I tried to teach myself guitar for a couple of years but found myself struggling to make progress. Getting one-on-one lessons with Ian has highlighted all of the techniques that I didn't know I was missing and were holding me back. Now I am steadily improving and finding the guitar fun again. I highly recommend Ian as a guitar teacher to anyone interested in learning to play due to his skill, patience, and thoroughness.

Ian is a very technical and motivated teacher with great attention to detail. With his help I have been able to see a significant improvement in my guitar playing and that has given me the drive to get better. I would recommend Ian to a guitar player of any skill level who would like to improve.

"The time spent learning with Ian was invaluable to building my knowledge of the guitar. The how's and why's were always answered with very "outside the box answers" that made sense on many different levels. The learning of favorite songs always kept me interested in guitar, while the practical and key scales were also incorporated into my learning to ensure I learned the proper knowledge of the working fretboard. Ian is a fantastic player and can work with any style of music. A very friendly guy and easy to have a good chat with. I would highly recommend him to anyone, at any age, wanting to learn any style. Choice Bro 🙂 " Bryce - student of 3 years-

I have been learning with Ian For over 8 years now.

I began with no experience or knowledge and have now learned to play faster, more advanced and technical songs in their entirety with a better understanding of music itself.

I like the that I have the freedom to head in the direction I want to and choose the style and genres I want at a pace that I can keep up with or not be slowed down by. I also like that each section that has been demonstrated is recorded into video form for me to use when at home to help memory or slowly digest and repeat what I am doing.

I am looking forward to continue in advancing my skills even after so long, there is still always more to work on and improve with the help of Ian.

I have been learning with Guitar studio for around 5 months and learnt a lot in that time. I have learnt new playing styles. And am learning new songs by new artists. I Really like that Ian records the lessons. It allows me to go back and see if there was anything I've missed. This allows me to make the most out of my practice time. He's also really patient and let's you go at your own pace. I am Looking forward to learning new songs and new techniques.

TESTIMONIAL FOR IAN MCLAUGHLIN Ian is familiar with a wide range of musical genres and therefore is able to cater to all students’ individual needs and interests. He helps me choose music that I like and listen to whilst all the time maintaining a clear evolution in developing new techniques and skills. He is an encouraging teacher who focuses on the improvements and progress I have made as well as providing useful constructive feed back to extend my playing even further. When learning new songs, techniques and ideas he’s always quick to acknowledge what I’m doing well and shows patience and understanding with any difficulties I’m having. He has a skill for breaking things down into small manageable steps, subsequently turning a potentially difficult learning process into a confidence enhancing experience. Ian is much more than a technical guitar teacher and I really appreciate how he has broadened my musical tastes, turned me on to many new guitar players and introduced me to some great guitar products. (e.g the amp simulation software amplitube). I really value talking to Ian about music and am impressed with his broad knowledge of guitar players, musicians and music as a whole. Through discussions on how music effects peoples emotions, he helped me appreciate music on a much deeper level. These insightful discussions have helped me bring more feeling and soul into my own playing. In conclusion I would highly recommend Ian for the holistic and personal service he provides students.

It is such a pleasure working with Ian, who seems to make learning the Guitar a more simpler process. His teaching consists of a very relaxing methodical approach and in turn makes you see the sense in both movements and style. I have progressed in leaps and bounds since starting with Ian and really look forward to my lessons. Thanks so much for making me realise that anyone can play the guitar when you have been shown in a manner that makes it all understandable.

Lessons with Ian are more than just 'music lessons'. For me I've found myself engaging parts of my brain previously pushed aside by work and life. The sense of accomplishment in being able to make music is profoundly-rewarding, I would encourage everyone to begin their journey with Ian.

Ian has been an amazing teacher, his knowledge doesn't stop at just playing the guitar, it surrounds music, and truly inspires me to keep going, keep practicing and to keep enjoying the moments along the way.

My guitar teacher is special. Sure he knows all the technical stuff but he couples this with an underlying philosophy derived from his understanding of the instrument and the way people learn. He believes the music we need is already in us – his job is to help us release that sound and energy. Yes he helps me understand music and the guitar but more importantly he helps to learn about and understand myself.

As a professional guitarist working in London, I’ve come to reply on the things I learned from Ian on a day-to-day basis. He is a superb technician with a real passion and encyclopedic knowledge of the guitar, and has the best temperament of any tutor that I’ve come across. Ian was always able to answer questions, show me techniques, and point me in the right direction regarding equipment with the ease of someone who has dedicated their life to the instrument. He’s a nice guy too, with a great balance of patience, motivation and discipline. I would strongly urge anyone, from beginners and intermediates to pros in need of a high level tutor in any style, to seek out lessons from Ian McLaughlin. You won’t be disappointed.

I have always been a huge fan of music particularly classic and alternative rock from the 60s-90s + and had always thought about learning the guitar. I have had the pleasure of meeting and learning from a guitar guru for four years and he has made this a very real and achievable goal for me. Ian has not only been a fantastic mentor with such an easy going nature and encouraging teaching style but also become a cherished friend. I have the utmost respect and awe for Ian in what he’s accomplished in his music career and look forward in continuing to develop my guitar skills with him 🙂

Ian is an awesome guitar tutor who has a fantastic ability to get the message across to his pupils. I know because I'm a pupil who had a go at teaching myself without success, but now I have a better understanding for music and the guitar all thanks to Ians hard work.

“Ian is a great teacher who taught me to look beyond what most people see about guitar playing. He is encouraging and also honest about every aspect of playing. He definitely motivated me to learn more”

Over the past 25 years I have received music lessons off and on from Ian . I have seen him perform Rock in sweaty pubs , impromptu cafe jam sessions to Jazz standards in elegant restaurants. Very few musicians reach that level of authenticity across various musical styles , even fewer can teach it.

Ian is an amazing guitar teacher that really puts his heart and soul into his students.
I came to Ian as an experienced guitarist, wanting to delve deeper into music and guitar.
With his guidance i corrected a lot of bad habits and techniques, as well as expand my horizons by exploring new styles. he is open to all types of music and finds a way to incorporate what genres you enjoy into the lessons.
i highly recomend Ian, regardless of your level of expereince.

Ian has helped grow not only my guitar skills, but also my discipline and patience. My playing skills have improved greatly over the past six years thanks to Ian's great way of teaching. Ian is a truly talented musician with a passion for what he does and he is willing to make time to help his students succeed and achieve. I am proud to call Ian a mentor and friend.

Incredibly patient motivational teacher using goal setting to motivate, explains things simply makes learning a lot of fun

The HD Video conference lessons are amazing!! Being able to learn the guitar from your own home, at a time of your choosing, anywhere in the country, makes life just easy. Ian's way of teaching has you playing current music you actually listen too in a very short time. and he will record what he's teaching you as you go, so its like having a guitar tutor with you 24/7 whenever you want to practice until the next lesson. I know that without Ian's teaching, guidance and systems I would not be playing the guitar at a level even close to what I am today.

Ian has been the guitar tutor here at Matamata Intermediate for the past 6 ½ years. He is multi-talented and teaches across the board on all guitars including acoustic, electric and bass. As a result of Ians teaching, we are able to have two rock bands in our school and have 56 students learning guitar! A real bonus for our students.