17th December 1944 – 23rd February 2022 -A Complete Artist- I am saddened to read of the death of Carlos....  

Image courtesy of www.wikihow.com There’s an old joke doing the rounds that contains a sad truth. This is how it...  

There was a time when concerts happened in concert halls. Not anymore. As concerts gradually begin to pop up on...  

– It might just turn you into the real thing – 1 Make a good sound by playing a lot...  

Could this be the moment to change The Classical Guitar Concert Experience? Rarely, if ever, has the entire human race...  

image: by Jonathan Borba Acoustic Guitars Rule – For Now… Jo Fender was putting his new model guitar through the...  

…Has This Happened To You? Image: Me showing off my brand new ivory suit 1 The taxi driver asks whether...  

And how I said hello good-bye to my stage clothes Having spent much of the past two years hung up...  

Image : illustration for The Owl and the Pussycat by Julia Hartling The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear...  

Image: Bach manuscript of a page from his Christmas Oratorio For the second year running old JS proves the most...  

10 Great Quotes 1 “My way towards God has been to write music. I think there will always be a...  

Guitarists, Don’t Panic! This week the British press has been full of the rise of the ukelele among children learning ...  

History Comes To Life When We Hear Their Stories I was having coffee with some friends in a bar in...  

Image: detail from Goya’s painting “3rd Of May 1808” in El Prado Museum, Madrid Chaos, War, and How Aguado’s Guitar-Playing...  

Which comes first, technique or musicality? Pose the question and a discussion can quickly become animated. Put more bluntly, but...  

Remembering Guy Fawkes, John Dowland the spy, and Girolamo Montesardo the guitarist. Who? Fishing disputes between neighbouring countries, extreme politics,...  

The Friday Blog – short read The basic elements of guitar technique are based on natural movements. On this basis...  

1 Consider the style and period of the music. 2 Discover the life, times and personality of the composer. 3...  

– short read – Photo selfie: arriving at the Royal College of Music after 19 months’ absence I have just...  

I heard the sound of live guitar playing by someone else on Thursday. It was the first time in 19...  

– short read- Image: supposedly of Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) Within the small confines of classical music there is a sub-section:...  

Quote and photo: G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) September is a great month, children back at school, students at College, and with...  

Caricature by Brazilian artist Mario Mendez (1907-1996) 1 Play through the piece slowly or fast. Mistakes don’t matter. 2 Play...  

– a man possessed, by a note obsessed For YouTube link click here to my own recording of the work....  

The Inspector Morse theme music has been voted the number one TV theme of all time in a UK poll...  

short read Photo: Taylor Swift (photo courtesy of Vanity Fair magazine) My friends turned into the girls who stood in...  

Friday 27th – Sunday 29th August My online course for Benslow Music – an intensive programme of solo playing, spiced...  

Friday 27th – Sunday 29th August My online course for Benslow Music – an intensive programme of solo playing, spiced...  

short read Keen readers of dates may have noticed the time lag. Villa-Lobos composed his concerto for guitar and orchestra...  

– short read – Photo: Living in Los Angeles – Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (left) and Alexandre Tansman (centre) with fellow composer Ernst...