Lately, I'm getting more and more pupil enquiries for lessons via video-conferencing. The three most popular being FaceTime, Skype and Google Hangouts. 

It's easy to see why as then you can study from home with all your usual comforts, there are no travel costs, lesson times can be flexible and it's a simple as switching on your iPad or laptop and making a call. The quality, content and pricing structure of my online lessons are exactly the same as my private lessons. 

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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.


The popularity of the ukulele has risen massively in recent years  due to it's price and portability and is quickly replacing the recorder as the primary school instrument of choice. While I teach children of all ages the ukulele, I find it useful for bridging the gap for 5-7 year olds who are eager to start guitar. It has a very wide appeal - I have enjoyed teaching the instrument to people from the ages 5 - 80!

The first, and possibly confusing thing to note about this instrument is that there are 4 different sizes - from smallest to largest: Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone. The most common size is the Soprano, and these are generally the cheapest too. The Concert is exactly the same but slightly bigger in size, likewise with the Tenor. The Baritone is the biggest and is actually tuned like the top 4 strings of a guitar unlike the other 3 ukuleles.

Many people start with a fairly cheap Soprano ukulele. Often this is sufficient for a beginner getting to grips with the instrument, although some find the width of the frets frustratingly small for forming chords and quickly move to a Concert size. Tenor is increasingly in popularity too. A lot of this can depend on budget of course, but if you take only one thing away from this article let it be this - do not spend less than £20 on a ukulele! 

Cheaper ukuleles tend to suffer from poor intonation*. They are often made from cheap woods and have poor quality tuning pegs. This causes fret buzz, string rattle and an inability for the instrument to remain in tune. Ukuleles are generally not known for fantastically precise intonation anyway, but investing a little more can make a big difference in this department. There's nothing more frustrating than putting the time and effort in to practice your ukulele, only for it to always sound out of tune. Also make sure that the ukulele you purchase has "geared" tuning keys, these are the ones that stick out of each side of the headstock like ears. The inclusion of these is usually proof that the instrument in question is not simply a toy!

Good budget manufacturers of Soprano ukuleles include Mahalo, Makala, Pure Tone, Stagg, Tanglewood, Redwood. 

As with any other stringed instrument you're going to need a decent quality padded case or "gigbag"; these start at around £10. Make sure the case is padded as it will offer enough protection when the ukulele is inevitably dropped or bashed. If you are going to be doing plenty of travelling with your ukulele, it may be worthwhile investing in a hard case for ultimate protection.

More so than with practically any other instrument, a tuner is an essential! Ukuleles tend to stray out of tune pretty easily, especially when you've had a long strumming session or they've been in an extreme hot or cold environment. A clip-on tuner upwards of £5 would suffice or if you have a tablet computer or iPad there are plenty of free or low-cost tuner Apps available. Make sure that you are in a quiet environment when using these as they rely on the inbuilt microphone on your device.

There are many other accessories available that are less essential, such as a strap for hands-free use, spare strings and plectrums. Many people are content to use their index finger or thumb for strumming but if you choose to use a plectrum make sure it is a specific felt plectrum for ukulele rather than a plastic guitar one.

The market is saturated with ukulele books of wildly varying quality. In my private lessons I tend to mainly use my own self-written handouts but I can recommend two good quality books, one for adults and one for children.



1. Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1 by Lil Rev

This book is a good quality Adult beginners primer to the ukulele, including an introduction to traditional music notation, TAB, strumming, chords and scales. A good companion book to this is Hal Leonard Easy Songs for Ukulele which is a songbook of a similar standard.



2. Ukulele Basics by Lorraine Bow and Alex David

Similar to the excellent "Guitar Basics" series, this is a beginners primer to ukulele playing aimed squarely at children. It works well in a one-to-one or group context and slowly introduces the learner to chords, tunes and rhythms and comes with a backing CD to play along with.


To book your first lesson, please read through my FAQ page and get in touch!


*Intonation is the pitch accuracy of an instrument. With stringed instruments, the perfect scenario would be that the open strings and fretted notes would be precisely in tune all across the neck. More info here.

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!

To book your first lesson, please read through my FAQ page and get in touch!