ABOUT LESSONS

Whether you dream of playing in a band, have aspirations of being a career musician or just wish to be able to strum a few chords or 'noodle around' with a few famous riffs for fun, I provide the expert guidance necessary to help you achieve your goals.

Professional contemporary guitar tuition is available in electric and acoustic guitar for students of all ages and abilities. Contemporary music includes styles such as rock, pop, blues, jazz, country, folk, funk, soul, R&B, reggae, latin & acoustic fingerstyle. 

Tuition is provided in a dedicated home studio combining professional level musical and recording equipment with modern teaching technology to enhance the student experience and provide immediate access to a wealth of resources.  Students unable to attend in person can access lessons using Zoom video conferencing.

Students follow individualised programmes of study tailored to their individual interests, needs and objectives. Musical and technical abilities are honed through exercises expertly designed to target precise areas for development and by learning to play an exciting, varied range of popular, standard and graded repertoire.

Students are encouraged and supported to develop all aspects of their musical and instrumental knowledge and understanding. They can learn how to write and produce songs and to improvise across a range of styles, helping to promote creativity and make lessons fun.

Where appropriate, students can further progress the academic side of their musicianship by studying harmony & theory, learning to read standard notation and developing transcribing and other aural skills.

Topics and repertoire are carefully selected and graduated to ensure students are provided with engaging and appropriate options that help in navigating a suitable pathway for sustainable improvement. It is vital that students tackle the right sorts of things at the right times if they are to achieve frequent success and gain the satisfaction and continued motivation that success provides. 

An emphasis is placed on helping students to understand the relationship between ‘play’ and ‘practice’ on the guitar, the importance of making time for both, and how to make effective and efficient use of practice time in order to achieve your goals.

Practice doesn’t have to be for long periods of time in order to be effective. It just needs to be organised appropriately, have realistic content and targets, be undertaken as advised with concentration and determination, and be completed regularly enough that each session has the opportunity to build on prior progress.

For students interested in formal certification of their achievements, exams are available from entry level through to professional diplomas. UCAS points for university application are awarded from Grade 6 onwards, with points for Grade 8 equivalent to a full A-level!

I recommend Rockschool (RSL) as the most engaging exam syllabus for both electric and acoustic guitarists. I am also familiar with alternative exam boards including RGT/LCM, Trinity & ABRSM.

Over a period of many years, I am proud that my students have continued to achieve a 100% pass rate across all exams and exam boards. Furthermore, 99% of these exams are certified as having either passed with merit or passed with distinction.

I can provide support and assistance for any school or university music course studies. I have considerable experience planning, teaching and assessing music students at Key Stages 3-5, teaching both academic and vocational courses in a wide range of settings.

Performing constitutes around 30% of GCSE and A-level music courses, with the preparation for this typically left to instrumental teachers. I have vast experience in preparing students for school exam performances, including choosing repertoire best suited to attaining the highest marks. I am comfortable liaising directly with school music departments in respect of this and in helping students prepare for any extra-curricular music ensembles, concerts or auditions.

With 10 years of experience leading A-level music technology courses, I am perfectly placed to aid students with all aspects of this or other  similar courses. I can provide expertise in all aspects of music production including studio setup, sound recording, mixing, DAWs, MIDI sequencing,  synthesis, sampling, digital audio, EQ, effects, dynamic signal processors and more.

Many students enrolled on a Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) scheme choose to use their weekly guitar lessons and practice to satisfy the 'skill' section for any of the Bronze, Silver or Gold award levels. I am experienced in helping many students with the planning, mentoring and assessment required to successfully navigate the requirements.