My name is Matthew and I was born in London, England in 1975, and grew up in the suburbs. Music did not run in my family, so it didn’t naturally occur to me for quite some time to consider becoming a musician.
I can’t recall my life without music. As long as I can remember, sounds fascinated me. The first album that changed my life and thinking was John Barry’s Bond music. The music had everything: drama, romance and suspense. The various timbres of the orchestra appealed to my senses. After many years of collecting recordings of music, ranging in style from Madonna to James Galway, it was my Uncle Andrew who finally opened my ears to classical music. I learned about different periods of music, various composers and the monumental pieces of their respective musical canons.
My uncle had loaned me a copy of ‘Bach Guitar’ by Yepes, and around the same time I was introduced to the music of the late rock guitarist Randy Rhoads. Inspired by the Randy Rhoads Tribute album, at thirteen years old I purchased a classical guitar, and embarked upon teaching myself. At last the penny had dropped, that I should take matters into my own hands, literally! Rob, a neighbour (and eventual mentor), loaned me my first decent electric guitar; a vintage Les Paul Junior. My journey into Guitar had begun… (It would be another 15 years before I could afford my first Gibson guitar, an SG Platinum Special.)
It was 1987 and metal was everywhere! Ozzy, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, I saw them all, but none of these impressed me as much as did Led Zeppelin. I may have been a decade too late, but it didn’t stop me visiting record fairs seeking bootlegs. Through his recordings, Jimmy Page was as much a teacher, albeit informally, as my later tutors. From Jimmy, I found my way to the source, the blues, and for a while thought this my destiny.
My parents were hugely supportive of my music making; they bought me my first handmade classical guitar and Yamaha piano. I practised for hours, getting lost in improvising and composing my very first pieces of music. I didn’t see the various genres of music as separate and incompatible, but all interconnected. As a result, my progress as a classical musician was mirrored with my evolving rock and blues vocabulary on the electric guitar. I joined my first band, a rock and roll ensemble (where the average age of band members was forty-five) at the age of fifteen… I watched and learned!
At the age of nineteen, I gained a place at the prestigious Guildhall School Of Music in London. It was a wonderful opportunity, but I was eager at this point to be ‘out there’ playing. Much to my family and friends’ surprise, I left the Guildhall just before my twenty-first birthday. Several opportunities were offered, but nothing came of them; two years of being in a musical and spiritual limbo followed. It was at this time I experienced the harsher side of music, being a busker during the day and a restaurant guitarist in the evening; inside, I was very unhappy.
However, in 1999 I met Suzie, my future wife, at a folk club and our first date was in a Turkish restaurant that I had a regular spot in. Appalled by the fact that my guitar playing was being regarded as background music, Suzie made me promise not to sell myself short any more! I took her advice to heart and quit the job. The ethos of quality and not quantity from here on dictated my performing schedule. Around the same time, I was offered my first guitar job in a local secondary school. With a regular wage, I could now pick and choose where I played. Things were looking up!
Suzie and I married the following year, and while building up my teaching practice I took lessons in orchestration and performance with a host of musicians on a mission to improve my skills. Meanwhile, I continued writing and practising, and also began performing classical guitar recitals.
In 2000 I organised a lesson with guitarist and composer Dr. Martin Vishnick. Martin was the first teacher who really appeared to believe in me. Working on my confidence, Martin made me realise that anything was possible with self-belief. Building upon the LRSM and LLCM qualifications that I gained under Martin, in 2003 I began studying for a MMus in performance and composition at the University of Surrey. With eighty pupils of my own it wasn’t easy juggling my time between studying, teaching and performing, but was worth the effort. During this time I honed my performance and compositional skills and increased confidence in my own ability.
In 2006, opportunities finally began to unfold. A publicity e-mail was answered by BBC Radio and I was invited to perform and be interviewed live on air. I made my London debut in Covent Garden and released my debut CD the following month. The floodgates had opened. Through the networking website MySpace, I gained further exposure, gaining opportunities to perform in France, the U.S. and locations within the U.K., gaining a small but loyal following.
I don’t consider myself solely a classical or electric guitarist, but more a musician who happens to play both. I enjoy writing music that combines the sounds of various types of guitars, as well as writing chamber music for string ensembles and keyboard instruments.
I am very excited about 2010! I have a new classical guitar album being released, and I am planning a follow up to my album of pieces for electric and classical guitar, entitled ‘Dimensions’. A musical ambition of mine is to receive recognition from artists that I admire. I am currently working towards a fellowship exam with a hero of mine, Carlos Bonell, which is an exciting opportunity.
I have an arsenal of eighteen guitars, five of which are Gibsons. My favourite two are the M3 Deluxe and GOR Les Paul. The M3 is a versatile instrument that I have recorded with on many occasions, whilst the Les Paul is the guitar that I use for live performances. The sustain and playability make it a pleasure to play.
I sincerely do appreciate this opportunity to tell my story. The guys on the Gibson forum are a great bunch, quite a few I have met and jammed with in real life and am proud to call them my friends.
God bless you all. Matt x
Matthew’s touring schedule and samples of his music can be found at