I have been playing guitar for what feels like my entire life. I began when I was 7, on a tiny acoustic guitar with plastic strings. My teacher taught me to play nursery rhymes and classical music and I absolutely hated it; it wasn't until I was older and I saw a friend performing Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that I fell in love with music.
Since then I have seized every opportunity afforded to me to make music, from one-day band events like the "Test Valley School of Rock" to original bands, home-made demo recordings and nationwide tours. I have been lucky enough to combine this colourful musical experience with a thorough formal musical education, including A-level qualifications in Music and Music Technology, ABRSM Grade 5 Theory and a Bachelor's Degree in Music (Hons).
Since then I have seized every opportunity afforded to me to make music, from one-day band events like the "Test Valley School of Rock" to original bands, home-made demo recordings and nationwide tours. I have been lucky enough to combine this colourful musical experience with a thorough formal musical education, including A-level qualifications in Music and Music Technology, ABRSM Grade 5 Theory and a Bachelor's Degree in Music (Hons).
Services
For more information on children's lessons please see the Lessons for Kids FAQ. Q: How much does a lesson cost? A: Most of my students have half hour lessons, which cost 20. I charge a standard 40 per hour for tuition, so if you'd like longer lessons they'll be charged at this rate. Q: Where are your lessons located?
Q: Is my child old enough to learn guitar? A: 7 is the youngest recommended age to start playing guitar. If your child expresses an interest in learning to play before then, it's worth learning ukulele first as this is a great starting point for learning guitar. Q: How often should my child have lessons?
1 It's easy to learn - the smaller neck and simpler chords means learning ukulele is constantly rewarding! 2 It's a head-start for learning guitar! Not only are the two instruments similarly shaped and played, but the chord shapes for both instruments are the same too! 5 Kids can get their hands around it, so if your little one wants to play guitar but can't manage the size of it they can still make a start on the ukulele!
One of the questions I get asked a lot is "How hard is it to learn guitar?". Luckily for us, guitar is one of the easiest musical instruments to learn to play. Many classical instruments such as violin or clarinet can take months of practise before any recognisable sound is created, but with a guitar you can start playing your favourite songs within a few hours!
Reviews (2)
Peter Keeling
Oct 21, 2021
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Paul Numi
Jul 01, 2016
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Ben is an excellent guitar teacher, certainly the best I've ever had. His strength is that he does not just teach a trick or two but provides true insight into how music works: how chords are built up, what type of scales one can play with a certain chord and so forth. He's always very well prepared and his lessons are well structured. Ben's flexible on the type of music to cover because he's such an exceptional guitarplayer, with a very broad range.
