Information About Neil - Aylesbury teacher -

(1 review)

Personal Description:

Session Guitarist with over two decades working in the industry as both a recording and Live session guitarist.
During my 20+ year career, my work has lead me to numerous performances in the BBC Live Lounge all the way to Headlining at Glastonbury Festival. I've recorded in some of the top studios around the UK, including Abbey Rd, Metropolis and The Church. As an active endorsee of Ibanez guitars, Orange amplification, rotosound stings and Taylor acoustics, I'm very used to working with the best and most modern professional equipment. Needless to say, I'm enthusiastic about the guitar, my life long passion, just as I was at 12 years old holding my very first instrument! Just some of the artists I have played live for include Cee Lo Green - JP Cooper - Kim Wilde - Nik Kershaw - lil Chris - Jason Derulo - Sophie Ellis Bextor and Nicole Scherzinger.

Tutoring Experience:

Before making the step into both recording and live session work, I spent 6 years as a private guitar teacher. This was across the full spectrum of ages and abilities; my main expertise in electric and acoustic guitar.

Tutoring Approach:

My method to teaching is simple and based largely on my experience as a young, enthusiastic child. You see, my first lessons at school were unfortunately so disheartening, and uninspiring that I actually gave up, though not the instrument, just the lessons! Looking back and after graduating from the Musicians Institute in London, I realised that the lessons as a child didn't inspire me because, to be honest, they were just boring! If you were like me, you probably picked the guitar up because your favourite band or musician has inspired you to do so, and even if you can't play a note, I bet you have an idea of what you hope to play 'one day', right? Well I'm going to put it out there, it's probably not the classical piece 'Green Sleeves' first. Yes, to a 12 year old working his way through his first Guns and Roses album, this was less than motivational. Now it's not to say that Green Sleeves doesn't have its place, of course it does, but what I've found the most successful method for anyone learning is to first and foremost; keep you inspired to keep playing! I focus on getting you making the music you want as fast as possible, with the best possible techniques and good habits, keeping you hooked on your instrument. As things progress we can gently introduce music theory to support the music you like at a pace that sparks natural curiosity. The last thing I will do is force you to read black dots on a page of uninspiring, last century music if you have aspirations for modern genres. Unless of course that's your thing, then we can do that too! As a session guitarist, you learn to appreciate all music and believe it or not, I learned to love classical just as much as my pop, rock, funk, jazz and metal! Every style and sound can teach you something new, making you a more rounded musicican, but you have to start somewhere and there is nowhere better than the sounds that made you pick up the guitar in the first place.