f.a.q

Should I learn on an electric or acoustic guitar?
Some websites claim you should learn on a nylon string acoustic guitar because it’s easier on your fingers. Other websites might claim you should start on an electric guitar for a similar reason. The real answer is that you should learn on the type of guitar that suits the music you want to play.
There’s nothing worse than trying to play some heavy rock or metal on a classical acoustic guitar. Or if you want to learn classical music, you’re going to hate trying to learn on a steel string acoustic guitar.
The guitar you get as a beginner should match the style of music you want to learn.
If you want to learn metal, get an electric guitar suitable for metal. If you want to learn blues, get an electric guitar suitable for blues. If you want to learn classical music, get a classical acoustic guitar.
Pretty simple, right?
But what if you don’t know what music you want to play yet? I recommend taking some time to research music you listen to. Think about whether the music you listen to is played on acoustic or electric guitars. If it’s almost all acoustic, get an acoustic. If it’s a mix of the two, get an electric.

How long does it take to learn how to play the guitar?
If you listen to advertisements for guitar courses, it takes “30 days to become a guitar god!”. Of course, that’s a lie. Also reminds me of an old excellent book by Bert Weedon titled "Play in a Day". Although generally you did play in a day it took considerably longer to sound proficient. At least a year.
What about the 10,000 hours rule stating that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something?
Well, that’s not true either.
There’s no simple answer to this question. The answer for you won’t be 30 days and it certainly won’t be 10,000 hours.
The time it takes for you to learn the guitar depends on how often you practice and what music you want to learn.
For example, let’s say you only want to strum basic chords so you can accompany your singing and you practice every day. In that case, you can learn everything you need within a couple of months. You’ll keep improving over time, learn new chords and different strumming patterns, but it won’t take you long to learn what you need.
As a different example, let’s say you want to learn how to play songs by one of my guitar heroes: Steve Vai. He plays incredibly complicated music. It will likely take years of hard work to get to the point where you can learn one of his songs at a basic level. Then it can take decades to push your skills to the point where you can play his music perfectly (or close to perfect).
Does that mean you should give up on your goal if the music you want to play will take you learns to master? Of course not. You’ll learn a lot of great music and enjoy yourself along the way.
There’s no end goal when learning guitar. That’s why you shouldn’t worry about this question. If you practice regularly, you’ll learn faster. If you don’t practice regularly, it will take longer.

Am I too old to learn guitar?
No.
The oldest student I’ve taught so far started his first lesson when he was in his 80s. He had never played before and decided to learn guitar as a way to keep his mind active as he started retirement.
He was able to become a very well rounded guitarist because he practiced consistently and never used his age as an excuse. I never once heard him say “I’m too old to learn that” and that’s why he succeeded.
If you currently feel you’re too old to learn guitar, I highly recommend reading the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. If it doesn’t change your mind, then don’t even bother trying to learn guitar because you’ll only give up and blame it on your age.

Which size saxophone should I start with?
The Alto is generally the best size saxophone to start on for the beginner player. Even though the Soprano saxophone is a smaller instrument, it requires a lot more control and is tricky to make quick progress on for the beginner saxophone player.  
The tenor sax is much heavier than the Alto, so it is more suitable for an adult or tall teenager to start on.  The great thing about saxophones, though, is that the fingering (or way you play the notes) is the same on all of them, so once you get the hang of an Alto, for example, it’s relatively easy to then switch to a tenor, soprano or baritone saxophone.

I have small hands – can I still play the saxophone?
I have met fantastic players who have small hands – it really just comes down to getting used to the instrument. However, you may be better off starting on the Alto first as the keys are closer together than on a Tenor.

My sax squeaks a lot when I blow – am I doing something wrong?
There could be a number of reasons for this. First, start by checking your reed is on correctly, is wet, and doesn’t have any major chips or cracks in it. Then be sure that when you play, you have your bottom lip over your teeth (your bottom teeth should never touch the reed).
Also, try experimenting with using less mouthpiece in your mouth when you play. Sometimes too much mouthpiece can cause squeaks. It also sounds harsh. And finally, if all these don’t fix the problem, then there is a chance that your sax needs the care of a repairer!

As long as your child is the appropriate age for a particular instrument, he or she should start with the instrument they want to play.

I teach many lessons in the summer. My schedule changes from the after school schedule of the regularly scheduled autumn and winter lessons to 9-4 or 9-5 hours. Summer is also a great time to start lessons, as the student can get a head start on the autumn, and also have seven or eight lessons to decide if they would like to pursue music further.

How should I tune my classroom ukuleles?
The options are (from lowest- to highest-sounding string): G, C, E, A

Is a Mandolin the Same as a Ukulele?
No. These are two different instrument from two entirely different instrument families. The ukulele is a member of the lute family that, despite its strong association with Hawaii, actually originates in Portugal. While the mandolin has eight strings, the ukulele has just four. The most popular ukulele is the soprano ukulele, tuned to GCEA or ADF#B

No, both hands play an equal role on saxophone so it makes no difference whether you are left or right handed.

If the strings have a dull colour, sound dead, muted, or are hard to tune, then it's time to change them. Many beginners don't realize their strings are dead until they hear how good their guitar sounds with new strings.

There has been many discussions and many musicians treat this as a philosophical subject. One extreme says you aren't a true musician unless you read music. The other extreme is very proud that they learned to play guitar without reading music. Music notation is the language of musicians. If you walk into a library and pick up a book but you can't read the English language then the book is useless to you. It's the same with sight reading. We have a rich heritage of music from centuries past. Music that people spent their lives creating is at our disposal if we are able to read music. If you are a serious musician and you are unable to read music there will probably come a day when you wish you did.. On the other hand, some of my favorite musicians could not read music and yet were considered master musicians. Using tablature is useful especially for players that use altered tunings or play multiple instruments. The down side of using tab is you aren't learning the names of the notes as you learn songs. Also, If you use tab there is a good chance you'll avoid notation because tab is easier. Unlike tabs, with notation you are reading music and learning the names of the notes on the guitar fret board. With tabs you are only learning the fret numbers. I recommend that you make reading music notation your number one priority. It will take dedication but you'll be glad you did when you see and hear the results.

Since the ukulele has fewer strings than many other string instruments, it makes it one of the easier ones to learn. Most of the chord shapes on the ukulele are much simpler than the corresponding chord on the guitar. For example, playing a C major chord on the guitar takes at least 3 fingers held down on 3 different strings. Guess how many fingers you have to hold down to play a C major chord on the ukulele! If you guessed 1, you’re right!

Yes I can supply you at no extra cost with a gift voucher for Birthdays, Christmas or any other special occasion. Just let me know your chosen text.

Saxophones don’t come cheap. As with all instruments, the better the quality, the better the sound and ease of playing. The plastic Nuvo saxophones are around £100 but these are just above being toys – they will get a young child going and they will learn the basics, but this will be a short-term instrument. Basic student saxophones start at around £250 but it is worth spending a little more to get a better-quality instrument, even for a beginner. Hiring a saxophone is a good option to save the problem of the outlay of buying a decent instrument and not knowing if learning will continue.

The .73mm and .88mm are great for players starting out as they are more flexible and softer sounding plectrums. You should buy plectrums in bulk as they are quite easy to lose.

The Five Biggest Challenges When Learning to Play the Saxophone

1. Finding the right instrument. The saxophone is one of those instruments where you have to have the right kit if you're going to enjoy both learning and playing. ...
2. Playing the right notes. ...
3. Learning not to slouch! ...
4. Embouchure. ...
5. Sax maintenance.

Once you leave the world of student saxophones you will be looking at brands such as Selmer, Yamaha, Yanagisawa and Keilwerth. Depending on the specifications you are looking at will depend on the price but be prepared for a professional saxophone to cost from £1500 minimum for an alto sax. There are hundreds of different models and variations. It is well worth doing some good research and speaking to specialists to get to the one saxophone that fits all your requirements.

Fingertip soreness can be expected, but severe muscle or wrist pain can be an indication of poor technique. Don't press harder than you need to, as this can cause soreness and muscle or wrist issues. Explore different ways to hold the guitar so you are keeping your wrist as flat as possible. Wrist should point to the floor.