Ross Merrin : Guitar and Bass Teacher About Me: I'm a guitar and bass guitar teacher based in Muswell Hill, North London. I started playing guitar over twenty years ago, initially having a formal classical training for several years. Since then I have played guitar or bass in a variety of bands, recording and gigging in the UK and occasionally overseas as far afield as Singapore. The live work has covered most styles of music from rock through to jazz. More recently I have focused on studio work, recording and songwriting using my home-based digital multi-tracker.     My Philosophy:           Everyone plays for a different reason, whether it’s to sing songs around the campfire, stand in the spotlight on stage at Madison Square Garden or put music to the lyrics they write. Similarly, everyone will learn to play guitar or bass guitar in a different way and this is crucial to my approach. I always tailor my teaching to suit the individual student with a clear focus on their targets, whether it’s starting from scratch or improving on what they can already do (several of my students are now performing and song-writing and two have been accepted into the Royal Academy of Music).     I can teach a variety of styles, all backed up by the solid technical skills I have from classical training, including reading and writing music. I can also show you how to develop your songwriting skills. For learning guitar I recommend starting with classical but will not be in any way insistent. The best style, after all, is the one that keeps you playing. I will never crowd you, my job is to make you as good or as unique a player as you can be, not ‘as good as’ or ‘like’ me. If you end up better than me that’s more than okay as far as I’m concerned. If I teach you well, then even 10 years from now you will have the right technical, musical and improvisational skills to teach yourself more things. Playing guitar and bass guitar isn’t easy - and it’s just too cool to be given out for free -but I can make it as easy as possible with short-cuts and tips.   Ross Merrin , guitar and bass guitar teacher, Songwriting lessons, North London