David Truelove

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David has taught me guitar for over six years now and no matter what is going on in the world, lessons are ALWAYS fun! I'd had some piano lessons in the 1970s as a young child and enjoyed music and dance but (like most people) career and general life took over for the next 30 years. That was my only real background in music until I started learning guitar in my late 40s with David. He is always encouraging and inventive with techniques to develop physical and mental skills and deepen my own understanding. For nearly a year of our lesson time, a frozen shoulder prevented me from even holding a guitar properly for more than a couple of minutes at once so he suggested we look at applying my developing knowledge of music theory to composing my own guitar solos and making arrangements from film scores designed for orchestras, rock songs with just lyrics and chords into written music for classical solo and duets and written arrangements for acoustic bands. He also mentors my ongoing links with a community band which now performs regularly at venues around the county. This really kept me motivated to keep learning and maintained my enthusiasm despite my physical challenges David doesn't just talk a good game, he really knows about music; I'm always full of questions every week and he supplies answers whilst also linking in to relevant songs or band repertoire to demonstrate why music works the way it does. Since starting lessons with David I chose to take my first ever music performance exam and he coached me to pass ABRSM grade 5 on classical guitar (at the age of 49) and ABRSM grades 3,4 and 5 theory (all with distinction). He really does have a thorough knowledge of music and how to apply that knowledge to guitar playing and composition in a range of styles the student will enjoy. David's tuition and guidance has carried me from tentative first chords and basic scales on guitar to re-learning how to read music, introduction to tablature and now writing and performing my own arrangements with confidence. For an older adult student of moderate ability like me, that whole world of music could have remained just a vague notion entirely out of my reach but David's patient encouragement week - on - week has shown that with perseverance and the right tutor, skills do continue to grow and musical ambition can become reality.