I recorded the above track for one of my adult students. She wants to sing and record this song by McFly in a key a few steps higher than the original song. There are backing tracks available on YouTube for the song, but as soon as I tried to shift the pitch upwards for my student’s voice, all of the… Read more »
At the moment the only slots available for this coming week are on Saturday (27th July) – there’s time that day in the late morning and the mid-afternoon. But, if any other slots free up over the coming few days then, as usual, I will post them to my Facebook page. Lesson Duration One of the most common questions I’m… Read more »
I had a little time free in my schedule this morning so decide to let some of the villages local to Skipton know about the current promotion I’m running: Adults’ first 2 music lessons free when they quote NEVER2LATE. I dropped flyers in doors in Hetton, Cracoe, Linton and Burnsall – all places within a short drive from my music… Read more »
It’s self-evident that rushing things is very rarely a good thing. In fact, it’s fair to say that most things come out best if you take your time over them: really invest in them and think carefully about what you’re doing. This is certainly true when it comes to making music. Many of the skills required to learn an instrument… Read more »
Teaching piano, guitar, ukulele, bass guitar, singing and music theory from my home in Skipton, I take on beginners and more advanced students. You can sit lessons at regular intervals, or on a more ad hoc basis – whatever suits your schedule and learning style. This week I have a few free slots, should you wish to book yourself in:… Read more »
Last week was really enjoyable – I spent most of the week flitting between teaching students at home, and nipping over to Christ Church in Skipton to support those of my students who were performing at Skipton Music Festival. I find the festival an excellent opportunity to learn – not just for my students but for me too. I feel… Read more »
This week it’s half term holidays for Skipton schools, so my schedule gets a little quieter while students get themselves off on holidays and visiting their families etc. If you are staying around in Skipton, though, here’s a list of the lessons slots available this week should you wish to squeeze a lesson in: Tues 26th Feb 13:00 (30 mins)… Read more »
When I first started playing guitar as a child then as a teenager, there was really only one way to tune up: with pitch pipes. I had some really cheap ones that looked like this: Of course, things are much easier now that digital tuners are cheap and easily accessible. I tend to use one on my mobile phone, but… Read more »
The closing date to enter for ABRSM’s spring exams (period 4 Mar – 6 Apr) is this Friday. So, if you want to enter an instrumental practical exam, now is the time to get your entry in. Remember, if you are a new candidate, you will first need to register with their website, and this can take a day or… Read more »
My service will be CLOSED through the whole of Christmas week, with lessons restarting on Wednesday 2nd January. Slots are filling up really quickly for the first few weeks of January but, as usual, I will post here on my blog where there is availability, should you wish to fit a lesson in. I teach the following instruments / disciplines,… Read more »