Category Archives: Thoughts

Thoughts, ideas, insights, stories, experiences.

How I beat tendonitis

Posted on September 23, 2015 by

At a workshop in London earlier this month I was asked if I had ever had to deal with any physical problems related to playing guitar, and specifically tendonitis. Many times over the years guitarists have asked me a similar … Continue reading →

Posted in Guitar, Health and Well-Being, Learning, Music, Neuro-science, Psychology, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Let’s get bored

Posted on January 25, 2014 by

When I was in China last fall I watched a teenage girl on a Beijing subway say goodbye to a friend getting off at a stop. As soon as they had waved goodbye and the doors closed, the girl pulled … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Health and Well-Being, Neuro-science, Psychology, Technology, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 209 Comments

Recording an instructional video project

Posted on January 6, 2014 by

A few weeks ago I flew to Colorado to record a video series for an internet company specialising in online guitar lessons. I had been contacted by the company about six months earlier and liked what they were offering guitar … Continue reading →

Posted in Guitar, Learning, Music, Neuro-science, Teaching, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

When you are doing nothing, you are doing something

Posted on December 16, 2013 by

When I first finish a challenging creative project, I feel a sense of relief and euphoria. That feeling may last for a little while. But eventually it wears off…and I am left feeling exhausted. The truth is, the project has … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, blogging, Creativity, Guitar, Music, Photography, Psychology, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

An incredible year

Posted on December 12, 2013 by

I think this past year has been the biggest of my life. It was a year of creating, producing, traveling, performing, making new friends, learning, meeting challenges and growing. It was a year of “firsts” — my first album in … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Guitar, Learning, Music, Performing, Photography, Recording and producing, Teaching, Thoughts, Touring, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Thoughts on openness

Posted on August 17, 2012 by

I gave a talk at TEDGlobal 2012 in Edinburgh recently, alongside a young guitarist from Pakistan named Usman Riaz. It was an instrumental guitar performance, but still a TEDTalk with a great (and true) story behind it. The video of … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Guitar, Learning, Music, Teaching, Technology, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The anxiety of opportunity

Posted on June 11, 2012 by

This is an unusually big month. In addition to going into the studio several times to continue recording my next album and heading over to Ireland to play at a festival, I will be playing my first-ever hosted, internet live-on-air … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Creativity, Learning, Psychology, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments