Mandolin – a Study in Technique and Style
Today I want to approach the mandolin and demonstrate techniques utilized by the mandolin player to not only enhance the music but also bring out the style and character of a piece. For this I have chosen a rustic folk song from Bulgaria. So please come with me and...
Ragging the Banjo
For this weeks blog I am exploring the very interesting genre of ragtime, which not many people associate with the banjo. When one thinks of ragtime what immediately comes to mind is Scot Joplin, The Sting (for you movie buffs), Snooker (for your old sport buffs) and...
Bell Towers – A study in Drop D tuning
This is the first in what will be a weekly update highlighting an interesting song currently being played by my pupils. Each post aims to focus on a different instrument to show the depth and variety of music we cover. Today will be the turn of the Classical guitar...
Healing Through Music
I believe strongly in the healing power of music, for both the physical and emotional well-being of the person playing. Physical Its is well documented that playing music reduces anxiety levels in the body by lowering levels of cortisol and releasing feel-good...
Pink Floyd: A Discovery
It was 1997 and I was living in Romford, Essex. It was a strange time, on the cusp of the internet but not quite there yet. So every Saturday to go shopping I would load up my Walkman with my favourite tape and set off, often with bulging pockets if I wanted to listen...
Can you learn music only from internet videos?
That is an interesting question which I don’t want to dismiss straight away, so let me put on my scholars hat and approach it from 3 different angles: 1) Correcting This for me is a fundamental issue and is often overlooked when this topic arises. Yes a tutorial video...
Guitar Magazines – chasing the dream?
Back in the 1990’s I would like most kids stare in awe at the rows of magazines in WHSmiths, making my way nervously along to the music section until I found the guitar magazines. There I would squeeze between fellow readers and greedily grab the latest edition of...