Learn to play your favourite songs from a former London Eye busker with 20 years+ musical experience!

Find out more about Artie

• 1) When did you first develop a passion for music and your favourite instrument?

  I've always been around music. My Mum used to have a big collection of CDs we would listen to while driving to orchestra practice on a Saturday morning. The absolute first song I remember hearing was 'Boys Don't Cry' by The Cure, which I inherited on cassette tape. I started teaching myself guitar (alongside my Cello lessons) after seeing the film, 'Once' - which is now a musical. I was inspired to go busking as a teenager and learnt as many songs to sing along to as I could fit in my brain!
  
  My favourite instrument... Guitar is obviously high up on the list. Maybe seeing Bill Bailey playing the theremin? I enjoyed picking up the bağlama on a recent theatre job, too.

• 2) Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  I always go back to Tycho's album 'Dive' which I discovered when studying Theatre and Performance at the University of Bristol. I could listen to anything by Dylan, or John Martyn on repeat.

• 3) Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  I've had some students aspire to play at open mic nights, but find the idea very scary! Perhaps a course focused on getting you ready to play 3 songs at your local open mic - maybe an original song I'd helped you write, too.

• 4) What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  The most complicated instrument I've been teaching myself is probably the Banjo. The tuning is similar to Open G on guitar, which can be lovely and straightforward, but the fingerstyle patterns are almost opposite to the guitar, so it's a real challenge sometimes!

• 5) What are your keys to success?

  Success is so subjective! There's that cliché phrase that goes something like, "failure is not failing, only not trying is failure." In our first lessons, I ask my students to create goals for their learning journey, so we can tailor lessons to their own objectives, and assess how we're doing at the end of every lesson. Practice is essential too, but you'll only practice if you are playing something you enjoy. So work out a song that you think would be fun, and work your way up from there.

• 6) Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  Again - Bob Dylan. I have no idea what I would ask him, but I'd want to meet him.
  
  My partner - she's an awesome singer and Cellist and aside from having a good time, we could share the taxi fare back home.
  
  Neil Diamond - just to tease him about his song and sing to him, "Sweet Carolinnnneee - Do Do Do"...

• 7) Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  As a child I used to walk past a busker whenever I was in the nearby city where I grew up. He was probably the first street performer I had ever seen. Years later, I had my guitar on me and I walked past. I can't remember if I was invited or asked, but we ended up playing All Along The Watchtower together and I found all these new ways of playing it in the live moment. I've since made a vow (which I mostly keep to) of never turning down a jam with another musician. It can be a bit sketchy at first, but you never know how it will affect your playing, and what kind of experience you will have.

• 8) What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I taught myself guitar, so I know how frustrating it can be to learn a new instrument, and bring this experience into my lessons. I see it as my job to help you follow your own musical curiosity and play independently outside of the teaching environment.
  
  One of my students said I had "a lot of soul". I'm empathetic and an open person - I hope that this helps create a warm space for learning!
  
  My experience as a performer means I am good at responding to the live moment. So if there's a technique or bit of theory that comes to mind while we're in a lesson, I have the ability to help you beyond the original lesson plan.