A Musician’s Journey through Songs, Stories & Life
I’m a guitarist, singer-songwriter, and travel writer with over 30 years of experience across performance, production, and storytelling.
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Guitar lessons, gear reviews, songwriting tips, and behind-the-scenes music stories.
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Lessons, tone, gear reviews, playing insight
✍️ Songwriting & Music Production
Creative process, writing, recording
🌍 Music & Life Stories
Travel, reflections, industry experience
Featured Articles
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Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s Review: Worth it in 2026?
Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s Review. Is this the best affordable Les Paul you can buy? Before we get into it, let’s look at the Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60s specs. The Les Paul™ Standard 60s models from Epiphone’s new Inspired by Gibson™ Collection recreate the sound of 1960s era Les Pauls. Featuring a classic…
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The Golden Age of the Video Game Arcade: 1987
Welcome back to 1987, with this year’s long list of classic arcade games being impossible to detail in a single article. Here are some of my favourites. 1987 was a turning point for me and my fascination with the video game arcade. It had been a place of comfort for a good chunk of my…
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BOSS Katana 50 Guitar Amplifier Review
The BOSS Katana 50 Guitar Amplifier IS the best guitar-related purchase I’ve ever made. Why? Let me explain. Is the BOSS Katana 50 loud enough to gig with? The question that everyone’s asking. Simple answer… ABSOLUTELY!. That’s on the 50W mode, clean channel, gain just less than half, volume the same, and master maxed. In…
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Goa : A Lesson In Life – Second Edition. Out NOW!
A BIG day! Originally realised back in 2017. My debut book, Goa : A Lesson in Life receives a long-overdue edit, professional cover, long-lost images, and an extra chapter, bringing my story to a close and up to date. So, what’s it all about? Back in August 2006, I visited Goa, India. A trip that…
Latest Articles
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Can I Teach Myself How To Play Guitar?
By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer Of course, you can! Many musicians have learned to play guitar and other instruments without formal guitar lessons. However, music is mimicry so we need some sort of guidance to make sure we are going in the right direction. Thanks to modern social media and…
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Basic Setup for Drums: How to Get Started
You finally purchased your new drum kit, but how do you set it up now? A proper setup is the key to avoiding injury and producing the best sound quality. At the same time, you will be able to play more efficiently and have more fun. While there are many ways to set up your…
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Songwriting & Music Production: Looking back to move forwards
Why a lack of inspiration needn’t be a blocker to songwriting & music production. lately, I’ve been struggling to write and produce music. I have the odd idea here and there, but nothing like the volume of ideas I used to have. And no ideas equals nothing is produced, right? So what’s to be done?…
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Music Can Keep Your Brain Younger for Longer
If you are a lover of fine music you are indeed in good company with Albert Einstein who once declared, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.” Research proves that when you listen to music, your brain releases dopamine which is a feel-good neurotransmitter. Valorie Salimpoor, a neuroscientist at McGill University,…
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Who was Jim Johnson?
On this Easter Sunday, my tribute to Jim Johnson. Who was Jim Johnson? Jim Johnson was born in 1926 and died in 2011. He was the founder of the North East Marine Karate Club in North Shields, England. I first met him in 2001, the day I first walked through the doors of the club…
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5 pitfalls of using a free SSL on WordPress
I recently took the plunge to move my site https using a free SSL provided by my hosted company. Here’s 5 pitfalls I encountered in doing so. 1. Reduced Google AdSense revenue Yes, I got a boost in traffic, but what good is that when revenue is down? 2. A lower Google PageSpeed Insights score…
