education

A teacher since the age of 16, Mark has developed an individual style of instruction influenced and informed by both his extensive experience as a tutor and also his observation of the teaching methods of many of the world’s most respected jazz educators and performers with whom he has been fortunate to study.

A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Boston and soon to qualify with a PhD in Jazz Performance, Mark has taught at university level both as a private instructor and a group lecturer and is available for private lessons (either one off or weekly/monthly as required), workshops and masterclasses in ALL INSTRUMENTS (not just guitar).  Mark is open to requests for private lessons and clinics whilst on tour (time permitting) and also lessons via Skype.

To make an enquiry concerning any of these please click here.

Topics covered can include:

  • technical approaches to guitar performance

Targeting areas of technical weakness with specifically designed exercises. Personal technical assessment of each student resulting in an individually tailored, step by step practice method guaranteed to increase technical facility, rhythmic control, quality of sound and overall instrumental ability.

  • jazz harmony

Explanation of jazz harmony (chords, chord progressions, scales, modes, etc). All explained in theory but crucially also applied to performance on the student’s instrument.

  • improvisation

Explanation not only of the scales, modes and arpeggios possible for each chord/chord sequence but also how to apply these to your instrument and develop the ability to improvise confidently in real time. For more advanced students, further development of improvisational abilities with studies of advanced vocabulary, odd time signature improvisation, harmonic superimposition, odd groupings etc

  • ear training

Practical methods to improve the student’s ability to readily play on their instrument music they hear in their head or played by other musicians.

  • sight reading

A structured method for the development of reading ability, melodic, rhythmic and harmonic.

  • composition

How to add interest to your writing using “techniques” as a catalyst for organic composition.

  • solo jazz guitar/advanced harmonic approaches for any instrument

Step by step explanation of how to turn even a simple jazz standard into an extended solo arrangement/improvisation with the use of chord substitution and reharmonisation. Techniques for finding and applying new and colourful chord voicings, again applicable to instruments other than the guitar and general arranging for horns/big band.

  • transcription

How to transcribe solos effectively, achieving the same feel, phrasing and articulation as on the recording.