Jay Cox

Hi, I’m Jay. No matter what age you are, you can play the guitar, bass guitar or ukulele! If you can put in the time and commitment, I can guide you to being able to enjoy playing music. In my lessons my specialism is patience and a personalised approach.

Whether you want to play just for your own pleasure, for performance, to be able to jam in a band, or to pass exams, I will work with you to help you to achieve your goals.

This is my story. I began playing guitar as a child, my dad showed my my first chords and how to strum, then I started classical guitar lessons aged 10. I got my ABRSM classical guitar and theory grades 5 whilst in high school and went on to get a GCSE, an A-level and a degree in music. Despite my classical training my passion has always been for rock, pop and heavy metal music. I started teaching myself electric guitar in my teens and went on to play in several local goth, death and doom metal bands.

In 2008 a friend of mine asked me if I would teach his young son to play guitar. It was an eye opening experience! I hadn’t realised how much I had taken my abilities as a musician for granted. I couldn’t believe how many aspects of playing, that I thought were so simple, were for a beginner incredibly hard. It made me realise that I had more to offer the world as a musician than I had thought before.

As I result of this, in my early 30’s, I decided to work towards making music into my living rather than just a hobby. I began to fill in some of the gaps in my musical education. I started taking guitar lessons again and learned about improvisation and jazz by playing in some amateur jazz ensembles. Having only dabbled in the instrument before, I seriously took up bass guitar and discovered a deep love and satisfaction from playing the bass. To increase my confidence, I became a regular open mic performer. I gained grade 8 qualifications in bass guitar and electric guitar. I went back to classical guitar lessons and finally passed the classical guitar grade 8 exam, that I had failed previously. I even took up ukulele and drums.

I became a full time musician in 2015, teaching guitar, bass, ukulele and drums in schools and just guitar, bass and ukulele at home. I also play guitar and bass in local bands and in the orchestra pit in theatres.

Where could your story take you? Over the years I have seen many of my students discover and increase their confidence and ability in music. I am very mindful of how different people learn at different paces and have very different goals, strengths and weaknesses. I have developed a wide range of teaching strategies to suit a wide range of learners and I can’t wait to take you on your musical journey.