Guitar Lessons in St. Ives & Huntingdon, Cambs.
Become the guitar player you always wanted to be!
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Contact me NOW to find out how I can help you become a better guitar player! |
Which of these is you?... |
Just starting out on guitar......but don't know your machineheads from your whammy bar? Maybe you're thinking of putting down your Guitar Hero controller and taking up the real thing? For more than 15 years I have been showing new students of all ages how to get playing guitar right away. But don't take my word for it... Read the feedback on these pages to find out how I helped others to become confident guitar players. |
Would you like to......play in a band? Perform at an open mic night or jam session? Improvise a great rock solo? Write your own songs? Or just learn to play your favourites? My programs are structured to give you exactly what you need to take you where you want to go. Discover the benefits of my guitar programs. |
Been playing for years......and feel like you're getting nowhere? Perhaps you just need inspiration, or maybe you've picked up some bad playing habits? I can help you overcome your frustrations, identify any problems with your technique and make your guitar playing fun again, using proven methods that work. In the meantime, why not browse the articles on this site for advice from professional guitar players and teachers? |
If the answer to any of the following questions is YES, you need to find a professional teacher who knows how to remove the obstacles to your development!
- Have you just picked up the guitar for the first time (or are you considering taking it up)?
- Have you hit a plateau with your guitar playing?
- Have you been trying to teach yourself guitar from DVDs and the Internet, without success?
- Are you a more advanced player looking to take your playing to the next level?
- Are you sick of trying to learn the guitar by trial-and-error?
- Are you wary of spending even more time and money on ineffective learning methods?
- Do you wish you could play guitar like your heroes but just don’t know where to start?
- Do you think you have no “natural talent” for music?
- Do you feel something is holding you back from becoming the guitarist you could be?
At one time or another I was in all of these situations myself, so I understand your frustration in knowing where you want to be but not knowing how to get there! Many of my students tried (as I once did) to teach themselves using books, CDs/DVDs or online lessons, but became frustrated by a lack of progress. They have found that with the guidance of an experienced guitar tutor they really can reach their goals.
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“Craig has been a fantastic teacher. His lessons are structured and follow a planned cycle so you are working on something new each week.”- Ben Scarr I have been taking lessons from Craig since the beginning of 2011 but Craig also used to teach me when I was a teenager! I have been playing guitar for over 15 years now but decided I wanted to take lessons again to take my guitar playing to the next level. I have been playing in bands for about 10 years, and although this has given me massive confidence as a musician I really wanted to start improving my playing in other areas. I have really gotten into blues lead guitar playing recently and wanted to improve my improvisation skills and increase my theory knowledge. I am also interested in taking up teaching the guitar myself so I wanted to improve my overall guitar knowledge so that eventually I can do this. Craig has been a fantastic teacher. His lessons are structured and follow a planned cycle so you are working on something new each week. Some of the specific things I have learned recently include improvisation techniques such as playing over chord changes and applying scale choices, rhythm techniques such as string-muting, Texas blues style and funk playing, and understanding the seven modes of the major scale and how to apply them. If you are a beginner looking to start learning the guitar or an intermediate player looking to enhance your playing skills I would definitely recommend Craig. You will not be disappointed! |
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“Craig convinced me that it’s never too late.”- Stephen Haylock Between the ages of 15 and 21, spurred into action by Hank Marvin, I took up the guitar. Whatever I learned (as was common in those days) was by ear and by playing with friends using appalling equipment. American imports were not allowed. I was even in a few bands (called ‘groups’ then!) playing whatever ‘pop’ records were current. The only teaching available was classical guitar and if you wanted to play rock or blues you were on your own. Then, life and 42 years of not playing passed by and I decided that, having just retired, I’d like to try to pick up the guitar where I left off and achieve some kind of recognised standard. I discovered Craig and he agreed to take me on and is now patiently bringing me up to speed. Already I feel that his expertise is helping me both to understand how music works and practice the right way to make big improvements. (For example, Hank wasn’t big at pinched harmonics so I never learned things like that until now!) Craig convinced me that it’s never too late. Better late than never, I say… So, if you are a little old-in-the-tooth like me, or a youngster wanting to start playing guitar for the first time, what are you waiting for? – just give Craig a chance to open up new possibilities for you too! |
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“Finally, I see the guitar as I've always wanted to - I can see where notes are and feel where a melody fits - the Holy Grail of ‘unlocking the fretboard’.”- Andrew Rossiter 
“I've been playing electric guitar on and off for nearly 30 years, but recently decided to take it seriously again and play in a local gigging band. I'm a fairly good rhythm guitarist, but have no proper music foundation or proper ability to play lead other than learning solos by rote. I saw Craig playing live and could see he was an extremely accomplished guitarist. I had been having lessons with another very good local guitarist, but he just wasn't pushing me hard enough and progress was very slow. So I decided to switch teachers to Craig, and immediately my progress improved hugely.” “Craig is very good at tailoring his style to my objectives - to take grades 5-8 in electric guitar....we work hard in the lessons and I feel I'm always pushed (which is a good thing!). After 4 months I now see the guitar completely differently, in that I understand and can apply chord construction, scales etc to my every day playing. Finally, I see the fretboard as I've always wanted to - I can see where notes are and feel where a melody fits - the holy grail of ‘unlocking the fretboard’”. “Craig has managed to get me to this point pretty quickly and looking back at the lessons I can now see how well he constructed them. He always makes notes on progress so for the next lesson he is very prepared. If like me, you've been playing for a while but really want to make more progress in a few months than perhaps you've done over several years then Craig is your man.” |
Contact me NOW to find out how I can help you become a better guitar player! |
Why should you work with a guitar teacher instead of going the “teach yourself” route?
- Learn things in the right order.
- Get instant feedback on your guitar playing technique in real time, and get answers to questions as you go.
- Stay motivated and inspired.
- Learn how to practice effectively.
- Save TIME and MONEY!
The
problem with picking up bits and pieces of guitar technique here and
there from friends, the Internet or other media is that it often leads
to the situation of trying to run before you can walk. You will get
where you want to go faster if you learn things in the right order, and
an experienced guitar teacher can show you this.
How do you ask a DVD or a book to explain in detail something that's
confusing you? Can you ask the guy you're watching on Youtube to slow
down and show you exactly what he's doing? This is one of the main
benefits of having a live teacher in the room with you.
A huge advantage of taking lessons from an experienced guitar
teacher is being given regular encouragement to move forward with your
guitar playing. Having someone there to help motivate you when you feel
like giving up is the primary reason that students who learn with a
teacher prosper and continue to develop far longer than those that have
no such support to keep them motivated.
Studying for an hour a week won't by itself make you a better guitar
player. It's how you spend the time between lessons that really counts,
and this is where a good teacher makes all the difference. If you know
what to practice, and for how often, you cannot fail to improve.... but
is Youtube going to help you figure that out?
You could spend months or even years wasting time and money on DVDs, online courses and other ineffective guitar methods promising the ultimate short cut to great guitar playing. There is so much (mis)information around these days that it can be very hard to know what you should be doing to move forward, whilst avoiding the many trial-and-error pitfalls which could actually slow your progress or worse still, put you off guitar for life. A good teacher will deliver exactly the information you need, when you need it.
“Craig's patient teaching style is highly recommended.”- Ernst Leobacher “I have been playing guitar since the age of 9. I played guitar very intensely (especially classical) until the age of 21. Then, after marriage and busy business years I stopped playing guitar for more than 20 years. A couple of years ago, on vacation in Greece, I met some musicians who invited me to jam with them. To make music with other people was so much fun that I started again to play guitar regularly and also looked for a tuition system for modern pop music. I found the RGT system, which suited me very well. with Craig's help I mastered RGT Grade 4 which included exercises in scales, rhythm playing and soloing in different styles. I not only made improvements in these subjects but also now have a better overall understanding of musical structures and the ability to use those within my own musical interpretations.” “With Craig's help I prepared for my grade 4 exam within 3 months and passed with a distinction. Craig's patient teaching style is highly recommended.” |
“I couldn’t have asked for a better foundation to build upon.”- Stuart Fishwick “From my own experience, covering two years, I would wholeheartedly recommend Craig to anyone wishing to learn to play the guitar. As a complete beginner in 2005, I started learning from books but struggled to make the progress that I wanted. At 37, I was a late but enthusiastic starter and, working at the time in Cambridgeshire, I selected Craig via the RGT website. His structured approach, with a clear plan that used my music tastes (Led Zep, Bon Jovi, etc.) as working examples suited me... I couldn’t have asked for a better foundation to build upon.” |
* Proven methods of teaching, training and mentoring * Broad range of musical skills covered
* Learning made interactive and fun * Clear and concise lessons
Tel. 07931 540055
OK, I'm ready! Sign me up for a FREE evaluation! |