The worldwide community of guitarists and musicians is one of the main reasons why TrueFire is where it is today. With our students’ input and feedback, we stay motivated to continue to expand our library and improve our music e-learning experience. So, while we spend a lot of time highlighting our incredible faculty and content, we think it’s time to move the spotlight on some of our most passionate users.
In this Student Spotlight series, we’ll be showcasing a member of the diverse TrueFire community and sharing their thoughts with you. We hope you find yourself inspired. Ignited we stand!
Student Spotlight: JimP2502
Your Name:
Jim P.
How long have you been a TrueFire Student?
2 years.
Tell us a little bit about yourself as a musician:
I played guitar as a teenager, but I couldn’t afford lessons or sheet music, and there was no one else to play with, so I stopped at 19 years of age; that was 50 years ago. My children bought me an acoustic guitar as a birthday present five years ago and, thanks to the internet and TrueFire, I love learning and playing on my guitar.
I like to play songs from the 60s and 70s – Beatles, Neil Young, Clash, CCR, Stones, Bowie, and so on. I am also learning songs from John Mayer and Taylor Swift. I guess they are all pop songs that I enjoy playing on my acoustic guitar and kind of “sing.”
I have always played guitar with a pick, but I am learning to play fingerpicking. Tommy Emmanuel’s Milestones course looks interesting.
I retired from the workforce three years ago and live in Sydney, Australia.
What attracted you to TrueFire at first?
I identified and selected TrueFire on the basis of some reviews on online guitar lessons. It seemed to suit my needs and aspirations.
What are some of your favorite TrueFire courses or lessons?
Corey’s Acoustic Rhythm and Mike Zito’s Acoustic Rhythm are my favourites. TrueFire’s Acoustic foundation course was also very good.
How has TrueFire helped improve your playing?
I like TrueFire’s sync tab system, especially how it allows me to slow down and see how the teacher is playing. This is an invaluable learning tool. The downloadable tabs also help me in two ways. First, it allows me to visualize a piece of music so I can understand and memorize what I need to learn. Second, with Guitar Pro, I practice without the internet.
Why do you use TrueFire, and how often?
I try to practice nearly every day and, at the moment, I’m working on two courses simultaneously. I visit True Fire to learn from a lesson in a course and download the tabs. I will practice that lesson using Guitar Pro. If I am struggling to learn that lesson I will revisit TrueFire to look at the lesson again. It may take me a week to learn that lesson, and once I have learned it, I will revisit TrueFire for the next lesson.
What is your favorite feature of the TrueFire learning experience?
The synced tabs.
Who is your favorite TrueFire Educator and why?
That is an unfair question because, for different reasons I have a number of “favorite” educators. I like how Mike Zito presents a rhythm and then encourages you to tweak it to “make it your own”. I like Corey’s approach to explaining how and why things work as they do. Finally, Tommy Emmanuel is an inspirational educator.
What would you like to see more of at TrueFire?
I would like a course on how to learn and arrange popular songs from scratch.
Any other comments?
None.
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