From about the age of 8 steve taught himself the guitar...secretly practicing on my dad's classical guitar. I don't think he ever found out I was using it!....then I got a 3/4 size nylon string guitar which I played into the ground....later I tought myself boogie woogie piano which I copied from LP's my parent's had....I'm not sure if I would have learned as much with private lessons as I had a more intuitive approach to music, trying to really hear what's going on and developing that.
It was when I was 17 and I was asked if I could teach someone the guitar that the rocky road toward teaching others began.....soon word got out and before long I was teaching a class of about 30 kids!...more of a self help community...though I seem to remember having difficulty getting the electric guitarists to quieten down!...this all happened in a church hall and space was never a problem.
Very soon after that I became a worship leader in that church whenever I was on leave from the merchant navy..I was a 3rd officer. In fact I had received some great help from several semi pro musos who were also at sea.....you can't beat taking advice from people who actually do what it is you want to do! This was also a period where I spent most of my free time songwriting and developing my playing skills.
It was only much later, in the mid 1990's that I actually studied music at Strathclyde University at the National Jazz Institute under the leadership of Tommy Smith. Looking back, this was strangely an experience which helped me finally see that popular music often, was harmonically very narrow in it's scope. I guess this period of formal study gave me permission to explore areas of harmony outside of the rule.
Various teaching projects followed, with the social work department, council, and Sound Base, a teaching project in Glasgow city center. All the time my teaching from home going from strength to strength, with ready access to high tech multi media teaching and recording studio.
Steve has written several modules for the European Academy of Culture and Arts based in Holland, see; www.european-academy.nl. An academy offering vocational help for post graduating students.
Steve is also a fully signed up registered tutor with RGT, see; www.RegistryOfGuitarTutors.co.uk
For a full list of subjects taught see; www.nelsonvillage.com/services