Ashdown Guitar Lessons

I was struggling to get past learning basic chords and wanted to play actual songs. I found video tutorials on YouTube were giving me a basic idea of how to play but I had all sorts of problems online videos weren’t helping with, like buzzing strings and unnatural strumming. 

I’ve had a fantastic time going to Andy’s lessons, it’s had massive benefits for both my technical ability and enjoyment of guitar. I really like that he is led by the songs and styles I want to learn, breaking down songs that seem complex at first into achievable chunks before building back up to the full piece. He’s able to spot the particular obstacles I have with learning new songs, explain why it’s tricky and suggest new ways of approaching it to help me learn. I also find his constructive feedback and playing together has made my learning experience much more enjoyable than it otherwise would be learning by myself.  

Andy’s lessons are really fun, relaxed environment for you to learn your favourite songs and make progress on guitar far quicker than you might expect! 

P.R. (Adult learner)

Learning Guitar is a challenge and yes, if you can master a few chords and transition them quickly you can play thousands of songs. But this is the tip of the iceberg because there are so many other aspects to learning musically how all the bits fit together. The challenge is like staring at a giant jigsaw puzzle where you have fitted the easy sections together but you have not created a picture, just bits of it.  I needed a pathway to unlock my mind that helps me to complete the picture and this is an ongoing process and I believe it will remain so over my journey learning guitar.  Working with Ashdown Guitar Lessons allowed me to start  and recognise where some of these pieces fit together in a structured way. The most important aspect for me at least was that I could ask questions without fear of ridicule for being a novice.

“Your approach is relaxed and welcoming, but you quickly identify in the student what the most appropriate areas to focus on are.

“I would have no hesitation to recommend Ashdown Guitar Lessons to anyone and at whatever level they are at with guitar. The bottom line though is that every student needs to be prepared to put in the hours outside of any lesson. I feel that a lesson is just the start of a particular element of learning, whatever that is on the day, but the hard work happens at home until you return to the next lesson and the work is then reviewed and enhanced.”

I was a complete beginner when I started having lessons with Andy, and a mature student who had never played an instrument, or explored music theory.

Working with Andy has been a real joy. He has nurtured and encouraged a genuine love of learning to play the Guitar. The beginning of learning to play the guitar seemed like a daunting task but Andy kept it simple by having me learn to play chords immediately. Andy also suggested I start by having half hour lessons which meant that I left every lesson having learnt something that I was enthusiastic to go home and practice, but that was manageable and not over whelming. 

[To anyone considering learning with Ashdown Guitar Lessons] I would say don’t hesitate, it will enrich your life in so many ways. Andy allows space for you to discover for yourself. His teaching is always refined and elevating. Andy is a masterful teacher with a depth and experience that really allows you to continually have those “A-Ha ” moments, that you feel you have unearthed with his expert guidance. He is kind and encouraging and a genuinely nice man.