Well, it's almost holiday season again and I thought I'd look back at the variety of music I've taught this year to lots and lots of different students!


This year we've tackled - (deep breath) - ​The Black Keys, Jack White, Foals, U2, Oasis, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, Outkast, Blur, Arctic Monkeys, The Enemy, Daft Punk, Chic, Nirvana, The Vaccines, Sam Smith, Adele, Shawn Mendes, Jess Glynne, The Vamps, Ellie Goulding,  Lukas Graham, Sia, Mike Posner, Jason Mraz, One Direction, Vance Joy, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Take That, Bach, Carcassi, Guinga, Handel, Gabriel Faure, Beethoven, Mozart, Joao Gilberto, Henry Mancini, John Williams, Rolling Stones, Albert King, BB King, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Aerosmith, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, The Jam, Motörhead, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Queen, Cream, Pink Floyd, Hank Williams, Tom Petty, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, Black Sabbath, The Eagles, John Lennon, Bill Withers, The Troggs, Buffalo Springfield, Tracy Chapman, Paul Weller, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, Aztec Camera, The Mavericks, Bobby McFerrin, Ben E King, Booker T & the MGs, Tears for Fears, Sheryl Crow, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Marcels, Wilson Pickett, Steve Harley, Cat Stevens, Edwyn Collins, REM, The Enemy, KT Tunstall, Snow Patrol, Nick Lowe, Bruce Springsteen, Ritchie Valens, Judy Garland, Enrique Iglesias, Justin Bieber and Dolly Parton!


...alongside many Christmas tunes, traditional tunes and numerous pieces from the ABRSM, Trinity Rock and Rockschool syllabuses. We've tackled pop, classical, rock, jazz, folk, reggae, blues, metal, funk, hip-hop, country and seemingly everything inbetween!


It's been a busy year. 


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A question I get asked on a regular basis by brand new pupils and parents is which instruments, accessories and books to buy for an absolute beginner. I'm going to try to answer all those questions here on the blog in a series of articles.

Firstly, the classical guitar.


As a general rule of thumb, I would recommend starting children with a nylon-strung classical guitar rather than jumping straight into buying an electric guitar and amplifier. There are two main reasons for this: 1) they are light, small and the nylon material the strings are made out of make it significantly easier to press down on the frets for small fingers and 2) they are less of a financial commitment at first, and if the child shows genuine dedication and excitement about the guitar you could then look at an acoustic or electric guitar option.

Classical guitars comes in 3 different sizes: 1/2 size, 3/4 size and 4/4 or "full" size. I would recommend the 1/2 size for ages 7-9, 3/4 size for ages 9-11 and 4/4 size for 11 and above. These are still only guidelines - children vary in size and many prefer to continue using smaller guitars well into adulthood. For example, Ed Sheeran still uses exclusively 3/4 size guitars.

So you've decided upon the size of your first guitar and the next step is deciding on a budget and where to make your purchase. I wouldn't advise spending less than £40 or more than £100 on your first guitar purchase and quality budget manufacturers include Valencia, Redwood, Stagg, Jose Ferrer and Encore.

Although a traditional route for a child learning guitar on a classical would be to learn standard musical notation and play with thumb and fingers rather than plectrum, this is not the only way to proceed. For instance, if you or your child wished to go down a rock/pop route from Day 1, a classical guitar could still be used to learn riffs and strumming chords; skills that can later be transferred to an electric or acoustic guitar. 

I like to provide a mix of traditional notation, TAB notation, chords, famous riffs and songs and music theory to ensure my students become well-developed and rounded musicians. For adults, I tend to use a series of handouts of my own written material.


Two excellent books on the market for young children are:

1) The Guitarists Way: Book 1 by Peter Nuttall and John Whitworth

This is a series of books (1-4), that guide the learner from holding the guitar and identifying the string names, right through to accomplished pieces of music. It progresses slowly and surely, with helpful illustrations and many duets that can be performed with teacher and pupil. After the series of books has been completed it can be a good time to look at the ABRSM Grade 1 exam material.


2. Guitar Basics by John Longworth and Nick Walker

This is a newer book which progresses at a similar speed to the Guitarists Way series and comes with a CD containing a backing track to many of the pieces, which is often appealing to learners. 


Once you have bought your guitar and books, you will need a number of accessories to make things easier. Firstly, a case or "gigbag"  is an essential to protect your guitar from damage. This needn't break the bank and a good quality padded soft case will be sufficient. Your retailer might do you a deal on guitar and case together, but if not then one can be had for around the £10 mark from Amazon, eBay, Music Room etc. Make sure the case is padded as otherwise it won't provide enough protection when your guitar gets inevitably bashed as it is carried around from pillar to post. 

The next essential is a tuner. Many people like the clip-on tuners which are attached to the headstock of the guitar; these start at around £5. If you have a tablet computer such as an iPad, there are many free apps that you can use to tune instruments using the in-built microphone. These work best in a quiet environment.

Other useful but not immediately essential items include plectrums for strumming, a strap so that the guitar can be held hands-free, spare strings and a footstool. 



For many reasons, I wouldn't recommend a child begins guitar until the age of 7, but if they are eager to get going and are aged 5 and up, a ukulele is a great place to start. I will cover the hows and whys of the ukulele in a similar article very soon!

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