Here are some comments made by students and musicians about my guitar playing and teaching ability.
"I've just listened to your CD and I'm really f***ing impressed man, really impressed. I'd like to meet you and see you play..."
Ozzy Osbourne.
This was from a phone call I got from Ozzy when I sent him a demo CD after I heard he was looking for a new guitar player in late 2005.
(Unfortunately Zakk Wylde made himself available again shortly after and the search for a new guitarist was off.)
"I like the guitar playing...."
Sting.
This was in reference to an album I recorded for Bhangra band The Sahotas. This EMI release called 'The Right Time' came out in 1995.
Sting said of the band "The Sahotas are one of the coolest and most original bands I have come across in years. We are pleased to be involved in the exiting developments in the Bhangra scene and anticipate a great future for the band."
"Des plays in the Randy Rhoads school but makes it his own. He'd get the Quiet Riot gig in a heartbeat."
Kevin DuBrow Quiet Riot vocalist.
Sadly Kevin passed away late November 2007 aged just 52.
We had plans to work together in 2008.
I liked him very much and he was always incredibly good to me.
A great character and a very thoughtful and generous friend.
R.I.P Kevin, I will miss you.
"Hi Des, I listened to your tunes and they are VERY good. if I still played I'd want to be in a band with you. I might even move to England to do it! I especially liked the 'Bond' theme and the one with the strange tuning. As far as the Randy stuff goes it's dead on and you do justice to my good friend."
Kelly Garni original bass player from Quiet Riot.
"I have known Des for many years and worked with him on several projects.
His musical knowledge and skill never cease to inspire and amaze me. We
worked together in a rock band called Big Trouble during the early 90’s. During this time his guitar playing was a guiding light in the band and his friendship give me some of my fondest memories.
Not only is he professional in every endeavour, but his pertinence and
willingness to listen make him capable in every challenge that is put before him.
I can truly say he is a friend and brother and look forward to our future
musical expeditions together."
Jim Rudge, professional bassplayer. Stan Webb's Chicken Shack
"After 30 years I had reached a ceiling in my playing, I was not getting any better or faster and felt I was repeating myself so I spoke to Des about having a couple of guitar lessons and he was able to show me some new scales and exercises I had never seen before and even improve my technique. So if you're thinking of having a guitar lesson do it! You will save yourself a lot of time in the long run. Des is a great player and teacher."
Brian Tatler of Diamond Head
"A very interesting page with some great music on here. "Shame" is a great track. Nice work."
Mel Galley Guitarist for Whitesnake, Trapeze and Phenomena.
"Des is a great teacher, very patient and if you put in the practice, he will turn you into a great guitar player. I had lessons with Des 12 years ago and I still find myself thinking back to things he taught me. If your serious about playing guitar, then I would recommend you give Des a try. On another note, he is also a really nice guy and although I stopped lessons with him 10 years ago, we have kept in touch and I consider him to be one of my best friends."
Chris Dangerfield who now plays for the ultimate Robbie Williams tribute band Dodgie Williams.
Impressive website! Randy would really appreciate all the work you did in honor of his too short life. I listened to you soundbites, and you got Randy's style down. Randy would be blown away by how you got his style down! Randy always appreciated people who work hard at playing the guitar.
Peter Wilkinson.
"I first met Des in 1994. I was playing bass with a band called The Sahotas who were about to embark on a UK tour supporting Aswad. From the outset we got on as we were able to appreciate each others ability to play our respective instruments. His technique and feel for guitar is second to none. His professionalism is without doubt first rate, and as a person he's a sound kinda guy. His style of play conjours up images of walks in the park on a sunny day, desolation fear bereft of hope, or going 15 rounds playing Mike Tyson as he beats Bruno into submission. You must understand that what I'm trying to say is that this guy plays a mean guitar that is both emotive and full of soul. So I've no doubt that in his teachings he'll be taking pride and making sure that his pupils get 110% of his vast knowledge of music that is his to pass
on."
Robert Samuels Session Bass player
Russell Eldridge, head of guitar sales at MIR (musical instrument and repairs, Halesowen) has this to say:
"We first starting referring people to Des for lessons in 1997. Having heard only excellent reports from pupils young and old alike Des has become by far the most highly recommended and popular tutor we have on our books. We value feedback from our customers immensely and reports about Des's teaching styles are as follows:
His methods are easy to understand and enjoyable.
I learnt more in 4 weeks than I had in 4 months prior to seeing Des.
Des teaches me songs I want to learn as opposed to songs I have to learn.
Des never gave me a hard time when I struggled with practice, he simply
encouraged me to get it right.
I wish I had been to see Des a long long time ago.
The above comments have come to MIR through pupils Des has been teaching over a period of time.
In our book, long may Des's teaching methods continue. We believe he has a failsafe method for getting the right results from his students, but more importantly his students enjoy their lessons. This for us is the icing on the very tasty cake that is Des Sherwood Guitar Tuition."
Russell Eldridge, Musical Instrument Repairs.
"Des Sherwood's professionalism is such, that if the studio were on fire, he would finish his overdub before leaving the building.....as an example, he is the only musician I have ever asked to repeat a double tracked part, not because it was sloppy, but because his second take was so close to the original, it still sounded like one guitar"
Gavin Monaghan, independant producer.
"We first met Des when he played in the rock band Big Trouble, we were blown away by his brilliant guitar work and soon we persuaded him to dep for us, whenever his busy schedule would allow. He has made numerous guest appearances with Ballroom Glitz and always his unique style has added something special to our show. The consumate professional, Des once came to our rescue with only one hours notice and coolly turned in a perfect performance worthy of someone who had been preparing for this show for weeks. On another occasion he depped for our bass player learning all the parts in less than one week and played all the shows seamlessly with no band rehearsal. A great player and a lovely person to work with!!"
Ballroom Glitz, 70's Glam band.
"I’ve only been having lessons from Des a few months but already I feel I’ve improved dramatically, before coming to have lessons with Des I didn’t know hardly anything about the way things worked or how to play the guitar properly but I was soon taught, I’ve got out of bad habits and my guitar technique has got a lot better! I had (with my band 'Dakota') a Rock the Castle audition and after the event took place one of the judges commented on my guitar playing saying it was interesting and clean and I have Des to thank for that! Des has got to be the best guitarist I’ve seen and getting taught by him is great; I understand things a lot clearer, I don’t feel intimidated or embarrassed if I get things wrong and after 8 years of playing guitar I wish I’d have called him sooner."
Lisa Reed, 15.
"Des is probably the best guitarist that I've ever had the pleasure
to meet. And through the past fifteen years of playing, I have met quite
a few. Just listen to some of the Randy Rhoads solos that he has
recorded and posted on his site!! Keep on rockin' Des!!"
Jamie
Pressley, guitar player, 28.
Ross aged 6 wrote this for school....
"Guitar is the best. I have guitar lessons on a Friday evening. My teacher's name is Des and I like him becauase he doesn't shout when you get things wrong."
"Aside form being an obviously talented guitarist, Des has an ability to explain the theory and practice
of difficult techniques in a familiar context. He is a friendly and experienced tutor who can quickly
resolve problems and improve all aspects of your playing dramatically over time." Mark likes to get carried away at his gigs as his picture clearly shows. Rock 'n' roll!
Mark Cooper, 19.
"Instead of having a lesson, I would quite happily pay just to hear him play for an hour."
Karen Parkes, operating theatre technician.
"Des' lessons are highly effective and enjoyable. Des is an excellent guitarist and is able teach to a very high standard. Des can teach a wide range of styles and different genre of music. His lessons are of a very high quality."
Matthew Johnson, 16.
"Geeh, your tuition all them years ago was fine! You started me off on a long and beautiful road of musical enlightenment. Cheers Des, I ain't spoke to you for ages but them there lessons was stonking... Keep up the good work."
Sam Neal, Past student.
Unfortunately, Sam passed away in August 2003.
Sam was a very pleasent person. A pleasure to teach and talk to.
My thoughts are with you and your friends and family.
Rest in peace my friend, you are missed.
"Life is not measured by how long you live, but by the love you gave and the things you did."
HERE'S WHAT OTHERS AROUND THE WORLD SAY ABOUT MY ONLINE TUITION:
"Des showed me almost a whole solo during the 30 minute lesson over Yahoo IM!!!!!! You don't even have to leave your computer!!!!! We were able to talk and play riffs back and forth over the internet and It was very comfortable. How cool is that?!?"
Larz Labarge, Florence, Alabama USA.
I have had several lesons in the past, and only one from Des, and I have to tell you...I learned more from Des in that one lesson, than I did in all the others combined. Des has the ability, and know how, to relate the material to you the student, to where you understand the aspects of playing, and how to play the right notes at the right time. There is no pressure and the way Des explains things, usually leaves you the student without any questions. He really makes the lesson fun and enjoyable. Take a lesson and you will never take one from anywhere else again.
Ryan D Hackney, Texas, USA.
"As a bass player, i wanted to get more insight into how those 2 extra strings worked on a guitar! Now i have been shown Major, Minor and Dominant Chords within half an hour and had them explained fully, it is now down to me to use that knowledge and work on what i have been taught. thank you."
Andy Jeens, Liverpool, UK
"I always wanted to take guitar lesson but unfortunately, i don't have a music school in my town. I discovered this web site and decided to try the online lesson.
It worked VERY WELL.
Des is able to help you as much as if you were in front of him. He his very patient and helpful. I did discover a lot of things I was doing wrong just in the first lesson!!! Thx."
Luc Poulin, Québec, Canada
"I decided to try an online lesson with Des because I didn't have the time or transport to go and see him in person. There were a few things that were bugging me about my guitar playing and Des gave me some really invaluable info, very worth my while. I wish this guy lived next door!"
Rory Connor, Birmingham, UK.
"Des is a very talented individual that I look forward to learning a lot from.
I’m 24 years old and this is the first time I have ever had a lesson, but I have
been playing all my life. He really opened my eyes that there are techniques
that I have never taken into consideration. For someone that has been looking
for a guitar mentor that plays in the style of Randy Rhoads, my guitar idol,
Des is perfect. His style of playing is exactly like Randy’s. It is as if Randy is
playing himself."
George McGill – Bartow, Florida, USA.
"I've been playing by ear for a while now. I've also read some guitar books here and there. The books helped a little, but nothing compares to getting lessons from a real person. It's best to have both a live teacher AND the books. I learned a lot just in my first lesson with Des! I feel like I'm really making progress for a change. The way he started me off really made sense, and has given me a good foundation to build on and eventually become a good solid player....he also showed me mistakes I was making, and no book can do that! I'm glad I decided to take lessons from Des!"
David Denson Venus, Texas, USA
"I would strongly reccomend Des Sherwood as a quality guitarist and patient teacher.
He is one of the pioneers of internet guitar lessons and online lessons are a really
convenient way of learning.
Even if you are an advanced player you will still learn a lot from Des and check out the Final countdown solo for speed and accuracy!!
Thanks Des for your help and inspiration."
Rod Ross, Guitar teacher and songwriter - Scotland, UK.
As you can see, I enjoy teaching people of all ages and walks of life all over the world and in many styles of music. So whatever your age or musical interest or location, feel free to contact me to book a lesson or find out anything that may not be included on this site.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Des Sherwood.
