WOW! That is the only word that I can evoke to express my amazement when I watch John Denner play guitar. The amazement is triggered not only because he plays the guitar so well, but because he manages to play the guitar without a right hand.

During his early 20’s his passion for guitars and music drove him to experiment with a makeshift pick attached to his residual limb. Eventually, John Denner’s passion driven persistence and ingenuity developed him into an exceptional guitar player, allowing him to play alongside music legend Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar, at the Iridium a jazz club in New York City.

It is always inspiring to find people like John Denner who are so passionate about something that nothing stands in the way of achieving their goal. So what is the formula for John Denner’s and others'' success? In my opinion it is a two part answer.

First, you have to identify what your goal is. It seems that when that goal is driven by passion it makes the person more determined and persistent to achieve whatever it is they want to achieve.

Second, you can’t allow obstacles to get in your way. A lot of the time when we are faced with an obstacle we allow it to discourage us from attaining our goal. A common mistake that we make is that we focus on the obstacle at hand instead of embracing the opportunities that the obstacle creates for us.

In John Denner’s case his goal was to play guitar. His obstacle was his birth defect, but he did not let the lack of a right hand stop him from achieving his goal; instead, he devised a makeshift pick attached to his residual limb and with some practice and persistence was able to learn how to play guitar.

In 2008 John Denner was featured in the DVD for Guitar Techniques magazine. In 2009 John filmed his first instructional DVD called Legato Licks and Frettboard Tricks, with his lessons also available online at Guitarinstructor.com. Also in 2009, John Denner released his first full length instrumental album titled “Is This Thing On?” The CD features collaborations from world renowned musicians like Brett Garsed, Phil Hilborne, Jamie Humphries, Ivan Mihaljevic, and Billy Sheehan.

John Denner’s Bio