I've written a book that nobody wants to publish. Admittedly, that's slightly unfair because I haven't spent the last ten years collecting rejection letters from every publisher in Britain, and I'm still at a relatively early stage of trying to find a home for it. Nevertheless, I've discovered something that probably won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who has tried to get a book published: writing one and persuading somebody to publish it are two entirely different things. The strange...

If your child has been taking guitar lessons for a year or two, you might wonder what they have actually learned. You may know which songs they can play, what grade they're aiming for, or whether their teacher believes they are making good progress. However, these indicators don't always provide a clear picture of the skills they have developed. If you are investing in weekly lessons, whether privately or through a school, it's completely reasonable to seek a more detailed understanding. This...

What should a child be able to do after a year of learning the guitar? I'd say that's a difficult question to answer because they might have learned six songs or twenty six. They might be preparing for a Grade 1 exam. They might know a handful of chords, a few scales and some riffs. Another child, after exactly the same amount of tuition, might be playing completely different music. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. In fact, it's one of the great strengths of the guitar. One...