The Story So Far
Early Years
I first fell in love with the guitar when I was 11 and spent the first two years studying classical guitar. A couple of years in and I did what most sensible people do and discovered the “dark side” (my first electric was a Squier Bullet).
My formative electric guitar years were spent trying to sound like Clapton and BB King, closely followed by Satch, Vai, Paul Gilbert and Malmsteen. During Uni I discovered John McGlaughlin, Paco de Lucia, Robben Ford, Scott Henderson and John Scofield.
It wasn’t until I got my first proper paying gig (a funk covers band) around the age of 20 when I finally discovered the virtues of holding back and playing “in the pocket”. Nile Rodgers taught me a lot, but then I went down the rabbit-hole of funk that has served me well until this very day.
Early Years
I first fell in love with the guitar when I was 11 and spent the first two years studying classical guitar. A couple of years in and I did what most sensible people do and discovered the “dark side” (my first electric was a Squier Bullet).
My formative electric guitar years were spent trying to sound like Clapton and BB King, closely followed by Satch, Vai, Paul Gilbert and Malmsteen. During Uni I discovered John McGlaughlin, Paco de Lucia, Robben Ford, Scott Henderson and John Scofield.
It wasn’t until I got my first proper paying gig (a funk covers band) around the age of 20 when I finally discovered the virtues of holding back and playing “in the pocket”. Nile Rodgers taught me a lot, but then I went down the rabbit-hole of funk that has served me well until this very day.
The Magazine Years
In the mid to late 90s I began writing for the UK’s best selling guitar magazine Total Guitar. My audition was sending in reams of fiendishly widdly guitar music (no doubt inspired by Steve Vai’s Frank Zappa transcriptions that he talked about in his biography).
I started out with product demos, and eventually went on to produce the regular rock guitar column and became the ‘go to rock guy’, writing well over 50 columns and more than 1000 transcriptions.
Along the way, I interviewed many of my guitar heroes including Steve Vai, Marty Friedman and Joe Satriani, although my run-in with the late, great (and exceedingly drunk) Dimebag Darrell after a 24 hour bender at the Kerrang awards will forever go down in infamy. Since then I’ve written for Guitar Techniques, Total Accuracy, RGT and Rockschool. As well as transcribing, I’ve toured in the real world with the likes of Ronan Keating, Lily Allen and Mica Paris, had a run in the West End with Rock of Ages, and had a past life as a sideman with various stints on TV, radio and sessions with the likes of Westlife, LeAnn Rimes and Alicia Keys.
Educating & YouTube
I’ve been a passionate educator for over 20 years, first at the ACM in Guildford, becoming head of guitar at BIMM Brighton in 2004 and later head of live performance at BIMM University in 2014. This has really been one of my main loves (apart from playing the guitar) and passing on my road-worn knowledge is really what it’s all about.
In 2023 I tentatively made my first YouTube video, and honestly, it’s been a complete revelation. It’s allowed me to reach all over the world, and some of the messages of support have been truly humbling. So this is where I am now, creating, playing and educating.
Thanks for being with me on this crazy journey.
The Magazine Years
In the mid to late 90s I began writing for the UK’s best selling guitar magazine Total Guitar. My audition was sending in reams of fiendishly widdly guitar music (no doubt inspired by Steve Vai’s Frank Zappa transcriptions that he talked about in his biography).
I started out with product demos, and eventually went on to produce the regular rock guitar column and became the ‘go to rock guy’, writing well over 50 columns and more than 1000 transcriptions.
Along the way, I interviewed many of my guitar heroes including Steve Vai, Marty Friedman and Joe Satriani, although my run-in with the late, great (and exceedingly drunk) Dimebag Darrell after a 24 hour bender at the Kerrang awards will forever go down in infamy. Since then I’ve written for Guitar Techniques, Total Accuracy, RGT and Rockschool. As well as transcribing, I’ve toured in the real world with the likes of Ronan Keating, Lily Allen and Mica Paris, had a run in the West End with Rock of Ages, and had a past life as a sideman with various stints on TV, radio and sessions with the likes of Westlife, LeAnn Rimes and Alicia Keys.
Educating & YouTube
I’ve been a passionate educator for over 20 years, first at the ACM in Guildford, becoming head of guitar at BIMM Brighton in 2004 and later head of live performance at BIMM University in 2014. This has really been one of my main loves (apart from playing the guitar) and passing on my road-worn knowledge is really what it’s all about.
In 2023 I tentatively made my first YouTube video, and honestly, it’s been a complete revelation. It’s allowed me to reach all over the world, and some of the messages of support have been truly humbling. So this is where I am now, creating, playing and educating.
Thanks for being with me on this crazy journey.