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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

music

All Episodes

11:36

Ep89 – Why This Time of Year Is Truly Wonderful for...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/11/21

It may seem early, but today we’re talking about Christmas and brushing up on your Christmas songs. Every year you can enjoy learning Christmas songs and take the opportunity to refresh the songs you’ve already learnt and improve them so that they get better.A fun way to learn several Christmas songs at once is through a medley, so in the episode, I also share a fun Christmas medley with you that I’ve created. You can learn this medley as part of my Christmas Crackers course. Now is the perfect

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10:55

Ep88 – Overcoming Negativity

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/11/11

Today we’re talking about when negativity smacks you around the head and how to overcome it. I discuss a student’s experience of wanting to quit, and how, frequently, we’re being too hard on ourselves. The important thing is perseverence. You just have to keep going and try not to be too hard on yourself. Sometimes sharing some tips you have learnt with beginners can help you feel great about how far you’ve come. I share some advice on how to not get stuck in the negative mindset. If you enjoyed

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12:41

Ep87 – The “Growth Mindset”

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/10/30

In today’s podcast, I’m talking about the peaks and troughs of learning guitar. Often life gets in the way, but it’s normal and natural to have moments when your progress accelerates and when it slows down a little bit. It’s important to enjoy the journey.One thing that I discuss that is very useful is the “growth mindset”. It’s all about believing in your ability to develop through hard work and dedication. I talk about the importance of using this form of thinking for your guitar journey. If

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12:08

Ep86 – The Fingerpicking Bootcamp

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/10/16

In today’s podcast, I’m talking about my new course, The Fingerpicking Bootcamp, which is a clear, actionable, fun course designed to give you something for the short term and the long term. Long term, you don’t want to burn out or injure yourself, but short term you want to see results and that’s what this course is all about. I talk a bit about all the things we cover in the 21 days of the course, including rhythms, triads, Travis picking, fingerpicking patterns, riffs and pumps, and more. I

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11:08

Ep85 – Sleep, Strumming, and Dynamics

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/10/06

In today’s podcast, we’re looking at three things that can improve your guitar playing. First off, I talk about the importance of sleep. I talk about the three stages of sleep, sleep hygiene and the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. Maximising your sleep is certainly going to make you feel more focused when practising.In the second part of the episode, I talk about expanding your dynamic range in your strumming and how to improve your strumming overall. I cover a range of tips and

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10:49

Ep84 – Trusting Your Ears

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/09/23

Today’s episode is all about the bad habit of relying on your sense of sight too much. I use an example that Billy Joel brings up about a wrong notation for one of his songs. It often happens that people rely on their eyes over their ears. Sometimes you might be misreading some notation, but it’s important to trust your ears so as not to make mistakes. In the second part of the episode, I give you a fun little challenge to test your ears. I play a couple of chords and give you the chance to work

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10:36

Ep83 – The Nitty-Gritty Specifics of Guitar Playing

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/09/14

Today’s episode is all about the nitty-gritty specifics of guitar playing. When learning songs on guitar, you really have to go into the details. Guitar tuition these days unfortunately can be a bit too broad and it can make it challenging for guitar players looking for specific tips. It’s not just enough to learn the song, you need to look at all the details. Instead of doing the whole song, break it down into smaller chunks, and focus on the details. I talk about a lot more tips to help you zone

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08:13

Ep82 – The Lego-Inspired Building Blocks of Guitar...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/09/09

As a dad, I have spent a fair bit of time building Lego with my so Archie. Recently we went to the Legoland Discovery centre and had a great time… And the cool thing is, there are two strong comparisons between Lego and the guitar, and that is what we are talking about today. When it comes to Lego, there are two main ways to use it, I find. Number one is to follow the instructions precisely and build what is on the box. Number two is to just take random bricks and build your own ideas. On the

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15:04

Ep81 – 9 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Learning...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/08/31

I’ve learnt a massive amount over the years about playing and teaching guitar. In this episode, I’m sharing some of those key lessons with you …And specifically, the 9 things I wish I knew when I started learning guitar!This includes the importance of strumming patterns, a story about how my best friend helped me massively in the early days (and why you shouldn’t learn on your own)… Plus, the power of the capo, why you need to be kind to yourself on your journey, and so much more! In short, these

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10:11

Ep80 – Pushing Yourself Out of Your Guitar-Playing...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/08/24

I’ve just come home from an amazing family holiday in Cornwall. While there, me and my son, Archie (who is 8) were in the sea, at a waterpark, and we had an afternoon on a giant inflatable water slide. I was very much out of my comfort zone.One thing I urge guitarists to do is get out of their comfort zone every now and then. It’s not easy, but jamming with others, recording yourself, performing – it all makes such a difference to your long-term success. …But you do have to be careful. In this

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09:21

Ep79 – Key Lessons from a Student’s Crazy Experience...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/08/16

In this episode, we are talking about the crazy world of guitar tuition. In particular, I am sharing a little story from Katherine about her experience of learning guitar with an in-person tutor. Not only are we covering Katherine’s story but I talk about the problem with a lot of guitar tuition, why the “surface level” information many people teach is a waste of time and money, and how a good guitar teacher can help you fix your playing issues. In short, this is the good, the bad, and the ugly of

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09:43

Ep78 – Superhuman Strumming!

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/08/10

Today we are talking about the two big issues that most people struggle with when it comes to strumming, the hurdles that many people face, and of course, solutions to help you have more fun strumming your guitar today!That’s because this week, I am releasing my brand-new course called, Superhuman Strumming – it’s a lot of fun and it’s all about giving you the tools and techniques to play real music, spice up your songs, and have a lot of strumming fun starting today. If you enjoyed this

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08:04

Ep77 – A Legendary Olympian’s Inspiration in...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/08/03

As it’s the Olympics at the moment, I want to share with you a powerful little story from one of Great Britain’s greatest-ever Olympians – the legendary Daley Thompson. After struggling on his path to defending his gold medal in the 1984 Olympics, Daley had a pivotal moment during the discus event… and that moment is one that will live long in the memory of anyone watching. There are two key takeaways from that special moment that all of us guitarists can apply. Listen today, be inspired, and find

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07:12

Ep76 – The Art and Science of Writing Songs (How to...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/07/27

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

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08:56

Ep75 – Mastering the Last 5% of a Song on the Guitar

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/07/20

If you’ve ever got to the point where you can play a song on your guitar to near perfection, but you make frequent errors at various points… this episode is for you.Inside we are taking a look at the TWO key things that could be the cause of your issues. Not only that, I also give you some bits of advice to help you play your songs better. Plus, I even share one of the potentially most embarrassing moments in my musical life where I was on stage playing a gig with my band… and I forgot the

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04:38

Ep74 – How to Escape the Hell of Constantly Plucking...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/07/13

A lot of guitarists find it extremely frustrating when they pluck the wrong strings! I know I used to. In this short episode, I’m giving you a few tips to help. One thing you must remember is that you need good technique and muscle memory. Without the technique, you’ll just build bad guitar playing habits… but if you use precise technique, you’ll find it far easier to end this frustrating feeling… and that’s exactly what we are talking about today! If you enjoyed this, don’t forget you can get my

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16:30

Ep73 – My Three Most Influential Guitar Books (And a...

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/06/29

My studio room is full of books. Not all of them are great, but in each, there is something I’ve learnt, even from the books that aren’t that great! Well, today, I’m talking about three books I’ve used a lot over the years. They’re not perfect, but they are great and they’ve had a big influence on me. The books range from classical guitar to advanced guitar and songwriting! For more help from me, until the 1st of July 2024, you can join my Academy. Enrolment will close after that for a while

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14:36

Ep72 – Six of Your Most Common Guitar Questions Answered

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/06/26

I get asked a LOT of questions when it comes to learning guitar. I love to answer them but don’t always get the time to answer everyone’s questions. So today, I thought I’d share some of the most commonly asked questions I get and give you… my answers. We’re talking about how many scales you should learn on guitar, how to move around the fretboard, which guitar teachers I recommend, and if people like Justin Sandercoe and Jamie Andreas are good (honest answers inside)… Plus a whole lot more

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07:35

Ep71 – The Wildly Varying Sounds of the Blues

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/06/22

I quickly realised when I started teaching guitar that not many students would ask me to teach them to play the blues… but pretty much all of them would LOVE it when I would introduce them to blues guitar – especially the sounds of Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Stevie Ray Vaughan (and the first blues song I ever loved, which was by Led Zeppelin). In this episode, I’m playing a whole variety of blues styles and sounds for you, from a B.B. King minor blues to an Eric Clapton-style shuffle, and

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14:51

Ep70 – A Four-Step System to Skyrocket Your Motivation

The Acoustic Asylum ·

2024/06/20

One of the most important things you can do on the guitar is to get absolute clarity on what it is you want to achieve. Well, in this episode I’m going over a four-step system to help you make massive progress on the guitar. These have been inspired by author Brian Tracy and adapted as well as simplified for you to use right away. It’s powerful stuff and I highly recommend you apply this today! For more help from me, you’ll be pleased to know the Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy is now open for

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129 results

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