Brighton Guitar Studio – Guitar Lessons near Brighton Station | Pro Guitarist, Songwriter & Music Masters Graduate

Find out more about Dominic

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

  I started playing guitar at six, beginning with fingerpicking on acoustic. I’d already been learning classical piano since I was very young, and later I played clarinet in an orchestra through my early teens, so I grew up thinking about harmony and ensemble as well as guitar.
  
  Around twelve I found a brilliant teacher who expanded my musical understanding and introduced me to Spanish and classical repertoire. At home, my dad was always playing Leonard Cohen and jazz, which shaped my ear early on.
  
  As a teenager I started writing my own songs, and that’s when I realised how powerful the guitar is as a compositional tool.
  
  What I love about guitar is that you can combine melody, harmony and rhythm in one instrument. You can start simply and go as deep as you like.

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

  I listen to a lot of different types of music, and often very happily on a loop!
  
  The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground were really foundational and formative for me. I love David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, and Miles Davis for how they shaped sound and reinvention. I love the songs of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell.
  
  Punk and post-punk are big influences too — Television, Buzzcocks, Wire, The Damned. Blues artists like Son House and Howlin’ Wolf, 50s rock ’n’ roll, Kate Bush… Also experimental and textural music — My Bloody Valentine, Broadcast, Can, Neu!, Suicide, Weyes Blood.
  
  On the acoustic side, players like John Fahey, Bert Jansch and more recent artists such as Gwenifer Raymond really resonate with me. I also love classical guitar repertoire, including Tárrega.

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

  One of the most rewarding journeys I guide students through is moving from playing songs to writing and recording their own music.
  
  That can involve developing technique, understanding harmony, improving improvisation, and learning how to build and record a full track in Logic.
  
  I help students take an idea — maybe just a riff — and we turn it into something complete together.

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

  Any instrument becomes complex the deeper you go.
  
  Violin is demanding early on because tone is unforgiving. Flute is hard to even get a sound out of at first!
  
  The real challenge is translating what you hear in your head into clean execution. Guitar is brilliant because it’s accessible at first, but harmonically and sonically vast if you continue to pursue it.

• What are your keys to success?

  Consistency over intensity.
  
  Playing for twenty minutes each day beats occasional long sessions. Clear structure makes progress measurable.
  
  I also emphasise listening and musical understanding alongside technique.
  
  And above all, lessons should feel motivating. Music should challenge you — but it should always remain joyful.

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

  Kevin Shields — for redefining what guitar could do.
  
  Joni Mitchell — for her songwriting depth and harmonic imagination.
  
  Miles Davis — for constant evolution and reinvention.

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

  When I recorded my first album with my previous band, we worked with producer Dan Carey in his recording studio, filled with analogue gear — tape machines, unusual sound processors, great amps and synths.
  
  There’s no control room, so everyone records together in one space. We filled the studio with smoke and lasers and tracked live to tape over four days. No endless editing. If it wasn’t right, you played it again.
  
  It taught me the value of preparation, commitment and capturing real performance energy — lessons I carry into both recording and teaching.

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

  I write personalised lesson notes after every session so students remember the details and know exactly what to practise.
  
  Lessons are structured but flexible. I adapt to the individual — whether that’s first chords, advanced harmony, improvisation, classical repertoire, songwriting or production.
  
  The goal is always clarity, enjoyment, steady progress and engagement with music.