Charlie Travers

Hi, I'm Charlie, and I'm guitar player with specific expertise in folk styles - though I also have experience across Pop, Jazz and Rock music in addition to being an all round guitar and music nut!

I studied at performance and composition at Leeds Conservatory of Music in the UK, as a professional guitarist I've played shows with Grammy winner Arooj Aftab and renowned British folk artists like Martin Simpson and Chris Woods and my own compositions have been played on BBC national radio. I've written, recorded, and produced numerous albums as a session guitarist and in my own creative projects, and I love passing that skill on to students who want to write their own music too.

I also play drums, piano, violin, mandolin and banjo, and I'm currently adding cello and viola to that list, so I'm constantly being reminded what it means to learn! I also sing, and enjoy helping students bring voice and guitar together — exploring a rich tradition that runs from George Benson to Nick Drake.

In addition to targeting your personal guitar goals, my lessons can help you play across the whole neck of the guitar, improvise with real freedom, and move around the instrument with effortless, relaxed technique.

I like to build a individual plan with each student, focusing on the music they love, the guitarists they admire, and some clear and defined goals they would like to achieve in a realistic time frame. Getting to know you helps us both create a productive plan. 

Relaxed technique is at the core of how I teach. I focus on feel: helping you play with ease rather than tension, using specific methods to build fluidity so that playing starts to feel good and look effortless.

I also have lessons that focus on your own creativity, by understanding how music actually works, so you can start shaping your own ideas or understand the language behind the music you love.

Folk styles are a particular specialty of mine — flatpicking, fingerpicking, Celtic music, American Primitive, and the woody, harp-like textures that run through those traditions.

However, I help students with what ever styles they are interested, this is your personal journey - if you want to play with pedals, lets look into it! Want to make your own genre? Lets create a plan! Mainly, lets have fun.