Alexander Edward Baker

Give me the music you love. If it exists as a sound, I can work it out and teach it to you — on guitar, bass, drums, piano, ukulele, or almost any other instrument.

I’ve been transcribing music by ear for more than 20 years — guitar, bass, drums, piano, vocals and other instruments — and have worked out thousands of pieces.

Can’t find the tabs or sheet music for the song you want to learn? No problem. Send it to me. I’ll listen to it, work out the parts, and we can start learning it together. Your favourite music doesn’t have to be a song that’s already sitting in a guitar book. It can be a video-game soundtrack, movie theme, obscure YouTube track, classical piece, or anything else you enjoy.

Lessons are practical, personalised and designed around what YOU want to achieve. You can learn your favourite songs, develop your technique, improve your ear, learn music theory, sight-reading and improvisation, prepare for ABRSM or Trinity examinations, write your own music, or get ready to perform, jam or record.

I teach electric, acoustic, classical and flamenco guitar, bass guitar, drumkit, percussion, ukulele, cajón, music theory, ear training, rhythm and more. I’ve taught hundreds of students over more than 20 years, including at schools such as St Joseph’s Marist College, Rondebosch Boys’ Prep, Edgemead High School and Camps Bay Primary School, as well as through my own teaching business and online.

You don’t need to read music to get started, and you’re never limited to someone else’s song list. If there’s something you want to play, create or understand, bring it to your lesson and we’ll work from there.

So — what’s your dream goal, and what’s the music you love? Let’s start today.

My lessons are practical, personalised and built around what you actually want to learn.

We can start with a song or piece you love, and I’ll show you how to play it step by step. If the music isn’t already available, I can work it out by ear and create accurate, easy-to-read material specifically for you. Depending on your needs, this can include TAB, standard notation, exercises, or audio examples.

Lessons are completely one-on-one, giving you plenty of time to ask questions, experiment with riffs, licks, scales, arpeggios, pieces and techniques, and receive immediate feedback and guidance.

I also create custom exercises and learning material for individual students. If there’s a particular technique you need to develop, a difficult passage you want to master, or music you can’t find anywhere else, I can create material specifically for you.

Technique is developed alongside the music you’re actually interested in. This can include scales, arpeggios, rhythm, rudiments, sight-reading, improvisation, ear training and other exercises, depending on your goals.

Theory and sight-reading are never forced on you. If you want to understand the theory behind what you’re playing, we’ll explore it practically and in a way that makes sense. If you’d rather concentrate on playing by ear, rhythm and feel, we can do that instead. TAB is also available for guitar, bass and ukulele, so you don’t need to know how to read music to get started.

Lessons can also cover the practical side of being a musician — from tuning and setting up your instrument to preparing for an examination, performance, jam session or recording.

The goal is simple: to help you become a better musician while learning the music you actually enjoy.