Biography
I’ve been playing the guitar for almost 30 years and teaching for 20 of those, and – as of 2017 – I’ve given up the day job to pursue music full-time. My specialisms are rock, metal and blues, although I have experience of other genres too, as well as a solid grounding in musical theory and technique.
I’m a member of the Registry of Guitar Tutors and hold an enhanced DBS certificate. I offer guitar lessons to students of all ages and abilities, usually from my own fully-equipped home studio on the outskirts of Stroud, but I can travel to you if required. As well as teaching individual students, I’ve also taught group sessions at Peter Gill’s Rock School for the past seven years.
Among other things, I’ve recorded demos for Q-Tuner pick-ups and demoed foot pedals at the London Guitar Show, and would be happy to consider any future opportunities along these lines. I’ve also gigged and recorded with a number of bands over the years – including performing at Download Festival – and feel as at home playing live as I do in the studio. Now that I’m working in music full-time, undertaking more session work is certainly an ambition of mine.
Please feel free to email me, call/text me on 07916 172872, or send me a message via the contact form on this website.
Influences
My first exposure to guitar-based music (that I remember) was hearing Buddy Holly’s work. I loved his music, but wasn’t – at that time – particularly inspired to take up the guitar. It wasn’t until a little while later, around the age of 10 or 11, that I first experienced the music of bands like Iron Maiden, W.A.S.P. and Mötley Crüe, and it completely blew me away. I’d never heard anything like it before, and I knew then that I wanted to be able to make music that sounded exactly like those bands, so I started to learn to play.
Fast forward to now, and my main loves are still rock and metal. I love very, very heavy stuff, and also cheesy 80s rock. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) were probably my first guitar heroes, closely followed by Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe). But then I heard Van Halen, and then Steve Vai, and my realisation of what was possible on the guitar changed a bit. These guys remain some of my favourite players to this day, to whom I’ll add Ronni Le Tekro (TNT), Vito Bratta (White Lion), Mattias Eklundh (Freak Kitchen), Francis Dunnery (It Bites/solo), Paul Gilbert (Mr Big/solo) and Guthrie Govan.
All of these guitarists combine technical excellence with melody, their own very individual sound/style, and – more often than not – a sense of humour. I love technical guitar playing, and have always been interested in both innovative players and guitar manufacturers who push the envelope with their designs. In addition to all this, I also love well-crafted pop music, and still love Buddy Holly.