Do you need lessons?

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Not really, would be my first answer. Though I studied violin for 12 years, and this definitely helped me develop my left hand and my ears, I only had one guitar lesson, in 1967, when a schoolfriend showed me the chords for House of the Rising Sun. Everything else I've learned through listening (to Bert Jansch, John Martyn, Donovan, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Steven Stills, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, Lowell George, Albert Lee, Pat Metheny and many more..) and practising.

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Lessons can be helpful, but they're a guide, not a substitute, for practice. Practice regularly, ideally at least ten to twenty minutes every day. That way your fingers will become accustomed to the torture, develop callouses, and muscle memory will eventually do a lot of the thinking for you.

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If you do want some help and guidance, and feel you have the time and the motivation to devote 10 minutes or more a day to your practice, I'm available and happy to take on serious students. I can show you my approach to the instrument, and to music generally, that will soon  enable you to play more or less anything you choose to. I can show you new chord shapes and progressions, picking styles, tips for constructing lead or bass lines, and fine-tune your finger technique on both hands.

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A teacher's main role would be to remind and encourage you to practice every day, and to give your practice some structure. Practice makes perfect, and if you're really doing it on a daily basis, it will make a profound difference to your playing, far more than a weekly lesson. If you don't practice, lessons are a waste of time - yours and mine.

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​If there is a particular piece you wish to learn to play, I can show you how to do it. If you want to learn to read and write music, I can teach that too. If it's the Theory you need, I can get you up to Grade V.



In addition, I can introduce you to playing live in front of audiences, or help you with your stage technique if you're already performing. Maybe we'll go out and play a few songs together...

 

Lessons can take place at your home, and will generally last between 60 and 90 minutes.