About Author - My Story

Is Probably Like Your Story!

About Author for LearnClassicalGuitar.com

Have you ever wondered about how you might speed up your journey on classical guitar but don’t really know where to start or what to do?

Well, I want to share my story today because I think it might resonate with you and help you to move in the right direction.

To begin with, I think you might be a lot like me, because I’m guessing that your journey to learn classical guitar has been one of challenge and difficulty.

You might be surprised to know but I didn’t start learning classical guitar until I was in my early twenties. Once I decided to really ‘go for it’ and to try to become really good on the classical guitar, I realized I didn’t know how to get to a level of playing that I wanted to.

I mean, like you probably do, I eventually wanted to be able to play some of the more romantic, but difficult, pieces in the repertoire that I’d seen people like Andres Segovia, John Williams, Julian Bream, and others playing but I wasn’t sure if I could ever reach THAT level.

But I thought that at the comparatively late stage of my life, to be starting guitar I would probably be glad if I got to a beginner level, and could impress my friends and family with a few, choice pieces.

So, for me, it all started when my friend Danny brought his classical guitar around one day to show me a few pieces he could play. At this stage, I had only mastered a few chords on my steel string guitar and had never really heard any classical pieces.

As soon as he started to play, I knew I was hooked! It was a piece called ‘Solea’ and Danny’s playing was totally amazing. I decided then and there to go and purchase a classical guitar as soon as I could and get started.

Well, the first knock-back came soon enough when I entered a guitar store in Paddington, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.

For some strange reason, the owner of the shop kept hitting me with negative comments like, “You’re probably too old to learn classical guitar”, and “You probably won’t have enough time to practice if you’re working full-time!”

Talk about annoying!

That guy actually made me more determined to learn classical guitar, but a little tip…

Avoid these negative people that you’ll meet on your guitar journey. Avoid them like the plague! They’ll ‘steal’ your dreams and spout their useless, negative thoughts at you if you let them. Better to just avoid them altogether or use them as an incentive to just do it anyway, like I did.

So, as you probably know, the path often isn’t easy. Like that guy said, there are always time constraints from work and family, but if you really focus your time and energy and have a successful method of instruction, you can achieve wonderful things.

And keep listening to find out just how I was able to speed up my, and my students progress via my breakthrough ‘Success Path’ method for guitar students.

But back to my journey and the next difficulty I came up against.

If you’ve ever tried to learn classical guitar, I suppose you might have had that disinterested or untalented teacher; the boring and uninspiring lessons and the confusion of what and when to play along the way.

I actually had a guitar teacher like that who rarely looked at what I was doing and just ‘barked’ a few orders at me while he glanced out of the window at the people below in the street.

Being a beginner, I didn’t know if this was just the way they did things, but I soon started to feel a little ripped off. After about two months of giving this guy the benefit of the doubt I decided I had had enough and left that particular guitar school.

After all, I was the one footing the bill and I sure wasn’t getting my money’s worth! But I wasn’t going to let my inner feelings and desire suffer because of this fool’s bad attitude.

As luck would have it, I went to another guitar shop closer to where I lived in Randwick, Sydney. One of the better teachers from that other guitar school had also left because he didn’t agree with their poor philosophy either and had taken up residence in the Randwick guitar shop.

Adam was one of those meticulous, lively, talented, and interested teachers you rarely find. Most importantly, he knew just how and what was needed for each particular student to speed up their progress.

Unfortunately, after only a short time with Adam he was tragically killed in a car crash which left me both devastated and uninterested in the guitar for a long while.

But gradually, I came back to guitar and started to make progress from the things Adam had taught me.

Eventually, I got a job teaching children and beginner adults in a very good little guitar school near the Blue Mountains area of Sydney called, ‘The Penrith School of Guitar.’

It’s funny how teaching something really forces you to know it. I’ve always been someone who analyses things and gets to the heart of the matter. Adam had also reinforced that in me when we analysed the pieces we were studying together.

Over the years, with my school teaching background and what I’d been through with Adam, I have been in a great position to test, through trial and error with my students, the best way to develop ability and technique on the guitar to speed up your development.

When the internet ‘happened along’ I realized this was the perfect opportunity to take these skills to a wider audience where people were hungry to learn to play guitar but might not have the opportunity, resources, or where-with-all to do so.

So, I started to build my site…piece by piece…bit by bit…page by page…year by year, until it’s now established in the major search engines around the globe.

It was then that I decided to pull together all the things I had learnt about playing guitar and developing skills. And I thought I’d be better able to help others who were like me and in need of some direction.

When the traffic started increasing so did the requests for some sort of more in-depth course.

Phew!

If I thought just putting the website together was a lot of work, then this really would be something. Well, you know how we’re all ‘time poor’. To be honest, at first, I really didn’t want to do it. It would just ‘suck up’ all of my limited amount of free time.

But the requests just kept coming...so I relented.

I decided I was going to create a course that was easy to use but would help people to improve quickly.

Moreover, I realized I had to create a method of developing classical guitar skills in a step-by-step fashion which included a mixture of the right pieces, scales, and exercises, etc. I went at it like a mad scientist, analysing, arranging, and re-arranging many, many pieces.

I also knew about how people learned best from my teacher training. It was that people learn best in a multi-sensory fashion, which would also speed up their progress.

BTW, just as an aside, how would you rate your playing at this very moment. When it comes to playing at the level you want to, rate yourself from 1 to 10.

If you’re anything like me, I rated myself at the beginning of my guitar journey as probably a 1 to 2 out of 10. I knew I wasn’t satisfied, and I knew I had to do something about it!

Anyway, it took me a quite long time (probably 2 years) to arrange these pieces in my new course, which were written by some of the great classical guitar composers of the past. AND, I had organized them in the correct order to stimulate interest and develop ability.

Indeed, I can proudly say that I have selected and arranged some of the best pieces from: Sor; Aguado; Carcassi; Carulli and Giuliani in a way that lets you develop your skills and keep your interest and passion.

But, more importantly, I came up with my time-proven ‘Success Path Method’, where you improve more rapidly via specifically ordered and placed ‘Challenge Lessons’ and ‘Consolidation Lessons’.

Doing it this way, you’re able to improve at a faster rate, but still ‘sweep around’ to prior pieces and improve your skill level and playing in a step-by-step logical fashion.

Indeed, I had a lot of success with students over the years who sat for guitar exams at the Australian Musical Examinations Board at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. This made me very proud, and my students both proud and satisfied with their progress and skill development.

The main reason I’m sharing my classical guitar journey, and the ‘Success Path’ method is because, I want you to understand no matter how old you are, there is always time for you to learn and progress on guitar, and I believe without exception!

If you’re a beginner, or you’ve been stuck in that rut of staying at the Beginner Level for some years now, keep listening…

I’m sure you’ll relate to the fact that the reason this is important for you right now is because you probably realise you have this niggling desire to both learn and improve on guitar but haven’t had a vehicle or a method to do so before.

Well, now you can!

You just need to step up and confront these niggling desires and decide to step out of your comfort zone and start to move forward towards your dream of playing classical guitar.

And this is where the ‘magic is’, so to speak. Once you make that decision, you’ll notice your drive and momentum increasing, which also leads to progress.

Indeed, I believe that by combining your resolve with my ‘Success Path’, you’ll be able to step out of your comfort zone and into the ‘Magic Zone’, which will open up so much potential transformation of your playing like you’ve never seen before.

I know you really want to improve your playing in a time effective manner but do so in a relaxed way on your terms so that you can develop at your own pace.

My programs will lead you step-by-step and develop your skills in a more rounded fashion and you won’t have go getting a little bit from here and a little bit from there, this book, that website, in a haphazard fashion.

The convenience is a major part of my courses, but the improvement is where the great joy lies!

Look, I know one of the biggest problems, if not THE biggest problem is knowing where to start when learning classical guitar. That’s why I’ve created these courses to help you get started straight away.

If my story has resonated with you and you’d like to start your own guitar journey, go and check out the links below that will tell you all about the courses I have created and how they can really help you transform your playing.

I like to say, “I’ll take you from where you are now on classical guitar to where you want to be, in half the time!”

About my teacher training...

I am teacher-trained, having a Diploma of Education (majoring in music).

Diploma of Teaching

Well, it's been over 30 years since I received that diploma of teaching. It seems like yesterday, but I must admit, a lot of water has gone under the bridge in terms of my teaching experiences.

No matter whether it was at school, or teaching the guitar, everything has enabled me to gather a 'pool' of skills and ideas.

Lucky for you because I can pass a lot of those ideas onto you, whether it's actually playing the guitar better technically, or finding smarter and better ways of making it easier for you to learn the guitar.

If you're serious about learning classical guitar look around the site because there are many focus and study points to learn from and absorb.

Importantly, you'll want to both take your time AND be persistent in your approach to playing classical because the technique required doesn't come overnight.

Like anything good and worthwhile you need to devote time and effort to it but the rewards will be self-evident as you start to improve.

Happily, as your skills grow you get better faster because it's like a snowballing effect.

It's really exhilarating when you realize you are playing the music you've always wanted to and your friends and family will be mightily impressed with your musicianship and skills...Go for it!

Here are some pages that may help to get you started...

Beginner Classical Guitar Lessons...

Beginner Classical Guitar Lessons

The beginner guitar lesson series contains ten videos and PDF's that allow you to practice the beginning skills of classical guitar so that you slowly but surely develop your technical skills in a steady and logical way. Click here to go to the Beginner's Page...

Benefits of going through these "Beginner Exercises"

Engaging in beginner exercises for classical guitar provides several benefits for aspiring guitarists. Here are some of the advantages:

Technique development: Beginner exercises help you develop proper technique and form, which is crucial for playing the guitar effectively. They focus on fundamental aspects such as finger dexterity, hand position, finger independence, and coordination between the hands. Regular practice of these exercises enhances your overall technical abilities and sets a solid foundation for more advanced playing.
Finger strength and flexibility: Playing beginner exercises involves repetitive finger movements, which gradually strengthen your fingers and improve their flexibility. This is particularly important for classical guitarists who often perform intricate fingerings and complex chord shapes.
Finger independence: Classical guitar exercises emphasize developing finger independence, allowing each finger to move freely and precisely. This skill is essential for executing intricate melodies, arpeggios, and complex chord progressions. Regular practice of exercises targeting finger independence enhances your control over individual fingers, leading to greater accuracy and fluidity.
Improved coordination: Playing the guitar requires coordinated movements between both hands. Beginner exercises help train your brain and muscles to synchronize your fretting hand (left hand for right-handed guitarists) with your plucking hand (right hand for right-handed guitarists). As you practice various exercises that involve different finger combinations, you enhance your coordination and timing, leading to more seamless playing.
Rhythm and timing: Many beginner exercises focus on developing a sense of rhythm and timing. By practicing exercises with metronomic precision, you learn to maintain a steady tempo, play in sync with the beat, and develop a keen sense of timing. This skill is invaluable for playing with other musicians and ensembles.
Musicality and expression: Even though beginner exercises may seem repetitive, they often contain musical elements that can be interpreted and expressed. By paying attention to dynamics (loudness and softness), phrasing, articulation, and tone quality while practicing these exercises, you begin to develop your musicality and expression. This helps you infuse emotion and nuance into your playing, even in the simplest of musical passages.
Confidence building: Gradually progressing through beginner exercises and witnessing your improvement can boost your confidence as a guitarist. As you conquer each exercise and overcome technical challenges, you gain a sense of accomplishment and motivation to take on more complex pieces.

While beginner exercises are undoubtedly crucial for developing a solid foundation in classical guitar, it is equally important to strike a balance by incorporating actual music pieces into your practice. The exercises serve as a technical and skill-building framework, honing your finger strength, coordination, and finger independence.

They lay the groundwork for your musical journey, allowing you to develop proper technique and form. However, solely focusing on exercises for an extended period may feel monotonous and fail to ignite the passion and joy that comes from playing actual music. By integrating music pieces into your practice routine, you bring life and artistic expression to your playing.

Engaging with melodies, harmonies, and rhythms that resonate with you enhances your musicality, fosters creativity, and reinforces your motivation to continue progressing. Striking a balance between exercises and music pieces creates a well-rounded practice regimen that not only builds technical proficiency but also allows you to connect with the emotional and artistic aspects of playing the classical guitar.

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