Hey I'm Matt, a patient, relaxed and friendly Online Guitar Tutor with a music degree from the University of Hertfordshire. 5+ years teaching experience, over 1300 lessons taught.

Find out more about Mathew

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

  I first developed a real passion for music when I heard ‘Clint Eastwood’ by The Gorillaz. I really enjoyed all of the different genres and styles they were mixing together. My mind was blown when I was in the car as a kid travelling to my grandparents’ during the summer holidays, and my dad put on a Fleetwood Mac ‘Best Of’ album. The very last song was ‘Big Love’ performed by Lindsey Buckingham. On my first listen I thought there were at least two guitarists playing as it was very complex. However, after I found a video I discovered Lindsey was playing and singing everything by himself! That song showed me you can make one guitar sound like a whole band and really inspired me to practice even more and eventually learn the song, which took me many years to perfect, and made guitar my favourite instrument.

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

  Calm ambient music or Chillstep is what I could listen to on a loop. It creates a non-distracting vibe but has some nice low bass, which I appreciate!

• Explain to us the most difficult or 'riveting' lesson you could personally give to one of your students.

  I find the most riveting lessons are when the student has a ‘light bulb’ moment. Where something they’ve been working on finally clicks and they have a clear perspective on the particular thing they’ve been working on and it makes sense to them. For example, keeping the strumming hand flowing down and up when strumming to help with rhythm and to help with knowing when to do an up or a down strum, or lowering your thumb on the fretting hand to help with bigger stretches between your first and fourth fingers. It’s always a joy to see my students succeed!

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

  I think the guitar can be tricky to ‘master’ as there are so many different styles/genres and techniques to learn. I’ve been playing for over 20 years and I’m still learning and practicing new techniques. Having said that, I have tried playing the violin and not having any frets makes it very hard to play in tune!

• What are your keys to success?

  My key to success is to try to be as consistent as possible - even if it’s just practicing 5 minutes a day, you’ll start to see an improvement! The very beginning is the most difficult part, but if you can keep with it, you’ll start to find everything becomes easier and easier and that’s when it becomes more and more fun, so try to enjoy every practice session.

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

  Lindsey Buckingham, Matteo Carcassi and Skrillex. Lindsey Buckingham really inspired me to look into fingerstyle guitar playing and I love that he plays on a nylon guitar. Matteo Carcassi is my favourite classical guitarist/composer and learning his songs and exercises have made me a better player. Finally Skrillex, listening to his first E.P. really inspired me to delve into music production which has lead to me writing, recording and releasing my own music which has been a fulfilling achievement!

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your musical journey, or your days at 'music school'.

  Realising the importance of rhythm and timing was one of the most significant discoveries that I made early in my musical journey. I joined my first band around the age of 13. I had been playing guitar for a few years, but I was always more interested in learning a new chord shape or a ‘cool’ technique and didn’t really spend much time practicing counting beats or playing with a metronome. This really showed during the first band rehearsal! There were four of us all trying to play a song and all our rhythm was pretty bad - I kept speeding up and other band members were slowing down. We sounded like a big wall of noise. After that rehearsal I really focussed on being able to read and count rhythms, and to this day I always practice with a metronome.

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

  I really want all of my students to enjoy learning the guitar and I try to make the process as easy and accessible as possible. To do this, I provide a lot of extra practice materials such as detailed tabs/sheet music and video recordings of the songs and exercises we work on so they can rewatch and see how I play. I also do my best to tailor the lessons to the students’ interests, and work with them on pieces that they want to learn.