Here’s a great Christmas idea for you!

‘Guitar Made Simple’ is an extremely well thought out beginners program, with a very thorough and personal approach to help you easily learn how to play the guitar… correctly! So much more than trying to learn alone with just a book, this brilliant system connects with you as if an instructor is right with you in your own home.

Give yourself a treat this Christmas and get “Guitar Made Simple” at our special 30% discounted price.  You’ll be reaping the benefits in no time at all by improving your guitar playing quickly and easily.  Better still, buy a copy for that friend or loved one who is longing to learn the guitar.

Remember, we have negotiated a special 30% discount with Chris Standring for our GuitaroJam subscribers.  Find out more about Guitar Made Simple here - don’t delay.  Read Review.

Mike Oldfield has, you could say, been around the block a few times. The British-born, sometimes Spaniard artist seems to have done it all in his life and career. The now 54 year old Mike Oldfield not only did it, but lived to tell about it; from his earliest of musical ventures, to his inter-continental homes, to his family life.

Oldfield’s earliest muse may have come at tremendous personal cost. Having left home at the tender age of 14 over differences with his parents, Oldfield struggled to make a name for himself in the entertainment business, performing in folk clubs in his native Reading and later in Essex. Despite his slightly dysfunctional upbringing, Oldfield was a tremendously talented musician and enjoyed limited success in his debut venture, a brother/sister folk duo act, The Sallyangie.

One critic described the music on Sallyangie’s one and only album “oversaturated with fairy tale imagery - hormonally-charged rhapsodies of a teenage girl.” The lack of lyrical depth may have contributed to the band’s quick demise, but by this time Oldfield had nevertheless grazed the radar of the entertainment industry, making his mark as a noteworthy guitarist, despite his immaturity.

Undaunted by the apparent lack of success of his first real musical venture or perhaps buoyed by his brief exposure to fame, Oldfield instead took his experiences and directed them toward his subsequent venture; a stint in the band The Whole World. Although this gig, like his first, eventually folded too, it inspired Oldfield to begin his solo career. Even as he worked with The Whole World, he was planning what would become, in 1972, his first solo demo: Tubular Bells, which, incidentally, became the work that is now most commonly associated with Oldfield’s name.

Tubular Bells was unique in its very nature, since Oldfield himself played almost every instrument on the album himself, laying track upon track to achieve the final product. Although this technique is more common today, it was virtually unheard of in 1972. So it came as some surprise to Oldfield that, after peddling his demo for a year, the only company to take an interest in it was too broke to sign him. He took a job in 1973 playing guitar in a stage production in his despair.

It was here that that same formerly destitute music producer found Oldfield a year after their initial meeting. Perhaps it was fate: the producer, who was preparing to launch a new record label, signed Oldfield immediately (with great wonder as to why no one else had snatched him up during the previous 12 months). The rest, as they say, is history.

Oldfield’s Tubular Bells became the first release of a company whose name would later become almost synonymous with the music industry itself: Virgin Records. Incidentally, Tubular Bells is still the most successful instrumental album to date, putting both Virgin and Oldfield on the map as powerful forces in the industry.

Oldfield went on to release several more albums over the course of the next 30 plus years, and even re-released Tubular Bells in 2003. Something else that Oldfield did in those 30 years: travel. It was likely his travels about Europe and especially Spain that provided muse for many of Oldfield’s latest works.

Oldfield has admittedly always been fond of Spain’s Balearic Islands, having visited there often since the 1970’s. Oldfield actually left his native England for a period of time to live in Ibiza. Inspired by the music and party-like atmosphere of the island and its famous night clubs, he began work on his album Tubular Bells III.

But perhaps the bigger role that Ibiza played in Oldfield’s life was providing the backdrop for the introduction to his wife, Fanny, more than 20 years his junior. Despite their age difference, the couple got on well and eventually moved back to England and began a family.

Oldfield considers himself a true family man and looks forward to the birth of a second son in early 2008.

Oldfield’s wife and children seem to be his current muses. Oldfield is just as happy to stay at home with his little clan and tend to yard work as he is to be on stage performing.

Oldfield is also planning yet another major relocation; speculation is that he will return to Ibiza. Oldfield wants to raise his sons in a warmer climate and in a place that he feels will be safer for them than Britain. So what this move may do in terms of Oldfield’s future and career remains to be seen.

But Mike Oldfield fans seem pretty certain that the world has not yet heard the last of Oldfield, whose new perspective on life, thanks to his young family, may be the best source yet for his artistic inspiration, whether it be from Britain or Spain.

About The Author: By Roger Munns.

For holiday information about the Balearic Islands including Majorca visit YourMajorca.net Holiday information includes Mallorca holiday villas with today’s Majorca weather and a five day Majorca weather forecast

Knowing how to get your band on at venues is vital if you’re going to get your band heard and seriously market your music. But how do you go about getting someone to book your band when you don’t know where to start?

Here are 5 key tips that will show you how to get gigs. I’ve used them all personally as have other bands and musicians I’ve helped. All five have been repeatedly proven to succeed. They can help you become that most indispensable of musicians � - the gig-getter.

1. AGREE YOUR GOALS. Targeting yourself with the ideal number of gigs a month the band would be happy with will keep you focussed and motivated on getting venues to book your band. Agree the minimum price you’ll charge venues. Consider building a track record by offering “Trial Price” first gigs on the understanding they will be revised (upwards) for further bookings.

2. UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU OFFER. Find out about your local competition. Research other band’s websites. Go and watch these bands and see how they differ from you. Ask friends for an honest appraisal of your best and worst aspects.

Force yourself to answer the question:

“What’s different/unique about our band?”

3. DON’T CREATE A DEMO OF COMPLETE SONGS. Make a 5 minute medley of snatches of numbers which best showcase all your strengths. The demo should sell itself even before it’s been listened to. Include some statement about the covers you play or your genre, a picture of the band, your phone numbers/email address and any testimonials on the CD itself.

4. DRAW UP A LARGE LIST OF TARGET VENUES. The more venues you approach about gigs, the less important each one will seem and so the less stress you’ll feel when you talk to any one in particular. Getting venues to book your band is a numbers game and the more targets you have the more bull’s eyes you’ll hit.

5. SET A TARGET NUMBER OF VENUES TO CALL EACH WEEK. Before and during the phone call Concentrate on what you can do for the venue - not what it can do for you. Keep your focus on how having your band on could encourage people to go to their venue and boost their takings.

The more you practise marketing your band to venues, the more gigs you’ll get and the more you’ll get your band heard. It may take you “Thanks but no thanks” before you get a booking.  But with determination you’ll soon have all the work you can handle as well as a growing reputation as an indispensable gig-getting musician.

About The Author:  Gareth Bird is an active semi-pro musician who gigs regularly at venues like the Hard Rock Cafe and writes for the music press about getting gigs. He has his own Sales & Marketing business advising a number of leading European companies and is the author of “Gig-Getter: How to get more gigs than you can play”. © http://www.gig-getter.co.uk.

A whole new style of composing music and writing lyrics has arrived in the form of digital songwriting. By using hi tech home studio equipment and software, you can now record your music and lyrics at the same time as you actually write your songs.

In the Sixties and Seventies, the most any young songwriter could have hoped for, would have been a 10/50/50 song deal with a music publisher - any music publisher. Whether or not the songs would have been published was another matter. At that time, the ratio of works accepted but not actually published, may have been less than eight in every hundred. In reality, most songs acquired by publishers were left on the shelf to gather dust. If any were eventually published, mainly because an artist had covered (recorded) his work, it would have made the average songwriter feel like he’d won a week in heaven - especially if they had printed his music.

If you could go back in a time machine and reveal to mister Sixties songwriter/producer that today he could not only record, arrange and mix his own songs on a virtual home studio, he could also publish, release, distribute and, with the aid of midi, print off the sheet music (in several keys) all on the same day - he would probably have had a heart attack!

So what is this thing called digital music and why did it have such an impact on the music industry? Believe it or not digital was first introduced as a kind of “upgrade” to its older cousin ‘ analog. Actually, there are still some recording artists and producers today who prefer analog claiming there’s a quality or originality to it that cannot be “captured” or reproduced using digital. Recordings in the Sixties, for example, are famous for having a distinctive analog sound of their own. Perhaps so - but most today, I would argue, prefer digital, not just for recording, but also for the advantages in transmitting, distributing, storing, retrieving, and even reconfiguring electronically.

You may get a better idea of digital if you compare it directly to analog. Think of analog as a speedometer on a car. The speed you’re traveling is revealed by the arrow moving round the dial. Digital, on the other hand, can only function by using zeroes and ones (0 or 1) and may be restricted in reading the values to a tenth in between numbers. One of the many difficulties which have now been overcome ‘ is in changing digital to analog and vice versa. Interestingly, a compact disc functions by using both analog and digital. The audio sound exists initially in analog. Then, the disc is encoded digitally. In reading the disc, the player converts the audio back to analog when the sound comes out of the speakers.

By recording and composing music at the same time, the digital songwriter has neatly bypassed many of the obstacles faced by his predecessors including the prospect of publishing his own works on his web site. By adapting to new technology - he’s also realized another great prospect: in recording the music he will also own the copyright in the masters (embodied performance). In doing so, he starts to cross into the producer/artist realm. Some may see this as an opportunity of reopening former days as an artist - and or promoting the name and product (new recordings) of a previous time. Whatever your reasons - if you’re approaching digital music as a performer/writer with a view to self publishing, there remains two extremely important questions: Is the product commercial? How do I market it? Both points are as relevant today as they have always been.

Knowing what is Commercial is something anyone can achieve with great accuracy through simple, regular research - and yes, using your instincts. Check your niche of the market and see what and who is selling. In making judgments on what is commercial, you need to trust your instincts, too. It’s not just what or who is selling the most, or in great numbers in a particular genre, it’s also about what or who is going to be selling the most, or in great numbers in the next six, twelve and twenty four month periods from now.

Marketing your product is something you can also learn as skillfully as creating commercial songs. Remember also, it’s not just a case of what is selling well in your own country (important as this is). You need to be thinking on an international level if you want to expand your selling rate significantly. The first thing, after publishing your product, is to start promoting your web site using lots of good solid links from other sites. Design the pages with one thought in mind: collect email addresses to build a sustained opt in fan base. Go all out to make your website appealing and well above the average looking site. Have regular up to date articles, photos and data about you or your band with information on forthcoming gigs. Respond quickly and enthusiastically to people emailing you with any questions. The more interest you create the stronger your fan base. Anyone who is serious about this can use auto responders.

I have lots of friends who love to write and produce product - especially other artists. This means they can publish lots of different artists. If this is the area that interests you be sure to have an updated digital agreement to cover non-exclusive master rights. Once you decide to start, aim to build two main catalogs, one for publishing, and one for record licensing then watch your catalogs, profits and success rate grow.

About The Author:  Dennis Sinnott is a music consultant in the entertainment industry. He was formerly Head Of Copyright at EMI Music in London. In 1983 he formed Christel Music Ltd and in 2007 MusicEnquiries.com to provide a music consultancy service for songwriters, artists, publishers, managers and record companies. In 1995 he published - THE INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITER, and in 2006 - SEVEN KEYS TO STARDOM dennis@musicenquiries.com http://www.MusicEnquiries.com

The larger reel-to-reel recorders are still employed by professional sound specialists, although the basic cassette recorder is probably the cheapest form of analogue recorder which is readily available. The quality of these reel to reel machines can seldom be duplicated by the smaller recorders and their cassette tapes.

A multitude of different media’s still utilise analogue recording, which is the oldest standard in audio recording based terms. Analogue style reel-to-reel recorders are still in mainstream use these days and are still considered by some as the preferred equipment for sound recordings.

The advantages of reel to reel tape recording systems are generally the far better quality recordings and the fact that the tapes can be easily edited. However, because of economic reasons the cassette recorder is by far a more common analogue recording system than the more expensive, heavier and bulkier reel-to-reel recorders.

Although digital reel to reel recorders are more the norm now analogue reel to reel recorders are still used for master studio recording They are the clear choice of professional recordists since the quality of these machines can seldom be duplicated by the smaller recorders and their cassette tapes.

Reel reel tape recorders are capable of recording sonically challenging sounds that most cassette recorders cannot record accurately and the tape transport mechanisms of these machines, which are also known as open-reel recorders, are virtually immune to humidity-related problems. They have wider tape width and faster linear tape speeds than cassette recorders; they offer the widest frequency bandwidth, greatest fidelity, and best signal-to-noise ratios of any analogue recorder.

Whereas digital recordings can become unusable in any number of ways, not least where the hardware and software they are based on becomes obsolete, analogue reel-to-reel recorders offer proven reliability to researchers and recordists even under the harshest conditions.

Although they are getting a little hard to find and can be rather expensive in some cases, analogue reel to reel recorders are still available today and issues regarding maintenance or repair should not be a major concern as tapes, parts and components are still available.

Many recording artists, even today, prefer the natural, warm sound of reel to reel player recorders and many rock and blues artists find the unique form of distortion, caused by tape saturation, very pleasing. The illusion of a fuller sound, which is a more natural effect to the human ear, is created by the harmonic distortion, which causes the high end to become slightly depressed and the bass to thicken up. It is not uncommon for artists to re-record digital tracks to analogue reels.

Reel to reel tape recorders are still a popular way to record and listen to music sound tracks and it is still possible to acquire models that have been manufactured by Akai, Pioneer, Ampex, Revox, Sony, Teac, Toshiba and many others.

About The Author:  By John Phillips. More information about Reel to Reel Tape Recorders can be found at http://www.reel-2-reel.com a popular website dedicated to Analogue Reel to Reel Tape Recorders are.

Repetitive Strain Injury - RSI Repetitive strain injury is a condition where pain and other symptoms occur in an area of the body which has done repetitive tasks (often arms or hands). Treatment includes stopping the task (if possible), and other measures such as painkillers and physiotherapy.

NB.  Repetitive strain injury is very common amongst musicians.

What is repetitive strain injury?

The term repetitive strain injury (RSI) is used to describe a range of painful conditions of the muscles, tendons and other soft tissues. It is mainly caused by repetitive use of part of the body. It is usually related to a job or occupation, but leisure activities can also be a cause. Unlike a ‘normal’ strain following a sudden injury, symptoms of RSI can persist well beyond the time it would take symptoms of a ‘normal’ strain to ease.

What causes repetitive strain injury?

The main cause is frequent and repetitive movements of a part of the body. For example, typing, using a computer mouse a lot, etc. Other factors may contribute such as poor posture while doing the movement, using excessive force while doing the movement, and not having enough breaks from the task.

However, the precise reason why RSI develops is not clear. In many cases there is no swelling, inflammation or other obvious problems which develop in the muscles or tendons, and yet symptoms develop. Also, it is not clear why some people develop RSI and not others who do the same repetitive tasks.

Which areas of the body are affected with RSI?

Symptoms depend on what the repetitive actions are. In most cases the symptoms develop in an arm, wrist or hand as these parts of the body most commonly do repetitive tasks. Perhaps the most famous RSI condition is ‘writers cramp’. In recent years it is computer operators, typists, musicians and people doing repetitive tasks in factories who most commonly develop RSI. People who do a lot of DIY around the house may develop RSI, or people who do certain sports which involve repetitive movements.

What are the symptoms of repetitive strain injury?

Symptoms can include: pain, tightness, dull ache, throbbing, numbness, or tingling in the affected area. The symptoms tend to develop gradually. At first the symptoms may only occur while you do the repetitive task and ease off when you rest. In time the symptoms can be present all the time, but tend to be made worse by doing the repetitive task. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Some people divide RSI into two main categories - Type 1 RSI and Type 2 RSI.

* Type 1 RSI includes well defined syndromes such as carpal tunnel syndrome (pain and compression in the wrist), tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon), tenosynovitis (inflammation of a tendon sheath), frozen shoulder, etc. These conditions may be due to, or be made worse by, repetitive tasks. However, these syndromes are also common in people who have not done repetitive tasks. These syndromes may have other symptoms such as swelling, inflammation, nerve compression problems, etc. * Type 2 RSI is where symptoms do not fit into a well defined syndrome. Also, there are no ‘objective’ or ‘measurable’ signs such as inflammation, swelling or problems with nerve function. It is sometimes called ‘diffuse RSI’ or ‘non-specific pain syndrome’.

How is repetitive strain injury diagnosed?

There is no test or objective way that can confirm the diagnosis of RSI. This is where difficulties may arise. Pains in the areas affected by RSI are common and can be due to various causes. Often the diagnosis is made on the basis that the condition developed only following a repetitive task, and is relieved or partially relieved by rest from that task. If you develop a ‘well defined’ condition such as carpal tunnel syndrome, frozen shoulder, tendonitis, etc, it may or may not be related to repetitive tasks.

What is the treatment for repetitive strain injury?

See your doctor as soon as you feel that a problem may be due to RSI. It is thought that the earlier the problem is recognized and dealt with, the better the outcome. A doctor may advise various things which may include the following.

* If at all possible, stop doing the tasks or activities which seem to be causing the symptoms. This may be easier said than done if you job or livelihood depends on the task. If possible or relevant, discuss the problem with your employer or personal department as a change of task or work environment may be possible. Sometimes a change of job is the only answer. * A course of anti-inflammatory painkillers. * A referral to a physiotherapist who can give advise of posture and how to strengthen the muscles involved. * Some people find treatments such as yoga, relaxation techniques, regular general exercise (such as swimming) to be useful in easing the symptoms. * An injection of steroid may be considered into an area which has definite inflammation such as a tenosynovitis, or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Symptoms often ease with the above measures. It is then wise to review your work or other activities to prevent further bouts of RSI. For example:

* If you work with a computer, is your seat, keyboard, mouse, etc, positioned in the correct way with the least strain likely on your hands and fingers. * Do you sit with a good posture if you have a desk job. * If you do a repetitive task at work, do you get enough breaks. * Is there anything your employer could do to improve your working environment?

What is the outlook (prognosis)?

In many cases the symptoms ease and go if measures are taken to stop or reduce the repetitive task as soon as the symptoms start to develop. However, despite rest and treatment some people develop symptoms that persist long-term which can be debilitating.

About The Author: Aileen Norgell, MD is a Board Certified primary care physician , practicing in Orlando, Florida

Now that we feel relatively comfortable playing left handed and holding the guitar and we can make the major chords, A, B, C, D, E, F and G with the right hand, what about the left hand? How do I hold the pick? What type of strumming method do I use?

There is no particular technique and I have never seen an instructional guide for what is right and wrong for this unorthodox way of playing the guitar. I can only tell you the way that I do it and how I developed the technique that I use.

“Flat Picking” is a term used to play single notes combined with chords for a lead acoustic guitar part. If you want to hear examples of “Flat Picking” then listen to any song by Doc Watson or Tony Rice.

As far as picking the lead is concerned, there is no difference in the way that you hold the pick and the way that a right handed player holds the pick. Between the thumb and forefinger. Problems may occur as the palm of your left hand tend to muffle the strings.

To avoid this, position your left hand with the wrist pointing away from the strings. In other words you may have to bend your wrist the way you do when you write left handed. You may come up with your own method but that is how I do it.

Another problem may be in the method that you learn the lead part. I have learned by three methods.

Tabulature, being taught one on one by someone else, and figuring it out on my own. Tabulature is a good tool for learning scales and exercises. You just have to interpolate what you are reading because again it is written with the right handed player in mind. Left handed tabulature is available but not useful because you are not really playing left handed in the context that it is written. Believe me, it’s not as hard as it sounds. The easiest way to learn a lead part is to have someone teach you one on one sitting across from you.

“Finger Picking” is when you play multiple strings set to a rhythm that gives the melody a fullness much like a piano where you separate melody and bass notes. Classical guitar music would be a good example. I hold the pick between the thumb and index finger and pick out the bass notes simultaneously with my middle finger. This method works well for me since I have tried everything else to no avail. I even tried the three finger “Scruggs” banjo style but it just sounded like a banjo roll.

“Strumming” rhythm may be a challenge at first because you will have to concentrate on picking using an up stroke instead of a down stroke as a right handed player does. Just remember that when you play a strum you will normally start on the low E string and strum up to the high E.

About The Author: Ben Willis is a singer/songwriter/guitar player. If you have any suggestions for future articles on playing right handed guitar left handed please e-mail me at bwillis@benwillismusic.com or visit my web site at http://benwillismusic.com

How a cheap guitar can hinder your progress.

A common problem with cheaper guitars, especially steel string acoustic guitars, is that the strings are set way too high above the neck, making it very difficult to press the chords.

What a beginner guitarist may not realize, is just how much easier the task of training your fingers to play the guitar is on a slightly more expensive guitar that’s been worked on by a luthier. The luthier doesn’t need to build the guitar, he just has to do a few minor things to it so that it plays nicely. The most important of these is to level and crown the frets.

On an acoustic guitar I would take this one step further and have him lower the bridge as well. Acoustic guitars are notorious for having high bridges which make them more of a strain on the hand when pressing chords and notes. I have played some acoustic guitars that where very well set up, but these have been few and far between.

The advantages of learning to play on an electric guitar become glaringly obvious to anyone who’s tried to learn on a cheap acoustic guitar. Even a relatively cheap electric guitar, somewhere between 100 and 200 dollars, easily outperforms similarly priced acoustic steel stringed guitars.

One of the dangers of learning to play on a guitar that requires such extreme finger pressure, is developing what’s known as the death grip. This is a bad habit, in fact it’s more of a conditioning, that causes the guitarist to clench the guitar neck so tightly and apply too much pressure when fretting notes, that the ability to develop any meaningful degree of speed and dexterity on the guitar is seriously hampered.

Sometimes it can be so bad that they pull the guitar strings out of tune. I have a friend who suffers from this condition, and try as I may to get him to lighten his grip on the guitar when playing, he seems unable to do it.

How to deal with guitarists death grip.

There’s no easy away around this, except to spend some time every day practicing to lighten your grip, and also see to it that the action on your guitar is as low is it can be. If you can’t get it any lower, then think about taking it to a guitar builder or repairman and ask them to do what they can.

About The Author: Andrew Webber is a professional guitarist with over 30 years experience. If you’re looking to find the right guitar lessons, that won’t have you fighting the fretboard, visit his best guitar lessons page.

Buying a new musical instrument can cost much more than what your budget permits. So, especially for those who are beginning to learn the instrument, it is a good idea to try out the second hand music gear. These second hand music gear are available in various local music shops. It is also available on the various music websites and as well as classified websites. Another way of searching for a good second hand music gear is the classified advertisements of the daily newspapers. Classified websites offer innumerable choices of products. For example, if someone is looking for a guitar he can have ample choices to select from. These sites offer clear norms or rules, which are easy for both the buyers and the sellers.

There are some auction sites also where one can bid for his selected instrument. Auction sites have become very popular these days, as buyers can get their desired instrument at a very low price. But one has to abide the cyber laws, which have been implemented (to lower cyber crimes) for purchasing any instrument. There are also some facilities, given to the buyers by these sites, which make buying all the more fun. Some of these rules are:

No advertisements or external hassle. Genuine personal supervision, service, and advice. Proper previous and after sales service. The ability often to combine shipments, and help with collections and deliveries for cheap and safe shipping. No sale, no fee. The banning of hidden reserve prices; if a person bid, he will get the item if no one is there to beat him.

Drawbacks: Buying second hand music gear can save money, but there are pitfalls for the unwary. It is all too easy to buy a bargained thing, then find it will cost more to fix than the price of a good one. With older models, external components are probably not available. These include keys, buttons, knobs and case parts. In general it is wise only to consider purchase, if the instrument is complete and in reasonable cosmetic condition. Even instruments using standard parts are not immune to this obsolescence.

Over the years the patterns, dimensions and general design of many components change. Others are ceased to be made when sales drop below economic margin. Previously many digital instruments used devices called ULAs. These were a cross between a high volume produced standard gate array and a custom part. A standard matrix of gates was made in large numbers, but the mask printed interconnections, essential to form a working logic system were omitted. The device was thus not committed to serve any particular purpose.

Conclusion: Buying a second hand music gear to begin learning an instrument is a good option. Good instruments are available at local music shops, where one can verify the condition of the instrument, bargain directly with the seller and then buy the thing. Sometimes one can also avoid paying shipping charges when buying from a local shop. Online purchases offer innumerable options of selecting the right instrument for oneself. One can bargain and bid for his favorite instruments too.

About The Author: Victor Epand is an expert consultant for music gear, speakers, and microphones. You can find the best marketplace for music gear, speakers, and microphones at these 3 sites: music gear, music equipment, second hand music gear, speakers, and

This book is a sort of amusing guide to one man’s journey to learn and learn about the instrument which is central to most popular music – the guitar. On his way to eventually performing a rather nervous gig to over 200 people, mostly friends and family, and suffering the insults and objections of his wife and kids about his “obsession”, the author meets a number of guitar “heroes”, including Bert Jansch, Johnny Marr, Davey Graham, Roger McGuinn and T. Model Ford.

He comes to realise his own talent is rather limited, particularly after a few of the pros give him some feedback on his various attempts at making music. Nevertheless, some of his experiences and the information he gains from other musicians is highly informative and would be of interest to the guitar player in us all.