Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Dean Barnett.
It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. How did you get to where you are today?
Today my life is dedicated to helping others learn music, and my specific focus is helping people achieve their dream of playing guitar, but being a musician didn’t always come naturally to me, in fact, I got off to a pretty rough start. I had my first musical experience when my parents enrolled me in piano lessons as a kid. It didn’t go well, and my grumpy old teacher ended up telling my parents that I had absolutely no musical talent and that they were wasting their money. I didn’t think about music for many years after that, I thought I just wasn’t cut out for it. Then one day a friend of mine inspired me to want to play guitar. Shortly after, I got a brand new guitar only to barely touch it and let it collect dust for over a year. Finally, I was lucky enough to find the right teacher and he helped me fall in love with the guitar and with music. What he did differently is he really taught me to understand how the guitar works, so that I could learn and play the music I cared about. Now it’s my mission to do the same for others. Right now, learning guitar has become too complicated and frustrating. I want to help people really understand the guitar and simplify the learning process so that they can have fun and feel confident in their ability to learn and play the music they love.
I’m sure your success has not come easily. What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?
A big challenge for me in my life has been my health. In 2012 I was hospitalized twice within a month and was eventually diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Even after leaving the hospital I had to endure all kinds of ongoing IV treatments, and even had to have a drain implanted in my stomach for a period of time. During this time I was not feeling well and it was difficult to think about anything else but my health. But something still pushed me towards music education, and during that same period of time I started my music education school called MusicMatchr. Even amidst the turmoil with my health I had been looking for ways in which I could begin teaching music and sharing my passion with others. Finally I had a lucky break come through and was able to secure a Daily Deal offer for private guitar lessons through LivingSocial. That deal was enough to help me get some exposure and start working with a roster of private students. The rest is history! From there I continued to teach privately for about 10 years and I estimate that I’ve taught over 10,000 private lessons. Now I have taken those years of teaching experience and created a streamlined online course which will allow students from anywhere in the world to work with me and learn with my Muscle Memory based learning system.
Let’s talk about the work you do. What do you specialize in and why should someone work with you over the competition?
I help people achieve their dream of playing guitar with my Muscle Memory training system. There is a lot of information out there about learning guitar. There are thousands upon thousands of Youtube videos, there are music books, private teachers, or apps where you can follow the bouncing ball – the problem is, all of these options are outrageously time consuming, often don’t work, and can leave students feel confused and frustrated. My approach simplifies the learning process by giving students a straightforward path to learning guitar, without needing to consume thousands of random Youtube videos, and helps them learn quickly and get results by harnessing the power of Muscle Memory. In all my experience as a teacher I have found that all of guitar playing, in any style or genre, really comes down to understanding 7 essential techniques. Once you understand these techniques, you open up your ability to play any song you can imagine on guitar. Along with that simplified learning approach, I help students harness the power of Muscle Memory to train themselves to make playing the guitar feel effortless, automatic, and natural. The best part is that learning with Muscle Memory allows students to learn up to 94% faster than conventional learning methods!
What’s your best piece of advice for readers who desire to find success in their life?
Success is different for everyone, but think we can all agree that a good measure of success is happiness. We all want to find happiness in our lives and we each have different ideas of what that looks like. I think the best thing you can do is define what it is that will make you truly happy and go after it with consistent daily action. Follow your passion, do something you love, and never give up!
Speaking of success, what does the word mean to you?
For me, success is having an impact on others. I want to take what I’ve learned and share that knowledge with others so that they can achieve their dreams. I also find happiness in spending time with family, friends, my wife, and my two amazing daughters!
What’s next for you?
I’m going to continue teaching guitar and helping students for years to come! I love what I do and enjoy seeing my students learn, grow, and discover the musical talent they never knew they had!
Finally, how can people connect with you if they want to learn more.
Head over to www.MuscleMemoryGuitar.com for a free practice guide and more information on my Muscle Memory training program called “Guitar Building Blocks”.