Tuition

Hi, Joe here, just a quick word about how I believe I may be able to help you, as well as a few details about how I operate. If you want to hear more about me personally, head over to the ‘about’ page. Otherwise, I hope you’re encouraged by what you read and I look forward to hearing from you.

My Teaching Philosophy

I firmly believe that the most important quality in a teacher is the capacity to provide their students with a sense of agency - a real belief that they know what they need to do to achieve their goals, and just as importantly, that they know how to get there.

Over my years of teaching, I’ve learnt that whilst every student’s needs are unique, there are certain principles, approaches and philosophies that hold true and I aim to help guide students in accordance with these, equally whilst recognising, sympathising with and helping them to overcome their unique challenges whether they be physical, mental or a combination of the two.

The fact is, 70-80% of your guitar playing progress will simply come from putting in the work, and in my experience, there’s no way around this.

That said, the correct guidance and encouragement is vital to ensure that you stay on the right track and improve reliably at a pace at which you feel serves you. I’ve seen players far better than myself play with the most bizarre styles, yet they make it work. So, whilst I hope to offer a valuable service, I can’t faithfully do so without acknowledging that it is incumbent on the student to put in the work. I’ll never turn you away from a lesson or make you feel bad if you’ve not had the time to practice as there is so much we could cover in any given session and I recognise that students have their own lives to lead, but I will strongly encourage personal practice between our lessons together to get the most out of the time we share.

Despite this, I would not call myself a perfectionist at all. I am a big believer in the 80/20 rule, and I consistently see the biggest leaps in progress in my students when they are free from the perfectionist mindset. As such, I will always encourage you to take that next step forward when it makes sense to do so, and I will push you outside of your comfort zone where necessary as this is often where the most progress is found.

I don’t care whether you’re a professional or a total amateur, I’m just looking for passionate students that are keen to engage with music. Thanks for reading.

“I can highly recommend Joe as a guitar teacher! After enquiring about my skill level and goals, his lessons were always tailored to my interests. He was always helpful and explained things to me in a way so I could easily understand and implement them. I also found it helpful that he sent me a comprehensive summary of every lesson, which made it much easier to practise what he taught me at home. Apart from that he is also a very nice guy and made all lessons a super positive environment”

Lennart

“Joe has been helping me for a few weeks now. We do it remotely at a time that is convenient for me. I have tried other teachers and other tools such as Yousician, but they only got me so far. Joe has helped me to correct a lot of bad habits that I have picked up over the years, and always has another "you could also"
He is working at my admittedly slow pace, with incredible patience. I am a fan of heavy music, which Joe completely understands so I am finding the lessons focused on what I like.Thoroughly recommended.”

Richard

“Joe is a great teacher and easy to get on with. Joe is accommodating, patient and articulate in his lessons, helping me work towards the goals and objectives that matter to me and not a prescribed curriculum. I always feel comfortable bringing any guitar playing issue or challenge to Joe’s lessons in the knowledge that his eye for technique will help me improve. Joe’s passion for music is infectious (even over Zoom) and I always leave our lessons feeling inspired.”

Tom

“Absolutely fantastic experience. Joe has talent and patience in equal amounts and is a natural educator. Cannot recommend him highly enough!”

Phil

“I’ve been having lessons with Joe for around 7 weeks. Joe’s lessons are amazing, he works with me on songs that I enjoy and helps me to learn key techniques that I will be able to reapply to other songs. After each lesson Joe sends a lesson summary which contains everything we went through in the previous lesson and things that I can work on throughout the week ready for the next lesson. He is always reassuring and kind, and makes helpful suggestions on how to improve. Overall, I would definitely recommend Joe to anyone who wants to learn how to play guitar :)”

Katie

“Joe is a very patient and competent tutor whom I have been using for just over 12 months. A very easy person to get on with without being intimidated nor left wanting more. He listens carefully to your own requests and frustrations, which there are many when learning anything; in order to help and improve. My playing has improved since being with Joe and find his ear for picking out flaws whilst online quite unique and a real skill as not easy over the internet. Oh his connection is always very good as well which is important.”

Peter