Information About Matthew - West Bromwich teacher -

(1 review)

Personal Description:

Well hello there! My name's Matt. I'm a professional music lecturer, guitar teacher and bass tutor based in West Bromwich, West Midlands. Music tutor/Guitar tutor with 1000+ hours of teaching experience – Popular Music Degree with 14 years experience teaching college students from age 16+ to adults in a range of levels (1-5).
I know every student’s journey is different, and my aim is to meet each student where they’re at, learning through music they choose in styles they’re interested in.

As a musician I play in a variety of bands and performance situations as well as sessions work for bands and for artists up and down the UK.

I’m a bass player for a Midlands based punk band who have released two albums and with this have played festivals around the UK.

I play guitar for a folk/rock band and also play for a Queen tribute band (yes I do wear a wig).

The specifics of what you will learn depends on your goals but I am experienced in teaching the following: How to play your favourite songs. Ultimately I teach the student to teach themselves by understanding core musical concepts and developing a base of fundamental skills. These include: Ear Training - learning how to recognise the chords in any given song by ear; Strumming and Picking/Fingerpicking Technique - fluency with all standard right hand techniques is a must, and I teach these prioritising what is commonly used in your favourite styles; Reading TAB - many students are intimidated by musical notation and if that's the case with you it's ok! We don't have to do it. I can arm you with every technique you can use to understand music without reading standard notation (though I can explore this with you too!); Common Chords and Scales - Every song is built from a foundation of chords and scales, and we explore these in a personal accessible way.

Creative Guitar Playing, Song Writing, and Improvising This is my favourite area of playing and teaching as it helps you find your own voice! Here we will build you knowledge of music theory in a practical and applicable way, exploring new concepts that will enable you to discover new sounds. Again, this is catered to your aims - if you want to write songs we'll look at some of your favourite artists, see what they're doing, and set some aims for you to write using some of their techniques. If you want to improvise, we'll explore some of our favourite improvisers - what scales to they use, how do they shape their phrases, and what articulation techniques are employed. Technique If you have experience playing but need to improve your technique so you play consistently and fluently, I can show you drills and exercises that will make you a better player.

We'll explore a lot of aspects - from how to move economically; where to have tension and where to avoid it; the tonal possibilities of different picks, different angles, and different picking techniques; as well as how to structure your practice so you get the most for your time, whether you have a little or a lot. If you’re interested in a personal and thorough guitar approach then get in.

Tutoring Experience:

20+ years as a Guitar and Bass tutor.
14 years as a College lecturer (BIRMINGHAM METROPOLITAN COLLEGE).
PGCE.

Tutoring Approach:

As a teacher I work closely with pupils to develop personal goals, and work together on a simple plan on how to reach them. I believe understanding the reason the student is taking lessons and playing guitar/bass is fundamental to providing quality tuition, so I strive to create plans with the pupil to support their aims. Each lesson always keeps the pupil’s individual goals at the centre, and is created to develop musical fluency.