How much do lessons cost?

Hourly lessons are £30 for regular weekly or fortnightly lessons. and £35 per hour for ad-hoc/one off/mentoring lessons.

How do I pay?

Cash on the day is preferable, but I am able to accept card/contactless/Apple Pay payments.

What if I can’t make it to the lesson?

I require 48 hours notice if you need to cancel, otherwise I will require full payment for the lesson.

If you are unable to give me 48 hours notice but are able to reschedule the lesson to another time that I might have available that week, then I'm happy to do this instead.

I'm super-keen to get started! Can I turn up early?

It's best to turn up on the dot of your allocated time, as I don't have a decicated waiting area & I teach back to back lessons during busy periods.

What’s the youngest my child should start learning guitar?

I have found that around 9 years old is the earliest age to start contemporary guitar, any earlier and children's hands may be too small. However do feel free to email or call to discuss further!

What is a DBS check?

The Disclosure & Barring Service check is a certificate of any data the police may hold on a person. I hold an Enhanced DBS Certificate (which is updated annually, and you are welcome to view when you or your child comes for your first lesson) stating that I have no criminal convictions, which is required when working with children or vulnerable adults.

Do you do home visits?

No. It's time consuming to travel to people's homes, and the logistics of carting all my gear, getting set up, makes it impractical.

Do I need to bring my own guitar?

Yes, as you will need your own guitar to play at home too, plus you'll be more comfortable and play better on your own instrument. You are welcome to use one of mine in your lesson if yours is temporarily out of action.

I’m new to guitar, what make should I buy?

If you need any advice on this drop me an email I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction, all for the small fee of allowing me to test drive your new guitar! 😃

Is there anything else I should buy?

A tuner is essential if you're new to guitar, and a capo will come in useful occasionally, but a metronome is an absolute must for any stage of your guitar playing.

Tuners & metronomes are readily available as apps for smartphones and tablets too, I use Polytune and Tempo.

I want to learn acoustic, but where’s your acoustic guitar!?

My last acoustic guitar didn't survive a trip through Stansted Airport outsize baggage reclaim! I haven’t owned another since as I'm primarily an electric guitarist.

However I am well versed in acoustic guitar playing, fingerstyle etc, and I teach the RGT Acoustic exam syllabus, I simply don't need an acoustic guitar for my own purposes.

How long should I practice for?

I prefer to call it playing, not practicing! Everybody has a different approach, but often the most effective playing is to do so when you feel motivated to.

Alternatively, I'm pretty sure I have a copy of 'Steve Vai's 10 Hour Guitar Workout' somewhere... 🤯

How frequently should I have lessons?

That is entirely up to you and how fast you think you can learn and how much time you have to play/practice (see above!). Sometimes a fast approaching lesson can also be motivation to get playing! And of course with fortnightly or ad-hoc lessons you may lose focus if there is too much time between.

What if I want to change to weekly or fortnightly lessons?

That’s no problem, however, if you change to fortnightly lessons it’s likely the alternate slot that becomes available will be taken by someone else and so returning to the same weekly slot may not be possible if you change your mind.

If you want to change to fortnightly lessons, I may ask that you take another available fortnightly slot so as to free up a weekly slot in certain cases, as quite often I have very limited places.

Are you available for daytime lessons?

Yes, although I may not be able to commit to a regular daytime slot at a specific time every week, the best thing to do is contact me and see what we can arrange.

Why don’t you teach on a Friday or a Sunday?

Yes I seriously get asked this!! As much as I love my job, I'm usually quite busy so I do like to have days off like everyone else!

Do I have to learn to read music?

No not at all, it’s not necessary for contemporary guitar, however understanding some basic rhythms is very useful and it’s quite likely we’ll do some in lessons early on. Guitarists usually use what is called TAB (meaning tablature) which is pretty easy to read instead If you wish to learn to read music we most certainly can do.

Do you teach music theory?

Absolutely. I'm a theory nerd. I teach music theory to an advanced level and it’s all very much guitar orientated. I have had great results with helping students understand music theory applied in a practical way to guitar, and vice versa if you're doing music theory on another instrument or for GCSEs/music theory exams.

What songs will we play in lessons?

If you’re a beginner we’ll run through plenty of well known standards to start off with, and as soon as possible we’ll get around to doing some songs that you want to learn. It's really helpful if you can give me a wishlist of songs you'd like to learn too!

Do you play in a band?

I don't play in a band currently, I am working on my solo projects. I've previously toured Europe and the UK several times in bands and recorded 3 albums, 2 Eps, done remixes, soundtrack & TV work. I also do sessions and workshops in addition to tuition.