Bands
I play in two bands at the moment:
Learning Guitar
I recommend these tools and sites to help you become a better guitarist:
www.justinguitar.com – A great site for guitarists of all levels. It has video lessons on all sorts of topics, from absolute beginners to advanced metal and jazz. I know a lot of people who’ve used this site and got a lot of benefit from it. I was lucky enough to have a few lessons with Justin in 2004. His enthusiasm, passion and sense of humour really comes through in the videos.
Transcribe – This is an invaluable piece of software which lets you slow down and loop songs. It makes it so much easier to figure out how to play them and to practice them. It can also change the pitch without affecting the speed of the song in case you need it in a different key. I use this program every day!
www.songsterr.com – A great site for transcriptions of songs, with the added benefit that it lets you hear the transcription and play along. An example of how improvements in the internet are making it easier and easier to learn music, for those prepared to put in the time. I’ve only just discovered this site myself, but I can see its potential and I’m looking forward to exploring it further.
Ultimate Guitar is a similar site but with plain text transcriptions, although the quality does vary.
Teachers
I was fortunate enough to study with a number of fantastic teachers when I was living in the East Midlands. I would recommend any of them without hesitation:
Guitar – Darryl Golding – Based in Rearsby, Leicestershire
Piano – Elizabeth Sampson – Based in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
Drums – Damon Clarridge – Based in Leicester, also teaches in Melton Mowbray
Music Shops
Charlie Chandler’s Guitar Experience – The finest guitar shop in the land. What Charlie doesn’t know about guitars isn’t worth knowing. He’s worked on guitars for innumerable famous players including my personal heroes Jeff Beck and Dave Gilmour. All the guys in the shop are also incredibly friendly and welcoming. It’s particularly good for repairs and upgrades as well as new and second hand stock.
Coda Music – Another superb guitar store, particularly the Stevenage branch. They stock a phenomenal number of guitars and amps, and have the best collection of Gibsons in the country. They have a lot of good stuff come through their second hand page as well. I check it regularly!
Music Radar – Not a shop, technically, but a site which has a lot of reviews of products. I use it when researching new gear I might want to buy. It contains professional reviews from various music magazines such as Guitarist, Guitar Techniques, Total Guitar, Rhythm, Future Music and Computer Music.
Photography / Graphics
I have worked with many wonderful photographers and graphic designers in my musical career. Here is a selection:
Taya Uddin – An extraordinary music photographer, both for promo and live shots. Her work has featured in numerous music magazines. She is also an excellent fashion photographer. Several of the photographs on this site are Taya’s.
Jonny Helm – A documentary photographer who captures the personalities of his subjects in ‘behind the scenes’ photoshoots. This is a great way to break away from traditional posed shots. His portfolio also includes architectural, fashion, music, portrait and editorial work. Some of Jonny’s pictures are used on this site.
Tamara Rogers – A photographer and graphic designer whose stark and evocative images are a constant source of inspiration.
Listings
I am listed in the following directories:
