Introduction

Hi, I'm Stuart Ryan, and I'm a guitarist and composer from the UK. I'm here to take you through pieces in the blues and rock genres, all the way from debut to grade eight.

My Background

• I've been playing guitar for nearly 30 years now.
• I've been working as a professional guitarist for the last 15 years.

Roles in Music

In my working life as a guitar player, I:

• Work as a studio musician
• Perform as a concert guitarist
• Compose music

For the last 15 years or so, I have been writing acoustic guitar columns for:

• Guitar Techniques
• Guitarist magazines
• Acoustic Magazine
• Acoustic Guitar in Germany
• Many others across the world!

Composer and Clinician

I also work as a composer for TV, writing music for various programs and music libraries. Additionally, I'm very active as a clinician for the Takamine Guitar Company, traveling around to play their guitars and hold performance clinics.

Teaching

I teach at the Bristol Institute of Modern Music (known as BIM), and teaching is a passion of mine, something I've been doing for a long time.

Significance of the Rock School Syllabus

Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that I recorded many of the guitar parts on the original Rock School syllabus all those years ago. For me, it's a real pleasure to get reacquainted with these pieces and to be able to break down the guitar parts to show you and help you in detail about how they all work.

What to Expect

In this lesson, we'll be focusing on:

• Important stylistic elements
• Using the picking hand
• Using the fretting hand

We will also dive deeply into:

• How to improvise over these pieces
• Approaching the solos
• The kinds of scales and techniques that will help you prepare for each of the exams

Get Started

So, get your guitar, get tuned up, and let's have some fun with these pieces!