Find out more about our guitar teacher, Rowan.

I started in 1999 when I was 15. The first guitar I had was a black Squier Stratocaster. I grew up listening to my dad’s record collection, I distinctly remember The Who, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, all the good stuff. But it wasn’t until much later that I was at a friend’s house and he was letting everyone play his guitar, until it came to my turn and he’d had enough, so he put it away. It annoyed me so much I bought it off him soon after, and that got me started.

I had an unsuccessful attempt at teaching myself, but then a friend that played showed me how to play a couple of songs. Eventually, I had private lessons with local legend Ben Fleetcroft before studying at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in Guildford and then at the London College of Music. The first song I learnt was Come As You Are by Nirvana.

My first gig was with a rock covers band playing a house party of a friend when I was 19, it all got slightly out of hand. I was in a band that played drag racing/muscle car events at various tracks around the country, loud cars and loud guitars.

My favourite gig would have to be Prince at the o2 Arena in London in 2007. I usually prefer small gigs though, The Boileroom and The Star in Guildford have great bands, as does the nearby Three Lions pub.