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Email me from the ↓bottom↓ of this page with your question, name, phone number and a best time to call you back.
I offer younger children half hour lessons for a straight ½ the price- £12.50. This is offered to under 10’s or those with short attention span and is recommended twice weekly for more frequent encouragement.
Weekend bookings cost £30, but are limited, and only taken on special circumstances such as; reschedual of a regular time or for those on shift work. This is a pay if you show or not deal as I change my Friday night and half Saturday plan for you.
If you can’t make it to your booked lesson please let me know by telephone- not a text message.
I don’t like doing it, but if you make two consecutive cancellations without a day's notice or a re-schedual you will be asked politely for payment as it does mess up my schedules.
If you have a physical impediment or another situation which makes this difficult I may be able to come to you if you are in Royston although this will limit my options in your training.
I have tought ½ hour lessons with rockers as young as 6, I don’t think Ray wants me quoting his age.
Age in years is not the issue with rock; interest, enthusiasm, focus and seeing it as more than a toy.
As Royston's most versatile guitar teacher owning every type of guitar, I will always find music of interest to you from Bob Marley to Linkin Park.
I have nearly always worked one-to-one as this is by far the most effective. It is the only way for me to pay full attention to every single movement of the forearm, wrist, thumb, fingers, left hand and plectrum.
The occasions when I have had multiple students in the studio have been very young friends learning together, or training developing bands such as the musicians who are now Happy Lies.
They each have their own roles within the music and bass guitar has its own string attack techniques, but all 6 string guitars have the same notes, in the same places.
There is a mis-conception that rythm guitar and lead guitar are different instruments. They are the same instrument, it is just the roles they play in the band and the techniques used to do this which differs and we will cover both.
The classical compositions are not my speciality but I do know the techniques involved, therefore what needs to be taught. I have recently helped a quite advanced player fine-tune 'Moonlight Sonata' by Beethoven; Lee brought along the tablature he had been learning from and I went through each and every wrist and finger movement to smooth his play.
My own most classical style composition; 'Sob Story'. (looking for a violin player to add part)
I got my pass in 1994 because I know the principle theories relevant to guitarists such as scales and modes, how to use them, chord terms and syncopation principles. Basically when we work on a song I may introduce the theory behind the sounds you are creating. You probably don't realise how often you actually use the Mixolydian Mode and the chords based on it.
Your own compositions are required in GCSE music and boost the grade too, let me record them.
Unfortunately I can not award your stage grading as I do not teach to play from ↓ notation on a stave ↓
That's what they are about, stage grades will qualify you into a tidy team of scripted instrument players, but I can teach you how to work within a real band if you would prefer this.
Nevermind ‘the grades’, in guitar music this is your certificate on the wall. Cubase SX production with top plugin effects and VST synthesisers, real-sound drum patterns, SoundForge mastering with excellent mp3 rendering, and the vital tools: good amplifiers and microphones.
Create a tune, I fill up the bass and drum instrumentation, We record it, Burn a CD, put an mp3 on the web, and load it as a ring tone if you like- have it all.
But personalised one-to-one tuition will always be king for helping you fine tune the skills in the world of the real string.
The books show you the pictures and the tab, the videos show the motions, but neither can watch or help with any particular difficulties or help you make your own music. Also some chords can be played with as little as one finger, the best finger to use in each unique situation depends entirely on the previous and following positions.
Oh, and you can't ask them questions.
Soft finger flesh gets ground into your frets and strings and causes them to sound like dead rubber bands after a few months. The sharp sound of a new set is well worth the £5 they sell for.
While the strings are off I get the special fret cleaning oil and polish up your whole axe.
I'll also set the "Action" to lower the strings to best and line-up what is known as the "Intonation" which when incorrect, is why your notes drift out of tune as you rise up the neck.
So for £20, I will;
If you have a comment or want to ask me a question about any of this, type it in below and it gets mailed to me. Please leave your email address for me to reply.If you are interested in taking lessons, leave your name and phone number and I will call you back.
