Want Something FREE?

If I was a betting man, I would bet you a $100 that you believe or have believed the following two lies about learning to play the guitar at some point in your life! I tell you what, I'm willing to bet you a free  live guitar lesson, a $50 value, that you believe or have believed these two lies:

1. Lie #1: You have to be musically inclined to learn to play guitar.

2. Lie #2: You have to have a lot of spare time and money to learn to play guitar.

Well, was I right? Have you ever believed either of these two lies? I'm sure you have but just to be fair, I will give you a free guitar lesson just for reading this blog post! That's right, a FREE living breathing guitar lesson in person! 

Now you are probably wondering why I would make such an offer? It's because of those two lies that you and countless others have believed in for so long. But here is the real TRUTH:

1. TRUTH: Learning to play the guitar starts with having a desire to learn and an actual guitar!

2: TRUTH: Learning to play the guitar can be affordable, fun, and easy! (Yeah, I said easy!)

If you are in the Eastern North Carolina area, follow the 3 Easy Steps to redeem this offer of a FREE guitar lesson! So, the first lesson is on me. Just bring your guitar and begin to learn what I have taught many others, the joy and excitement of playing guitar!

Ok, now that you know the truth, here is what you need to do to redeem your FREE Guitar Lesson! Just follow these...

3 Easy Steps:

Step 1: First Call or Text me, (Wayne) @ 252-774-0396 

Step 2: Like and share my page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/dwmguitarlessons  

Step 3: Come to the next available lesson with your guitar and start playing in minutes!*

*If you like the lesson and want to continue, I offer one 1hr lesson a week, at 3 different times for only $20 per lesson. No monthly payments. You pay as you go.

The current market value for these lessons are $50-$60 an hour!

You say, "So, why are you only charging $20 instead of the $50 market value?" 

I'm so glad you asked that!

I'm just going to get real with you here...

... I'm a father of two children, work a full time job and have bills just like you! 

... I know what it is like in these stressful economic times. 

... That is why I don't charge an outrageous amount of $50! 

It is this simple... 

Follow the 3 Easy Steps and begin your guitar playing journey today!

3 Ways to Stay Motivated

As a musician, I'm always looking for an opportunity to play. Whether I'm home alone or with friends, pulling out the guitar is always a joy. For those who have started the journey to learn to play it may bring unwanted anxiety and stress. I tell everyone that anyone can learn to play guitar. With the right teacher and dedicated patience you can be playing guitar in just weeks. 

Over the past year, I've been teaching guitar lessons and have noticed some get discouraged and frustrated when their playing doesn't sound right or their fingers don't move fast enough. I decided to share 3 ways to stay motivated while learn to play your guitar.

1. Be Consistent: Make it a point to practice every day. Even when you don't feel up to it. Don't be distracted by your troubles. Put your energy into your playing. Many times you will actually clear your mind. When your done playing, you'll have better focus with other things in your life.

2. Play What You Know: If you only know a few chords, then play them. Enjoy the challenge to move faster between them. Set a rhythm for your strumming and play the heck out of what you know. Then, after you're warmed up and got your head in the world of music, try the stuff you are struggling with.

3. Listen and Enjoy: Take time to listen to the songs you are trying to learn. During the learning process you may have to learn songs you are not familiar with. Make a play list and relax. Lay back, put your head phones on and focus on every part in the song. This will help you train your ear for the over all makeup for the song.

Over all, never ever give up. That is the only thing that makes you different from being as good as any guitar player you have ever heard. They simply didn't quit. Quitting will guarantee a major FAIL.

3 Secrets to Building Boundaries

I have been posting about the parallels of the guitar accessories I mentioned in an earlier post and the accessories for living a successful life. In the last post, we read about the art of accessibility and how it can lead you to living a more successful life. Now we are going to look at the next item, the guitar case, and how it parallels with boundaries.


When we talk about boundaries, what is the first thought that comes to mind? Is it safety? Is it restriction? Or is it freedom? Boundaries are intended to free you from the foreseeable and unforeseeable future. We naturally establish boundaries based on our past fears, hurts, injuries, and failures. Any emotion, activity, or mistake that we don't want to live again in our lives are used to build boundaries. Here are three secrets to building boundaries.


1. The Secret of Knowing Reality- No matter what you say you believe about reality, setting your boundaries can reflect what you truly believe about reality. So the secret is to change your reality and this will help you in setting your personal boundaries. For example. I know that when I'm hungry or tired, I don't think or act the way I want to act or think. As a rule, the lack of sleep and food effect my interactions with others. My reality has meet with my belief and I have decided to never make major decisions without getting my sleep/food need meet first. I have learned to not even think about the problem or idea until those needs are met. In the past I would stumble all around the answers I needed when I was either hungry or sleepy. When I'm well rested and well feed, I make the best decisions. This maybe different for you. The only way you will find reality is being real with yourself and looking inward for a change. Line up your boundaries with the reality you have discovered to be true about yourself.

2. The Secret of Knowing Fear- Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Some fear is good and it prevents us from causing ourselves physical and emotional pain. Some fear is bad and it prevents us from enjoying the exciting thrills and adventures in life. People who set boundaries out of fear say things like, "I might get hurt, I'll be embarrassed, what will they think, when the time is right I'll..." . We all have fears, it is a matter of setting our boundaries around good fear or bad fear. You do have a choice as to which fear you will believe in and let rule your life. If there is something that you truly want to do but are hung up on fear, then you are letting fear rule your life. What some people call boundaries are really walls they hid behind. Just on the other side are their passions and dreams. Your fear will be standing guard at the gate to your divine purpose, passions, and dreams. It is up to you to not let fear keep you from going through that gate!

3. The Secret of Knowing Freedom- What would you do if you woke up one morning to find yourself in a prison cell. You then noticed that the cell door is open and you can go through to find that every door leading to the outside is open. No one is trying to stop you from leaving. Would you go on to living your life the way you want or would you turn around and return to your cell and stay. The open cell represents false comfort and security.  I currently work at a prison as an officer. An inmate's security is important to the public as well as the inmate. You can set up your own boxed in prison and call it having boundaries but it is built out of fear not freedom. Your boundaries should always free you, not bound you. Even though the word bound is it's root word, healthy boundaries should free you to living a life of success. Ask your self, is this boundary I have in my life keeping me from my freedom or from being bound up by fear?



At least once or twice a year, everyone should question their boundaries. Note, I didn't say just cross them. Examine yourself daily. Ask yourself if you are truly free or if you are living your life based around fear. That is the journey. Examine, discover, pursue, engage, and live your life. Meditation, journaling, reflection, prayer, and focused study can help you discover things about yourself. Fear is the biggest enemy in the journey to be successful. Freedom should be our goal when setting boundaries and if it isn't we must ask ourselves what we truly want, life in our made up prisons or the excitement and adventure of life?



What kind of boundaries have you set in your life and how did you come to those boundaries? I can't wait to hear from you!

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The Art of Accessibility

In my last blog, I ended with five tools for success. For me, everything that we do in life can reveal parallels and parables that teaches and trains us to become better people. Over the past few months I have been teaching several people in my area the art of playing guitar. During this endeavor I have begun to see how playing guitar can possibly change a person's life. Learning the art of playing the guitar doesn't unlock some secret magic but applying the learned principals, parallels and methods to your everyday life can.

"Your time is a zero sum game. When you say yes to one thing, you are simultaneously saying no to something else. The more successful you get, the more difficult this becomes. You find yourself saying no to good things—worthy things—in order to say yes to your most important priorities."- Michael Hyatt

Learning any new skill requires time, people, resources, tools, and practice. I understand that everyone isn't interested in learning to play the guitar but I firmly believe that anyone who really wants to can learn to play. The possibility for one to learn any skill is not a matter of having time, people, resources, tools, or opportunities. It is a matter of what one truly desires in his or her heart to do and believing that it is possible to be done. The first parallel that I drew from the 5 Essential Guitar Accessories post was that every guitarist needs a guitar stand and the art of accessibility.

Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity. Having your guitar out on a stand makes it more accessible to the guitarist. When you inline your life with finding success, which is discovering your true passions and bringing them to life, you will need to discover the art of accessibility. These are 3 elements to the art of accessibility.

1. The Element of Time-

Have you ever made the excuse of not having enough time to take on a new task or learn a new skill? I know I have. We all have been given the same amount of time. The difference is in how we use that time we have been given. Knowing that alone can empower you or hold you captive. The difference in a successful persons time and an unsuccessful persons time is a matter of how it is spent. Timing is everything and the time to pursue your passions and dreams is now. Invest in prioritizing your time. This doesn't mean having some rigid schedule that you can never deviate from. It means setting objectives for each day that will bring you closer to seeing your goals and passions come to life.

2. The Element of Saying Yes-

When my children came into my life I promised myself to say yes to them as often as possible. I want to provide the best things in life for my children to have the best life possible. Saying yes for some people can be difficult. When dreams are crushed and when affirmation isn't given, fear becomes the root element in saying no to the pursuit of their dreams. They develop a belief system of fear in their unconscious mind.  Fear of failure and ridicule often is the reason why we don't say yes to our passions and dreams. By being accessible to saying yes and facing down fear you open doors of success.

3. The Element of Saying No-

 Choose who you give your attention and time to. Sometimes we get caught up in giving way more than we should. How can the hungry serve and feed others, if they haven't gotten their needs meet? We can only 'go' on just so much and if we truly want to give and help others, why not give them our best? Instead we say yes to everyone and opportunity that comes our way. These are the actions of a person tossed by the ocean of life. They don't know or have forgotten what their true passions and dreams are. They blindly say yes to everything. People make this mistake in church circles all the time. Understand that your faith isn't based on how much you give but on your intentions in what you do. Be intentional with who you give your time, mind, heart, attention, money, and trust to.

"The more successful you are the less accessible you become to people. Success has a way of pulling you away from people and because you can’t be with everyone you have to limit your circle and those people get 100% of the attention."- John Maxwell.

The Art of Accessibility is a matter of making the most of your time, knowing when to say yes, and knowing when to say no. Mastering this art will bring you closer to fulfilling your passions, dreams, and divine purpose.

Have you ever had to say no to opportunities that kept you from your goals? Leave your answers and comments in the 'comments' section or as you share this blog on Facebook with your friends. Be sure to also share the art of accessibility with your followers on Twitter.

5 Essential Guitar Accessories

When new clients and students ask me, "What do I need to play guitar?", I'm quick to say that all you need is passion to learn and a guitar to play. I also like to recommend 5 essential guitar accessories to go along with your guitar. For seasoned players, this may sound trivial to you. Continue reading for a parallel to your guitar essentials and tools for living a successful life.  

1. Guitar Stand- (Price $9-$10) Any Guitar Stand will do. This will help prevent your new or old guitar from getting damaged by kids running through your home. Even if you don't have kids running around, it is good to have your guitar on a stand for stability and to prevent falls, dents, cracks, scratches, and breaks from occurring. It also allows for easy accessibility for playing. With it being out of the case, it maintains a constant cool environment. This helps prevent warping and splits.  

2. Guitar Case- (Price $15-$140) The case is the only way to travel with your guitar. Some people keep their guitars in a case but if you aren't traveling, keep it out on your stand. You are more apt to play it when you can visually look at it every day. With the exception of your guitar stand, you can carry all of your accessories in your case when you travel. Of course the hard shell cases are more expensive but worth it in the long run. Soft shell or Gig bags are affordable and lite weight. They are good for first time guitar players that travel locally with their guitar. If you are planing to take your guitar with you out on the road or on vacation, then spend the extra cash on a hard shell. Most dealers will offer the case with the purchase. That is usually when you'll get your best deal on one.

3. Guitar Tuner- (Price $15-$20) Your best friend can be your tuner. I would invest in a nice clip on one for an acoustic and a nice plug in for an electric. Over time you will not use your tuner as much but it will save you a lot of time and frustration when you are starting out playing. I have also found that when the sounds of other musicians doing sound checks and just the noisy sounds of a coffee shop can get in the way of getting your ear into a great tune. Having a tuner gets you over that hurdle with out embarrassing yourself or your friends. People may only get silent when you are ready to start to playing, so you want it to be in tune when they are.  

4. Guitar Picks- (Price $4 for 12) When you go to buy your guitar pick, you will notice the various selections. Don't get sold on colors and size. You are looking for thickness and grip. If you are playing acoustic guitar, then you will need a medium to thin pick. Electric guitarist usually go for a thicker less flexible pick. I recommend Dunlop Nylon USA picks. I have never had one to break, ever. Keep about four or five picks in your case and around your playing spots at home. You are going to lose one here and there, later on it is like finding loose change around your house.

5. Guitar Strap/Strap locks- (Price $7-$10) Having a strap enables you to stand and play. I would recommend you get strap pegs installed on your guitar if they don't have them already. It takes the stress and weight off the head of the guitar. It also frees up your playing arm. I also mention strap locks to my clients and students. Mainly for electric guitars, strap locks lock the strap to the guitar, preventing the strap from coming off during play. They come in many different styles and looks. If you aren't confident about putting them on yourself, take them to a shop.

Now, let us look at the parallel in tools for a successful life...

1. Accessibility- (Price- Free) Just like the guitar stand allows you to have your guitar in a safe and accessible location for playing, making yourself accessible to the possibilities of success is essential to living a successful life.

2. Boundaries- (Price- Free) Just like the guitar case provides protection for your guitar, having healthy boundaries as you live and go about your life is essential to living a successful life.

3. Discernment- (Price- Free) Just like the guitar tuner can line up all the strings on the guitar for a great sounding guitar, having discernment can help you tune into what is going on in and around your life, which leads to much success.

4. Peace- (Price- Free) Just like the guitar pick brings out the crisp sound of your guitar strings, having peace can help you bring out the best in you and others around you, this leads you to a successful way of life.

5. Balance- (Price- Free) Just like the guitar strap brings balance and freedom to the guitarist to move and play, having balance can help you stand tall and solve many of life's situations that usually hinder your success.

In my next blog post series, "How Playing Guitar Can Change Your Life", I'll be sharing with you in more detail the parallels that I have found in playing guitar and living a successful and happy life.