WELCOME
Whether you’re just starting out as a guitar player and simply wish to strum an acoustic guitar and learn something new and have fun while doing it .... or maybe you're looking for a serious commitment, an experienced guitar teacher will help you get there, faster. I teach all levels, and all styles, from beginners to advanced, hobbyists, semi professional and professional musicians, and offer all RGT grades from grade 1 to grade 8. I’ve been teaching guitar to people of all ages in the Leicestershire and Rutland area since 1997, and can give you the personal, one to one tuition that you will benefit from the most. So you may want to strum a few chords, learn your favourite songs, work on tunes you play live, or you may want to improve your technique, theory and musical knowledge ...... I can help.
GUARANTEED SUCCESS ?
It can be difficult to find a reliable teacher that focuses just on guitar lessons, many juggle other commitments, but this is all I do, and it's a job that I love. I have taught many thousands of lessons. Teachers need to be able to motivate and guide students towards their goals, especially if still at school. As an experienced and passionate guitar teacher, I believe in an approach that gives students positive, constructive ways to learn. I design my lessons according to my students’ needs, with an emphasis on having fun through learning, regardless of age!
SO WHAT CAN I LEARN?
What do you teach?
The casual, hobbyist guitar player is usually going to enjoy playing songs that they love. Learning songs is a brilliant way to build up your chord knowledge, improve your ear and work on your rhythm skills. Being able to see how chord sequences repeat in songs enables anyone to gain the confidence to play, and maybe give songwriting a go themselves. Something I very much encourage.
The more experienced guitarist/musician usually finds that they have reached a plateau in their learning curve and need a helping hand to nudge them forward. This can be a huge number of things, from acoustic guitarists needing to understand how to transpose using a capo, to blues and rock guitarists wanting fresh ideas for chord voicings, licks, arpeggios etc. and guitar players who want to learn new techniques : finger picking, hybrid picking, sweep picking, tapping, more exotic modes, playing through changes, looping using a looper pedal .... the list goes on.
My job is to find the gaps in peoples knowledge and try to fill them. For guitar players who are self taught , many times it is their theory that needs brushing up on. For instance chord building, modes, scales, intervals, a lot of the things that people see as either hard work or worse ... boring! and have left to one side, only to discover that these things are fantastic tools you can use, and that theory is not a hinderance but a help. Knowing why chords and scales work together is amazingly enlightening. But it is always up to the individual on what and how much they want to learn. A little ... or a whole lot!
COMPOSITION, SONGWRITING AND RECORDING
Customised Lessons to Fit Your Needs
Students who are more singer/songwriter oriented, have the facility to compose, arrange and record their songs. With over thirty years of experience, I still dabble in writing music, and can accommodate many different styles, from simple voice and guitar arrangements to full band compositions. I can also help, if need be, to fill out any recording with bass guitar, drums keyboards etc. So you might only have a demo of a song realised, but leave with a full band recording.
ABOUT ME
All my family are musical, and I started fairly young. After being in bands at school, then college, and into my twenties, by the time I'd reached my thirties I decided to stop playing live and focus purely on teaching. I also had a ten year period of being a studio musician, composing and writing music for many varied projects, where I learned to compose and play in many different styles. Having joined the RGT (registry of guitar tutors) in 1997, I’ve been offering comprehensive private guitar lessons in Leicestershire and Rutland for over twenty years and was a peripatetic guitar instructor in schools. My job is a passion for me, and it brings me great satisfaction to be able to share this passion with my students of all ages. From day one, you will learn important foundational techniques to help you boost your skills, self-esteem and confidence. There is no course that will suit everybody as everyone has a unique learning style, and it’s my job to find out what that is and adapt my lessons accordingly.
Ben Merryfield
"My first lesson with John solidified the fact that I was going to be a guitar player. The lessons I've had over the years have exceeded my expectation. He's very easy to relate to and more importantly he cares"
Dave Wright
"John has taken my playing to the next level and beyond! His knowledge of all aspects of the guitar is staggering and without his tuition and guidance I would still be scratching around trying to improve. My only regret is not having lessons from him earlier!"
Guitar part layering
Melody - Soloing
Harmony - Chords & Rhythm
LESSON PRICES
LESSONS ARE:
£15 for 30 minutes
£30 for 60 minutes