PAUL SAYS...

The biggest challenge for me in this first lesson was the placement of my hands and fingers to achieve the best possible reach and flexibility. It is clearly very important to get this aspect right from the start. Two things were particularly encouraging. Firstly, even a small amount of practice builds understanding and confidence. Secondly, reading tab is simple enough to make sense even to a beginner with no previous experience of reading music. There is a degree of embarrassment to overcome as Jenna watches me fumbling for the right strings and frets, but after a few attempts at two classic rock riffs – Black Sabbath’s Iron Man and Free’s Wishing Well – I am now the third best guitarist in my family, behind my wife and my ten year-old son, who is taking lessons and has already mastered the riff to Smoke On The Water.