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.

…

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!

…

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)

…

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…

The desert is a weird place. And there's a lot of it. Especially in-between Phoenix and Spring Branch... 

It was this desert that Jason Kostal and I would traverse in an epic 1000 mile road trip through Arizona, New Mexico…

I'll just leave this here... I hope you enjoy it!

Do please share, comment etc. Your support means a lot to me. If you'd like a closer look at the mic set-up, well it's two pairs of Gefell M300's and…

So here's the thing, I know nothing about tangos, literally nada. My only real tango experience was that scene in Scent of a Woman where Al Pacino dances with Gabrielle Anwar. Maybe that hit me at a formative age, who…

If you haven't heard the name Emma Tricca then where have you been? Obviously not at one of Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets European concerts where Emma supported the band in historic venues like London's Roundhouse, Berlin's Tempodrom and the…

I firmly believe The Fretboard Journal to be one of the gold standards for printed guitar journalism worldwide and the magazine itself is truly a thing of beauty. One thing you don't get in the hard copy, of course, is…

I'm very happy to announce that acoustic stenographer to the stars Mark Grover has just completed transcribing my piece The Unfair Funfair* and it is now available for sale in limited edition prints, hand-signed, numbered and dedicated by Yours Truly…

Ages ago I stumbled across quite a pleasing little chord sequence that I subsequently pressed into service as a useful idea for demoing guitars. As one of my top 5 "quite pleasing" chord sequences of the time it piqued the…