10:16

Ep97 – The Guitar Struggles Shared By the Stars

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/01/24

In today’s episode, I talk about a legendary musician who once struggled on the guitar. Even brilliant guitarists experience challenges. They make it look easy, but when you get to the root of it, they all struggle. I offer some perspective and advice on the shared challenges faced by every guitarist.Most guitarists struggle in the early years. One great piece of advice is to not worry about what happened in the past, and focus on improving the key elements in your playing now. It can also be

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08:53

Ep96 – The Rules of the Asylum: Rule #14 - Embrace...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/01/20

Today’s episode is about a powerful little thing that will help you learn faster and enjoy your playing more. The magic number 7 is very simple, it’s about memory. A lot of people struggle to learn seven things at once and remember them. To beat the barrier of this magic no. 7, you want to break things up. When it comes to guitar playing, people often just try to learn a song and remember it in one go. If they then try to play it again later, they’ll struggle to remember anything. If you’re

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14:12

Ep95 – Why Learning Guitar As an Adult Can Be Harder

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/01/17

In today’s episode, I want to share some things I’ve noticed over the years about the difference between adults and kids learning to play the guitar and why sometimes it is harder learning the guitar as an adult. A big thing I’ve noticed is that kids are often more patient than adults. They don’t mind playing the same piece again and again, whereas as adults, we often rush into wanting to learn as many songs as possible.Another thing I’ve noticed is kids don’t beat themselves for making mistakes

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08:25

Ep94 – The Rules of the Asylum: Rule #13 – Grow Your...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2025/01/10

In today’s episode, I share another rule of the Acoustic Asylum. The rule is all about growing the bamboo. Bamboo is a plant that takes a long time to grow underground before you can see it flourishing above ground, and guitar playing is very similar to this. A lot of the time in the early days, it is about getting the solid foundations of guitar playing, so you can reap the benefits later on.I discuss the importance of “Core Fundamental Technique” and how laying these good foundations of

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09:58

Ep93 – Making 2025 the Best for Your Guitar Playing

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/12/31

Happy New Year! Today’s episode is all about how to get the most out of your guitar playing in 2025. I offer some advice on how you can improve your guitar playing by being consistent. It’s about staying persistent and seeing incremental improvements. It can be tough to stick with it and do the hard work. You might ask yourself, is it worth it? Of course it’s worth it, being able to play an instrument is up there with the best achievements people have. So, it’s important to remember the 1% rule of

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08:00

Ep92 – Christmas Joy and Motivation

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/12/25

Today’s episode is all about the joy of Christmas and that warm and fuzzy feeling of the holidays. In the episode, I talk about guitar Christmas gifts, motivation for 2025, and the struggle we all might face in finding motivation to practise. If you struggle, it’s important to remember that it’s temporary. It’s important to think of it as a test that you can overcome. I talk about the Krampus and the Gatekeeper’s attempts to hold you back. It’s important to just enjoy and embrace the good feelings

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09:44

Ep91 – The Final Weeks of 2024 and How to Get the...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/12/16

In today’s episode, I talk about the last few weeks of this year and how to get the most out of them when it comes to your guitar playing. The main thing is to pick a manageable goal, one that isn’t too demanding and that you can actually manage in the time there is. It’s important to pick something that is a challenge, but one that you can achieve. In the episode, I offer advice on how to break things down into smaller parts when setting a goal. I give some examples of a goal you could pick and

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15:10

Ep90 – The A to Z of Strumming

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/12/11

The other day I sent out an email on the A to Z of Strumming, with a series of tips for improving your strumming. In today’s episode, I cover some of those tips, going into depth looking at them. Some of these include the way you attack the strings when strumming, chords, improvisation, listening to music, patterns, and more.When it comes to mastering chord changes, pick just one set of chords and practise changing back and forth between them back and forth. I talk about how to liven up your

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