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I have a huge soft spot for the guitar sounds of the 90s and one texture in particularly never fails to make me feel nostalgic for a more innocent time. 

I hope you enjoy this love letter to the acoustic…

I was feeling inspired this week - there was something happening - I grabbed my guitar and found it in standard tuning. That’s unusual for for me - I’m usually in DADGAD. 

I didn’t want to interrupt the flow however…

I’ve always been fascinated by the slightly wild classic acoustic guitar sound from live sessions by Yusuf/Cat Stevens

Bill Withers

David Bowie

A lot of what I’ve seen in these recordings goes against everything I’ve been taught about sound engineering…

I’ve had a lot of requests to look at some of my approach to harmonics - thank you to everyone who has been in touch. 

The reward for your patience is this new video where I look at the harmonic…

I’ve really enjoyed exploring high-strung guitar as a texture in the studio. So much so that I’ve managed to sneak it into some unlikely places!

The time had come for me to get this guitar back into standard tuning but…

I am often asked how to create a huge acoustic guitar sound in the studio - in particular for full band mixes. There are several tricks that I employ and I reveal them in this lovingly crafted video just for…

Molly Tuttle is one of my favourite players right now - she's an incredible musician and one of the most exciting guitarists I have seen in recent years. I interviewed Molly for Guitar.com and during our chat she revealed that…

You can now watch the entire 4-episode guide to alternate tunings that I hosted for Guitar.com and Elixir Strings!

Oh yes you can!

In this final episode I explore some full-sounding textural tunings that you may have heard under the…

It has been several years since I first explored the topic of nailcare for the acoustic guitarist in a video. Many things have evolved since then and my approach to nail care and tone production is no exception. 

In this…

Linda Manzer's Wedge design is an elegant ergonomic solution to the challenge of playing a large-bodied acoustic guitar.

Not to be confused with The Manzer Wedgie - a playground manoeuvre also invented by Linda some years previously - The…

Recent bouts of pondering coupled with conversations with friends led to a very real and pressing need to explore the tonal implications of flatwound strings on a flat top guitar.  Because why not?

Obviously a set of flats isn't going…

I'm very happy to present the first episode of Guitar.com's guide to alternate tunings for acoustic guitar in association with Elixir Strings!

Yes, I have been a little quiet here, the main reason is that with the easing of the…

Practice - it's a huge topic for every musician and everyone approaches it in their own way. 

I'm often asked to recommend ways to make practice more effective. I have found that nothing beats discipline, intent, focus and a little…

This morning the postman was on form! In amongst the usual stuff was this gorgeous creation, a Passerelle designed by my friend Kaki King and handmade in Bronze by luthier Rachel Rosenkrantz who you need to check out. Now. Seriously.

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Nashville studio ace Rory Rositas has worked with many of the biggest names in acoustic music including Bryan Sutton, John Jorgenson and most recently Tommy Emmanuel whose wonderful new album The Best of Tommy Songs was tracked in only…

Back when that sort of thing was actively encouraged I was invited to Sound Network HQ London to film a comparison video of the DPA microphone range. DPA is a super-high end microphone company that sprung from the ashes…

I've been a fan of Chicago's Joel Paterson for a while now and it was a real pleasure to interview the man himself for The Guitar Magazine recently! Click on the pic below to go through to the full interview…

Throughout my life as a player the archtop guitar has held a brooding and slightly intimidating mystique. Now, as I'm learning how to appreciate the subtleties and nuances of these beautiful instruments - built with an intent and technique far…

I was back at Surrey Studios this week to record The 5am Tango - which will be one of the 9 tracks on my next album HYLAB. I was really looking forward to this session as the good people…

It's been an exciting start to the year for me and I sincerely hope for you too!

Thank you to everyone for your messages over the holiday period. It was wonderful to hear from you all!

I've been busy in…

The response to the launch of the transcription for Celandine has been amazing and I'm both happy and humbled that so many of you have dedicated your time to learning this piece of music. Thank you.

As seen on YouTube!

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The opening track from my debut album Vetiver is one of my most popular pieces and many of you have been in touch asking for the score. It's been a long time coming but I am thrilled to announce that…

One of the things I have been looking forward to most about the process of creating this next album HYLAB is the chance to learn more about recording in contexts away from the acoustic guitar. It would not be unfair…

And we're off! It's official, the first recordings have happened and I am very pleased with the results! 

I spent a wonderful day back at Surrey Studios last week with the dream rhythm section that is Rex Horan (Double Bass)

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Ben Walker has been one of my favourite players for a while now and it was a pleasure to finally get to meet him at his studio in Brighton this week. 

Ben's beautiful new album Echo has just been released…