Guitar Lessons ... (under construction)
Guitar Information... (coming soon)
'Foote's Fabulous Finger-Picking Fundamentals For Folk Guitar'
(Nigel Foote's Guitar Course)
Nigel Foote has taught guitar in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia since 1983 and brings a wealth of experience to his students, having given over 10,000 guitar lessons to date. (Yes he counted them!).
Nigel has taught for The Mitchell Conservatorium of Music in Bathurst, Forbes and the Blue Mountains, plus All Saints College and the Blue Mountains Grammar School. However, the vast majority of his lessons have been given privately at home in a family environment.
Nigel Foote's Guitar Course will enable students, far and wide, to learn how to play the traditional and contemporary folk-blues guitar styles used by artists such as: Paul Simon, Kate Wolf, Don Mc Lean, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Eric Bibb, Chris Smither, Harry Manx, Leo Kotke, Rick Ruskin, Ralph McTell, Dave Van Ronk, Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, Blind Blake, Elizabeth Cotten, Doc Watson, John Williamson, Troy Cassar-Daley, The Dixie Chicks, Lindsay Buckingham, Keb Mo, and Josh Cunningham, ... the list could go on and on!
These guitar styles enable students to develop a beautiful finger-picking technique learned through a graded series of original and traditional tunes that are not hard to master, provided that the basic techniques have been thoroughly learned and a little practice is done each day. (Therein lies the secret).
Nigel Foote's Guitar Course is structured on building a really strong foundation in finger-picking technique, empowering the student to develop into a fine player as the years roll by. Whether you're an absolute beginner or a professional player of other styles who wants to get into finger-picking, you will find the course simple to follow, fun and inspiring!
"Many song-books and guitar courses that I have seen assume that the student has already mastered the basic techniques, leading to much frustration and a sense of inadequacy on the part of the student, who simply doesn't realize that he or she is not sufficiently armed with the basic techniques that are required to play the songs.
The publishers of these books, who are perhaps blissfully unaware of this fact, would do their customers a great service by including a more in-depth preparatory chapter dealing with the techniques required to play the songs. The groundwork must be done! The soil must be tilled for the seeds to take root."
Nigel Foote's Guitar Course will be of benefit for absolute beginners, the intermediate player , right through to the professional performer, including advice on buying and caring for your instrument, practice routines, developing touch and dynamics in your playing, guitar on stage, and just loving the world of guitar... it's a great place to live!
Besides being a fine guitar player and a respected guitar teacher, Nigel Foote is also an award-winning singer/songwriter, and has included a bonus chapter on songwriting.
'Foote's Fabulous Finger-Picking Fundamentals For Folk Guitar', will serve as an honest companion for anyone wishing to embark on the singer/songwriter journey.
"Good luck / Do a little each day / Be patient / Do a little each day / Listen closely / Do a little each day / Enjoy the journey / Sing to your children "
... Nigel Foote
Guitar Lessons... under construction
Guitar Information... coming soon
"Although there are many fine luthiers around the world, it is generally accepted that the guitars that C.F. Martin & Co produce in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, USA set the standard by which all other steel-string guitars are measured, and is the reason why so many of the worlds top artists choose to play their instruments.
The fact that the same family have been making guitars in America since 1833, and have withstood the competition of mass production, is just one remarkable part of a romantic story which moved me so much that I tried to capture the essence of the family's history in my song, "The Ballad Of CF Martin". (From my album, Home By Dark).
The superb guitars pictured below are all Martins. The models from left to right are:
Top row: a traditional OOO-28VS, an exquisite OOO-40S Mark Knopffler Signature Model.
2nd row: a glowing OO-18H Geoff Muldaur Signature Model, and another beautiful play of light and dark in the magnificent CEO-4R.
3rd row: the HD12-35SJC twelve-string Judy Collins Signature Model that accompanied her stunning voice, followed by the OOO-28ECB Eric Clapton Signature Model.
4th row: for a very lucky child, the sweet little Size 5 Mini Martin and lastly, the mighty CSN Gerry Tolman Tribute Model. This guitar is dedicated to the man who gently guided the careers of Crosby, Stills & Nash through some rough times... the band whose success in the seventies helped C F Martin & Co through a lean time of it's own."
Teach your children well...
Peace and Best Wishes
Nigel Foote
Photographs of the guitars displayed on this site are used with the permission of the Martin Guitar Company