It's for this very reason that I do not do any of these things. I do not teach lots of music theory. Yes, I'll drop bits in here and there that you need to progress, but that's about it. We can look at theory later on rather than jump into it immediately. My courses contain a lot of popular pop and rock songs, so the emphasis will be on learning by playing, taking into account your own goals and aspirations. Your practice sessions will be short but correctly structured to exactly what you need to practice at that particular time.
Welcome to The Riff Connection
The Riff Connection is run by Mark Turner.
I remember what it was like to learn how to play guitar. Back then the emphasis was placed on learning how to read music, studying theory, and learning classical pieces, despite my interests lying elsewhere. And then struggle through practice sessions without having any real direction as to what to practice and for how long.
MY SIMPLE STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH PROVIDES EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED AT EACH LEVEL FOR YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM OF PLAYING THE GUITAR
I can help you focus on just what you need to learn. Each lesson will build on previous lessons in a structured step-by-step simple-to-follow system, providing you with the skills to play songs almost straight away and without all the frustration generally associated with learning how to play an instrument. You will learn a few scales, but no one is interested in watching a guitarist play scales, they watch a guitarist to hear music, so that's where the emphasis will lie, on you playing music so that you can start playing to your family and friends.
LEARN AND PLAY GUITAR, DREAM ALOUD!
INTERESTED IN ONLINE EDUCATION?
Here’s a peek at my home studio where I teach one-to-one online Zoom lessons so students never have to leave the comfort of their own homes for guitar lessons!
Taking online guitar lessons, or learning any instrument online for that matter can be so frustrating.
Generally, all you do is watch someone on YouTube show you something, claiming it's so easy while you struggle and tie your fingers up in knots! And there's just no teacher-student interaction, no one to ask for help! There has to be a better way!
There is, and my lessons are different. I use multiple cameras, so I can demonstrate from any angle you need and provide guitar close-up shots. Online teaching, to me, does not mean one-way teaching or simply sharing a presentation, it's a real interactive experience, just as if we were in the same room! Go grab your guitar and let’s get started!
I remember how much joy I got from my first guitar. I was soon playing blues on stage in front of the rest of my school, so I know firsthand how much joy and happiness music can bring into all our lives. I want to help you discover music as well and bring out the musician inside of you. My goal is to provide anyone who is interested in learning to play the guitar with access to quality well-structured guitar instruction.
My start in music
I was brought up in a small town in Britain that had a whole bunch of professional bands and artists, some famous, others less so, at least on this side of the Atlantic. It was a great time as I could just wander around town and often see people whose music I had been listening to, artists such as the guys from Led Zeppelin and Slade to name just two. At the age of 9, my uncle handed me an acoustic guitar, a book of blues music and taught me some 12-bar blues. With the help of a few local professional musicians, I embarked on a journey of guitar discovery.
I remember laying in my bed late one evening listening to my neighbor practicing. A few days later he was due to perform on a UK TV show (Top of the Pops). It was wonderful just to lay there listening to him and looking forward to watching the show. My dad was irate as he thought it was too late for the guy to practice, and of course, he didn't want his son to be kept awake. But I didn't mind, I had no intention of going to sleep, I was quite happy listening and trying to learn a little by ear as well. From then on I was hooked on music, and as they say, the rest is history!