Tel: 07748 987519
Online Guitar Lessons Are Now Available!
I have been asked many times over the years if I am able to teach students online. Up until the Summer of 2019, this was not an easy process due to a far less-than-perfect internet connection.
My big project of that year was to upgrade my studio to give me a fast, reliable, wired internet connection. The project was a complete success and by the end of the Summer, I was finally up and running!
I now teach from my studio in Norwich, or online via Zoom to pupils anywhere in the world. Online guitar lessons are a great way to learn and have many advantages.
Please read on to find out more...
Advantages Of Online Guitar Lessons
Beat the traffic:
Is your perfect time for a guitar lesson during rush hour? Beat the rush and learn in the comfort of your own home. No chance of the traffic making you late!
You want guitar lessons, although you live too far away:
You can be in a completely different country and lessons will still run smoothly.
Use your own equipment:
Would you rather use your own guitar amplifier, pedals and other equipment when taking lessons? Online guitar lessons will save bringing everything to my studio!
Receive detailed lesson notes:
The combination of Zoom's screen sharing facility and my suite of professional software allows easy visual learning. High-quality lesson notes will be sent to you after the lesson.
Feel more comfortable in your home environment:
"I could play this at home!" is a phrase I often hear from students when taking private lessons in my studio. Online guitar lessons allow you to be suitably warmed up and ready to play.
No need for childcare:
Are you a busy parent, struggling to find time to have guitar lessons? The kids can stay at home with you whilst you learn.
About Me
I have been performing and teaching guitar professionally for 27 years. My qualifications include:
- Fellow of the London College of Music (the highest diploma awarded by the London College of Music).
- RGT (Registry of Guitar Tutors) registered guitar teacher for 24 years.
- International examiner for the London College of Music.
- Author of “the Paul Hill Guitar Theory and Technique Book” - available on iTunes.
- Creator of guitartheoryandtechniquebook.com.
- Online guitar video course creator.
- DBS checked with regular safeguarding training.
When I left school, I spent a few years when I would regularly practise for 10 - 12 hours per day. I am still equally passionate about playing the guitar today, although I have much less time to practise! I regularly perform in many different musical settings and I play many different musical styles. Playing the guitar is such a great way to spend my life and I am extremely appreciative that I am able to do so.
Beginner Guitar Lessons
Have you only been playing the guitar for a short while or have you not even picked up a guitar before? With regular practice, you will be playing recognisable songs very quickly.
There are many great resources online to help you learn many aspects of the guitar. With YouTube alone, you have access to lessons allowing you to learn pretty much any song that you can think of. The overwhelming amount of teaching material can also be a hindrance as you will not necessarily know what you need to know.
I have developed a structured teaching system over many years which allows rapid progress. Learning 'parrot fashion' will result in slow progress. Whenever I teach any musical material, I always make sure that a guitarist understands the mechanics behind what they are playing. With this approach, elements learnt from one piece of music can be used to help learn many other pieces of music.
I have a chord book in my studio (a friend recommended this purchase when I was young) with over 100,000 chords within its pages. A 'parrot fashion' approach will take an incredibly long time to even learn a small section of this book. An example of a better way of thinking is by teaching you nine pieces of information and being able to use this information to generate 168 chords. I have many approaches that greatly reduce the time it takes to learn all the theoretical stuff (chords, scales, arpeggios, etc.), which allows more time to do the thing you set out to do - play music!
Experienced Guitarists
- Are you a great rock player who wants to branch out into another genre such as jazz?
- Do modes mystify you?
- Can you play great-sounding guitar solos but struggle when playing over complicated chord changes?
- Are chord substitutions a mystery?
- Would you like to get a qualification for your guitar playing?
No matter what style of guitar you play, there are three main areas of study that need to be mastered:
- Technique - so you can physically play musical ideas.
- Aural skills - being able to hear what is going on in the music.
- Fingerboard visualisation - great technique and great ears are of no use if you do not understand how everything is laid out on the guitar fingerboard.
I address all three of these key areas when teaching, which results in a 'holistic' approach to learning the guitar and a greater understanding of the music overall.
Over the years, I have taught many professional guitarists and sometimes, a guitarist might not want anybody to know that they are having guitar lessons for various reasons. When teaching students, I operate a policy of total discretion and will never talk to anybody about who I am teaching.
Online Guitar Lesson Booking Procedure
- Your guitar lesson can be arranged via phone or email.
- A Zoom invite will be sent to you.
- A guitar lesson must be paid for at least 48 hours in advance, otherwise, the lesson is liable to be cancelled.
- You will join me for the lesson when I admit you from the Zoom 'waiting room' at your agreed lesson time. You must be logged in!
If you have specific areas of study on which you would like to work, please send details prior to your lesson. Detailed lesson notes will be sent to you after your lesson and occasionally before the lesson if this will be beneficial.
It is a good idea to test your Zoom setup in advance of the lesson. A test meeting can be set up with me if you want to check your connection.
You will need:
- A reliable internet connection.
- A webcam with sound as we need to hear and see each other. The camera on a laptop, tablet or even a phone is also a suitable option.
- Your instrument is amplified to a suitable volume level.
- The latest version of Zoom is installed on the device that you intend to use for the lesson.
Tips to make online guitar lessons run smoothly:
- Zoom is designed to focus on the voice and suppress background noise. This can unfortunately lead to the sound of the guitar cutting out. Zoom includes the option to use original sound for musicians in a meeting which prevents the sound of the guitar from being cut out.
- I need to see the student’s guitar neck, so having the viewing device tilted to a suitable angle prior to the lesson is very helpful. An iPad or phone on its side gives a landscape view and gives a better view of the guitar.
- If you can, please tune up before the lesson. The one big difference to regular lessons is that I cannot tune a student’s guitar for them.
Digital Guitar Lesson Notes
How To Store And Organise Your Guitar Lesson Notes
Booking And Enquiries
If you are interested in guitar tuition, have any questions about my online guitar courses, want to book me to play at an event or have any other form of enquiry, please use the contact form below. If you would rather speak to me on the phone, my number is 07748 987519 .
If you are a complete beginner, I uploaded a series of beginner guitar videos to my YouTube channel a while ago. These videos are designed to get some of the basic essential concepts out of the way so guitar students can progress more quickly.
Free Beginner Guitar Lessons
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