I'm playing a solo concert on Saturday 26th May at the XIX Festival de Guitarra de Santa Tirso, Portugal. I hope to meet some of my Portugese MTGA students there. Here's the link: http://www.festivaldeguitarra.org/index.php?pag=pb_reservas&ID=26&rows=5

No, this isn't how to play guitar whilst under the influence! It's a way to create exercises that build more technical control, and at the same time find different ways to play scales along the length of the fretboard. By incorporating slurred notes in scales we are forced out of playing across the fretboard in the usual 4 fret position, and we start "Thinking notes" rather than "Thinking finger positions" When we do this, we start approaching our playing more musically, and less mechanically, and also become more familiar with the fretboard geography.

Central China TV has just aired a feature on Martin and his online guitar school with ArtistWorks. Martin Taylor Guitar Academy student Mike Wollenberg talks about getting online fingerstyle guitar lessons with Martin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKwfXkCM1zc&feature=youtu.be

Martin will be in the Chat Room on Saturday 5th May at 1.00pm US Pacific Time to chat with students and answer any questions you may have. This is also a really good opportunity for MTGA students around the world to link up and discuss all things guitar!

Here is the itinerary for my gigs for the next month. It's always good to meet MTGA students on my travels, so be sure to come along and say hi if I'm at a venue near you! March 31 Ropewalk Arts Centre, Barton Upon Humber, UK (with Alan Barnes) April 1 The Stables, Wavendon, UK (with Alan Barnes) 4 Lichfield Arts Centre, Lichfield, UK (Solo) 5 Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, UK (Solo) 6 Jazz at the Fleece, Colchester, UK (with Alan Barnes) 13 Auditorium Roma, Teatro Roma, Rome, Italy (Solo) 21 The Assembly Rooms, Norwich, UK (with Martin Simpson) 22 The Op

I'm currently in a studio near London recording music that I have been commissioned to write for TV. My brief was to record acoustic guitar duets in the style of my Spirit of Django compositions, and to have a very upbeat 1930's feel. I've posted a short video clip of me playing one of the compositions in the studio. I had already recorded two guitar parts and this video is of me recording a rhythm part. I hope you enjoy it!

Check out the latest Message at the top of the Home Page. I had an unexpected visitor to the MTGA, he turned out to be a pretty good guitar player!

I'm back in the MTGA studio after 2 weeks in Sri Lanka. This was my fourth visit to Sri Lanka.

I've been in Sri Lanka for just over a week. I have a Press and TV day tomorrow, then on Sunday I play a charity concert in Colombo for the My Wish charity. I took my guitar, camera and laptop onto the beach a few days ago to catch up on MTGA work, it made me realize what amazing times we live in thanks to the internet

I'm going to be in Sri Lanka from February 8th to 22nd. I am patron of the "My Wish Foundation" in Sri Lanka which helps terminally ill children and their families, and will be there in my capacity as patron of the charity. I will be playing at a charity concert in Colombo at the Nelum Pokona Arts Theatre on February 19th to raise money for the charity.