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The Acoustic Asylum

The Acoustic Asylum

Written by: Dan Thorpe
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About this listen

 If learning guitar leaves you feeling mad, frustrated, or like you want to tear your hair out, this podcast is for you. Dan Thorpe specialises in teaching beginner guitar lessons to older adults. If you want to discover Dan’s methods for the best way to learn guitar, to play easy guitar songs while having more fun, and to do so without feeling like you have a one-way ticket to the Acoustic Asylum, then listen closely and... Join us as Dan shares the best tips, tricks, and motivating stories from his 10,000+ hours of teaching beginner guitar songs and techniques... All of which will help you on your guitar-playing journey immediately. Get two free and exclusive eBooks and more unique lessons from fingerstyle101.com/freeAll rights reserved. Music
Episodes
  • Ep133 – Start 2026 With a Bang (The Tip Nobody Talks About)

    Ep133 – Start 2026 With a Bang (The Tip Nobody Talks About)
    Jan 9 2026

    In today’s episode, I’ll talk about making 2026 the best year for you on the guitar. It’s great to have a plan for the coming year, however, I want to talk about what you’ve achieved in the past year and how you’ve progressed.

    Chances are, in 2025, you practised a hundred hours, and you’ve got to take some time to take stock. Did you master a chord change? Did you learn a barre chord? Did you learn a song? All of these are worth celebrating. Take a listen to hear how to take stock of your past year and how to carry on into the new year!

    If you enjoyed this podcast, you can get my free “guitar secrets” video course, which will help all beginners or those who are “stuck”. Get the course for free, exclusively at - https://fingerstyle101.com/secrets/

    Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!
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    10 mins
  • Ep132 – Avoid the Mishaps of Santa’s Workshop: How to Pick a Good Guitar

    Ep132 – Avoid the Mishaps of Santa’s Workshop: How to Pick a Good Guitar
    Dec 22 2025

    With the arrival of Christmas, Santa’s elves are getting busy. While they are skilled at all kinds of fun toys, they are not the best luthiers, i.e., they’re not the most skilled guitar builders.

    So to avoid getting a patchy guitar from Santa’s workshop, I’m offering some advice on how to pick a proper guitar. Take a listen and hear all about my experiences with Santa’s elves.

    If you enjoyed this podcast, you can get my free “guitar secrets” video course, which will help all beginners or those who are “stuck”. Get the course for free, exclusively at - https://fingerstyle101.com/secrets/

    Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!
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    13 mins
  • Ep131 – How to Unlock Your Secret Guitar Superpower

    Ep131 – How to Unlock Your Secret Guitar Superpower
    Dec 18 2025
    I’ve spoken before about the Gatekeeper of the Acoustic Asylum. The Gatekeeper represents a lot of what’s out there in the guitar world. So today’s episode is all about beating the Gatekeeper as he tries to take your dreams and crush them. The best way to defeat the Gatekeeper is to become the best guitarist you can be. One way you can do this is by working out melodies as a way of honing your skills. In the episode, I offer you some tips and tricks on working out melodies and honing your skills to develop your guitar superpowers. Take a listen and unlock your superpower! If you enjoyed this podcast, you can get my free “guitar secrets” video course, which will help all beginners or those who are “stuck”. Get the course for free, exclusively at - https://fingerstyle101.com/secrets/ Like this episode? Your reviews for this podcast mean the world to me, so please let us know what you thought about the Acoustic Asylum!
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    13 mins
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