Christmas now seems a distant memory and as we move from January into February it is now time to kick start your guitar playing in 2012, through setting some goals and formulating a plan for the coming year.  

Start with the end firmly in sight

 To start with, think about where you would like to go with playing the guitar. For some this could be just playing at a reasonable level where you can pick up the guitar at a party and impress friends. Or maybe to have the courage to play in a band or an open mike night, whatever it is the most important step is to know where you are going. If you do not know where you are going you will simply wander, never really achieving what you want to achieve and ultimately get frustrated and probably end up giving up all together.

Welcome to a new regular feature entitled ‘Guitarists you should know’. With this feature I will introduce or reacquaint readers with some of my favourite guitarists and new players who have caught my ear.

Listening to as many different guitar players and styles as possible will not only help enrich your own playing but will also help to inspire and motivate you to keep practising.

I have picked Hubert Sumlin to kick this feature off as he is one of my favourite Blues players and even though appearing on some of the most important Blues records ever recorded, he is still largely unknown.

This interview was originally published on startteachingguitar.com. To view the original post please click here.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? What’s your background?

I live in Ashford, Kent in England where I have lived most of my life. I started playing guitar when I was 15 after being introduced to guitar-driven bands such as Green Day and Nirvana by my sister’s then boyfriend.

After playing around for a couple of years, I started to get lessons with a local teacher while studying computing at college. Three years later I was studying music production and sitting an audition to become a guitar teacher for a local Yamaha Music School where my guitar teacher at the time worked, but was leaving and named me as a suitable replacement.

One of the first lessons I ever taught was a group lesson of five students. I remember coming home shaking but after a few more lessons I began to really enjoy teaching and immersed myself fully into music education, leaving music production behind.

Over the next few years I achieved grade 8 music performance and grade 8 music theory and wrote articles for Play Guitar, Teach Guitar and Acoustic Guitar magazines, I also begun teaching full-time. Tell us about your guitar teaching business.

I am now teaching the NEW RGT Rock Guitar Grade syllabus. 

The new exams enable guitar students of all ages to gain accredited qualifications for performing some of the most popular rock guitar tracks of all time in specially-crafted arrangements, all carefully designed by RGT to suit the appropriate technical level of each grade while retaining the authenticity of the song.

Examples of early grade RGT exam pieces include: Smoke On The Water, Smells Like Teen Spirit, All Right Now and Paranoid. Intermediate grade songs include Layla, The Boys Are Back In Town and All Along The Watchtower, while examples from advanced grades include tracks by Led Zeppelin, Santana, Steve Vai, Korn, System of a Down and Avenged Sevenfold.The exams also include aural tests and improvisation that focus on the core lead and rhythm playing skills required by rock guitarists.

RGT Exams Director Tony Skinner explains that: “The new rock guitar exams are in addition to RGT’s existing and very popular electric guitar exams and are not replacing them, but providing an alternative for those who want to specialise in rock guitar. Guitar teachers and students who’ve heard about the new exams seem very excited by the prospect of being able to play such a great choice of classic rock tracks as part of their RGT exam”.

A series of course handbooks has been produced by RGT to help students prepare for the exams. These are available from www.BooksForGuitar.com

Welcome to my new site! I think you will agree the old site was in desperate need of an update/redesign. It has taken a few weeks of many late nights but it is nearly finished I will be adding a few more bits and pieces over the next few weeks but it is essentially done.

Keep your eye on this blog which I will update regularly with reviews, tips, articles, riffs and more.

Also connect with me on Twitter or Facebook I would love to hear from you.

Lastly please let me know what you think about the new site any comments or suggestions would be most appreciated.

Cheers

Paul Andrews

Gift Vouchers Now Available!

Gift Vouchers are an ideal Christmas, Birthday or any time present. If you know somone who has always wanted to play guitar or is looking to get started again why not give the gift of music.

All lessons are tailor made to the students indervidual goals with all styles and levels catered for.

For more information or to purchase a gift voucher call Paul on 01233 634382 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it