Love the work you do
Building confidence & creativity
Hey guitar players,
The moment I was shown my first riff on guitar, I knew I had to find a way to have music in my life, as often as possible.
As I grew up and the reality of working life loomed large, it was clear that music needed to be my career.
Initially, young minds assume this means playing full time in a band, touring the world and cutting an album every year or 2. As much as that was the dream to begin with! I soon realised that a career in music can mean so many things. And there are a ton of options that allow you to fulfil your own passions and desires, but also help others discover the joy of music participation, and realise their own creative potential.
This all eventually lead to the formation of my music charity - TIME: Together In Musical Expression
We help people of all ages, abilities & backgrounds, access music and discover their unique, creative potential. You can find our latest project (a songwriting workshop at an early-onset dementia service here)
I feel incredibly privileged and proud of the work carried out by TIME. So it was a pleasure to be invited onto the JobsWorth podcast to chat about my journey into the music industry, how I setup my music charity and any insights I can share that help people wishing to turn their passions into a fulfilling career.
You can check the conversation here
Or search for JobsWorth podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
🎶 Quick Tip
Want to bring more variety and emotion to your playing? Suspended (sus) and add chords are an easy way to add depth to even the simplest chord progressions. Here’s how you can start experimenting with these shapes in the open position.
Take a basic D major chord. Then, to create a Dsus2, simply remove your second finger from the high E string, replacing the F# note with an open E. This subtle change gives the chord a lighter, more open sound. For a Dsus4, add your pinky to the third fret of the high E string, replacing F# with a G note. These simple tweaks can add dynamic movement to your playing without even changing chords.
Try This:
Play D major → Dsus2 → Dsus4 → D major as a loop. Notice how it feels like the chord is "breathing" with each variation.
Apply the same concept to other chords you know. For example, try forming a Cadd9 by adding your pinky to the third fret of the B string while playing a C major chord.
Suspended and add chords are staples in countless songs, from Oasis anthems to pop ballads. Take a few minutes to experiment.
🎸Black Friday
I know.. the bandwagon everyone jumps on nowadays. But hear me out..
As you may have seen, I’m regularly discounting my guitar courses and also giving a lot of content away for free. I want budding musicians, to be able to discover their creative potential, with little friction or financial restriction.
So.. while this time of year, now means most of the worlds eyes are on what big deals are popping up, I want to make sure my subscribers have something that caters for them.
If you’re interested in learning guitar, then I have a complete beginners guide to playing guitar, that you can access for just £9.99.
Simply head here and enter the code: beginner10
Already up and running with the guitar? Then I have a Guitar Practice Course for just £4.99
Head here and enter the code: practice20
Want To Take Your Guitar Playing Further?
Check my latest guitar course - Learn Guitar Chords - where you can master everything from open chords, up to advanced inversions. All with an emphasis on discovering your own, unique, creative abilities.
Explore your creative potential for free, here.
As always, give me a shout if you have any questions or just want to chat guitar and music 🎶
🌍 Links
All of my other instrument classes can be found on Skillshare. This link gives you 1 month FREE access to my courses & the entire Skillshare site.
🙋♂️Follow me for more guitar, bass & ukulele related chat & tutorials:
🧡 My Music Charity
Speak soon,
Marc
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