October Update
You don’t have to reach some imaginary level of “good enough” before you’re allowed to be part of music. A few chords and a simple song are more than enough.
A Few Chords Are More Than Enough
Well, the fall season has officially kicked off for our family.
We took the kids to our favourite pumpkin patch last Sunday. We choose this particular one every year because they have live music everywhere — in the patch, on the trains, even on the tractors! There’s really nothing quite like dancing on a farm to a live band.
And this year, we got the best surprise: one of our best friends, Mike, was onstage! We had no idea he’d be there. He gave our kids a shout-out, and they even got to request a song.
It was one of those little moments that made me feel so grateful to be a musician and to be part of a musical community.
We actually met Mike at a house concert nearly 15 years ago. He’s a fantastic musician, and we’ve stayed close friends ever since. We still jam together regularly — and recently, his father-in-law picked up the bass and started playing with us, too! He started at 60 years young, and now he’s part of the crew.
I think that’s one of the loveliest things about music: you don’t have to reach some imaginary level of “good enough” before you’re allowed to be part of it.
A few chords and a simple song are more than enough.
Has music ever turned an ordinary day into something you still remember?
Membership Updates
This month, Academy members picked up two new full playthroughs and two new worksheets.
New Full Play-throughs
New Worksheets
🎸 Join the Academy Here →
🌟 Student Spotlight: Mark
Meet Mark — he set the guitar down for 40 years, and three years into retirement he’s memorized 117 songs.
Here’s Mark’s story, from a college coffeehouse to a four-hour daily practice routine. →
Mark lives in Omaha, where retirement has given him time to build a daily life around guitar. Three years after retiring from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, he has memorized 117 songs and practices for about four hours a day.
Music has been part of his life since childhood, when he played the organ. He taught himself guitar as a high school senior, then played at a college coffeehouse while another student sang. During 40 years as a professor, research and teaching took over, and he stopped playing.
When he retired, Mark returned to the instrument that had stayed in the back of his mind. He bought a Gibson J200, a model he loves partly because Emmylou Harris plays one, and later added a Martin D18. The sound matters to him.
“You have to have a guitar that you really like the way it sounds. Otherwise, you’re not going to want to play.”
His practice routine reflects his academic side. He plays roughly half of his repertoire one day and the other half the next. Over the following two days, he learns one or two new songs, then starts the cycle again. His list of songs to learn next already contains another 220.
Mark found GoodGuitarist after searching online and trying several lesson platforms. What held his attention was James’s pace and precision. “He’s very detailed, and he takes his time,” Mark says. “He’s very well aware of some of the challenges that people are going to face.”
One memory has shaped Mark’s playing for decades. In college, he watched another student figure out any song by ear. “I still remember to this day where I was, and watching him, I was in such awe,” he says. “I said to myself, ‘That’s what I want to do.'”
His ear has improved enough to notice when online chord charts miss changes such as C to Cadd9. He has also become quicker with barre chords and recently mastered a B♭ shape that had challenged him. Some songs come quickly — he learned Elvis Presley’s “In the Ghetto” in two days. Others demand dozens of repetitions, especially Jackson Browne songs with less predictable structures.
For beginners, Mark recommends choosing songs they genuinely love, finding a guitar whose sound makes them want to play, and accepting the work involved. “You just have to practice, practice, and practice.”
His next challenge is singing while playing advanced Travis picking in the style of Joan Baez and Nanci Griffith. With 117 songs in memory and 220 waiting, Mark still has plenty to keep both hands busy.
Thank you to Mark for sharing his story and time with us.
Inspired by Mark’s story?
→ Explore the GoodGuitarist Academy
→ Already a member? Share your story here — you could be our next featured student.
What I’ve Been Teaching Lately
Here’s a look at the lessons that went out this month, broken down by song lessons and non-song lessons.
Song Lessons
- How to Play “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s — Easy Strumming Version
- How to Play “Nights in White Satin” by The Moody Blues — No Barre Chords
- How to Play the “Redemption Song” Intro Riff by Bob Marley
Non-Song Lessons
- How to Graduate From Beginner Guitar (Step One)
- Play Anywhere — Unlock the Guitar Neck With 1 Shape
- Smoother Strumming in 3 Steps (Even If You “Have No Rhythm”)
Coming Up Next
Here’s a look at what I’ll be working on next:
- A strumming exercise that makes you sound confident before your chord changes are perfect
- 6 famous movie themes you can play on just 1 or 2 strings
- 5 chord embellishments that make simple chords sound fuller
- “Thriller” — Michael Jackson
- “Paint It Black” — The Rolling Stones
- “Season of the Witch” — Donovan
That’s all for now!
– James
