Professional Working Guitarist: Tuition with an approach uniquely tailored to you, from someone who plays out there for real

Find out more about Ed

• 1) When did you first develop a passion for music and your favourite instrument?

  The likes of Queen & Prince were often playing in my house as a kid, but it was discovering Green Day & Linkin Park that I got interested in learning an instrument, they were the real gateway artists to finding other things. It was only when I first tried making a band at school that I became obsessive over playing the instrument though, that's really why I'm driven to play today - to write & perform.

• 2) Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  Right now I'm listening to the latest Fontaines D.C. album constantly, but historically I've not been able to stop listening to The Strokes since about 2012, their songs are intricately written, yet the individual parts themself are mostly simple - it's all about how it comes together to make something greater than the sum of those parts.

• 3) Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  I had a couple of pretty bad music teachers as a kid, there was a lot of teaching from a curriculum that meant very little to me & managed to keep the bare minimum of my attention. So when I started to teach an instrument I wanted to tailor things toward what the student wants to learn, so you can throw a song at me & I'll learn it for you, & as I pass it on to you I can explain to you why it is constructed in such a way, helping to hone your theory & technique through music that's actually relevant to you.

• 4) What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  The piano is an interesting one, at first it's one of the most straightforward - it's all laid out for you, & theory is a lot easier to understand through that layout, but once you scratch that surface you realise just how deep you can go with it. I like that I'm quite bad at piano - I can do the basics, but That means that if I ever run out of ideas with a guitar I can get my keyboard out, & I'll more than likely play something slightly leftfield that could bring a whole new lease of life to the song that I just wouldn't have imagined otherwise.

• 5) What are your keys to success?

  It's a cliché, but you've got to practise, & on top of that you've got to practise with a metronome - you're timing is never going to be as good in reality as it is in your head, unless you've been working to a click.

• 6) Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  John Frusciante, he's probably my favourite guitarist at the moment so he's got to be there. I'll say Noel Gallagher too, I saw him in a members bar once, but my mind went blank so I left it & spoke to Piers Morgan of all people instead, always regretted that one. I'll probably say Lady Gaga too, if it's a late night bar I think we'd have a pretty good time.

• 7) Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  I remember playing my first gig after COVID. I'd started this band in February 2020, I think we managed one rehearsal as a full band drummer & all, & then that's it, the whole thing's off indefinitely, I was wound up because I thought " well that's gonna delay us by like a whole month or something", little did I know... Anyway, fast forward 18 months & the world's opening up again; we play the opening slot in a rock bar in zone 4 of London, it really shouldn't have felt like anything ambitious, but the relief & the energy was tantalising. It wasn't just us, it was the crowd too, it felt like a full on renaissance of live music that everyone had been longing for - something the internet just couldn't replicate or compensate for. The rest of that year it really felt like there was a revitalised energy whenever you went into a live venue.

• 8) What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  Like I say, I think I know how it feels to have the wrong teacher, to not be motivated & be given a standardised lesson plan. Sure, there are fundamentals we all need to learn to become rounded players, but I strive to identify those fundamentals in music that excites you, & so the lesson will always be tailored toward your needs.