Matt McCarthy | Guitar Coaching

I have been enjoying the guitar lessons with Matt for over more then a year now. Over this period I have not only improved my guitar playing, but also my general understanding of music theory and songwriting. Matt was able to quickly identify why I was struggling with certain songs and provided me with just the right exercises to get me past these challenges. Matt is patient, friendly and - most important - a very talented musician and a great Guitar Coach. Most highly recommended!

Matt has been a great teacher and has helped take my playing to the next level. He has been very open and helpful to teaching any topic/style of my choosing (and talented enough to teach them very well) and at the same time pinpoint and focus on my weak points. I definitely recommend Matt's Guitar Coaching if you want to drastically improve your playing. As a bonus, Matt is very friendly and very easy to get along with which make the learning a lot easier and a lot of fun.

My daughter has been having lessons with Matt for 2 years now. She came from a Cello playing background but had received very little theoretical training and lacked confidence in her musical ability. Matt's breadth of knowledge has helped her confidence and musical talent and she is now learning to sight read sheet music to expand her singing opportunities. Really appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication Matt.

I started having lessons with Matt as a complete beginner who had never even held a guitar before. He has provided professional and knowledgeable information every step of the way, from helping me purchase all my gear through to learning to play my first song. Lessons are tailored to suit individual needs and I have never felt bored or overwhelmed. I couldn’t recommend him highly enough as a beginner and have no doubt he would be able to help advanced musicians as well.

After not playing for many years, Matt immediately put me at ease with his calm approach. We were straight into playing without any messing around as Matt was able to seamlessly pick up from where I left off. Matt’s love of music and technical knowledge means that I’m always playing pieces that engage me. It’s just a really fun, positive experience and I look forward to my lessons each week. Thanks Matt!

Matt is a really good guitar teacher. He is very patient with his students. He sets realistic long term goals with me and we decide on clear objectives for each lesson to achieve my long term goals. I get to choose the guitar pieces that I want to learn and he will try to simplify the difficulty of the pieces to suit my current standard. I would highly recommend Matt to be your guitar instructor.

I've been getting guitar lessons from Matt for several months now and I think he is a great teacher. I am a baby-boomer who wishes he started learning guitar 50 years ago but on the other hand thank goodness I've found Matt now to help me along my guitar journey. He is very patient with beginners and happy to move you along at your own pace, but also introduces you to new concepts to extend your musical experience. I would certainly recommend Matt McCarthy as a guitar teacher to anyone old or young.

I began guitar lessons with Matt over Skype 18 months ago, and it was the best decision! Starting with next to no experience or knowledge, Matt has helped me with everything from music theory to self confidence, and I look forward to our lessons each week. Matt ensures that you're working at a comfortable pace, whilst also pushing you outside your comfort zone and challenging you. The lessons are well planned but also flexible, covering a wide range of areas and topics.

I recommend Matt to anyone looking to start out or progress and develop with their guitar.

I’ve been taking lessons with Matt for over 12 months now, and his knowledge and guidance has given me a clear pathway to play some of my favourite songs, and also achieve solid technique foundations with the guitar.
He’s incredibly friendly and makes learning completely stress free. Matt has been so accommodating with all the travelling I have to do for work by taking our lessons over Skype during these trips.
Before giving it a go I had reservations about doing lessons over Skype, but it proved to be a really easy and convenient way to learn guitar when I’m away from home.

Would definitely recommend Matt to anyone wanting to take guitar lessons!

As a musician myself, I've had many different guitar teachers over the years - but Matt is by far the best teacher I have ever had! He is incredibly patient, knowledgable and kind. This makes for such an enjoyable and fun learning experience! I can't wait for my lessons every week. Even though he is extremely knowledgable and an accomplished musician himself, he explains everything in a very easy-to-understand way. I find myself having so much patience and enthusiasm for my own learning because of how well he breaks everything down and makes it all seem so simple. I have come so far since starting lessons with Matt. I'm now playing songs and styles I never thought I'd be able to play! And singing along to everything too, which use to be much more of a struggle! His online guitar courses have also been an incredible resource in my learning journey. With the courses and our lessons combined, I feel myself growing into a better musician with every day of practice and every lesson we have! Would highly recommend lessons with Matt and his online courses. Thank you Matt!!

I came to Matt with already 10 years of guitar playing experience and he immediately helped me improve my technique which allowed me to play songs I had been struggling with for years. I would recommend Matt to any guitar player from beginner to advanced. Best guitar teacher I've ever had.

At age 71, I had never learned to play a musical instrument of any kind but learning to play The Blues on electric guitar was on my retirement bucket list. Matt was recommended to me and I found him to be a very impressive and talented young man. I started learning some basics on my own from books and YouTube but since commencing lessons with Matt 18 months ago my I feel my playing has advanced in leaps and bounds.
Matt lets me concentrate on the areas I enjoy but every week adds something outside my comfort zone so that I am constantly improving to the point where I feel I am now playing some reasonable Blues.
I would highly recommend Matt as he is a patient and talented teacher and learning with him has far exceeded my expectations.

I’ve been having lessons with Matt for the past few months both over Skype and in person and even in that short time I feel like my playing has improved dramatically. Matt focusses on correct techniques while allowing you to choose the songs and styles of music you would like to play. I’d definitely recommend him to anyone wanting to improve their guitar playing whether absolute beginner or advanced.

Matt comes from a unique musical background and easily compiles his broad knowledge into a teaching style that feels tailored to you, and your playing capabilities. As someone who has had several guitar teachers over the last ten years, I would recommend anyone I meet to try Matt’s fantastic teaching services if they are truely interested in playing guitar!

Matt is an amazing teacher, since I started lessons with him about 6 months ago my ability has skyrocketed. He is the easiest person to get along with and you can feel his genuine passion for teaching which creates a great learning environment. Not only does he take the time to thoroughly explain concepts until you get them but he gets you to apply it in a way that helps you to actually retain the information far longer, which in my opinion is invaluable. Furthermore, Matt works to your pace, never rushing you and making you gloss over stuff, whilst still ensuring you're learning from every lesson. I've never walked out of a lesson unsatisfied. For anyone looking for a teacher, I highly recommend Matt!!!!

I have began my guitar lessons with Matt 9 months ago as a total beginner . He is very friendly and approachable, his teaching skills are very flexible and tailored to my needs . I am very happy with my progress and would highly recommended him as your guitar teacher.

I began taking Skype lessons with Matt just over a year ago, and he's helped me become such a better player! He explains everything so professionally, but also in a way that us beginners can understand with ease!!

I would recommend Matt to anyone looking to learn how to play the guitar :)

I took the plunge and started lessons with Matt after contacting a few other local teachers. Matt’s response was enthusiastic and inquisitive toward what I wanted to achieve from my lessons. I appreciate that Matt focuses on correcting technique and breaking pieces of music into manageable chunks to ensure that progress is made each lesson! I look forward to continuing to improve under Matt’s guidance.

I bought my first guitar at 16 and hated lessons with the teacher I had at the time and quit. With being able to play other instruments, I figured I would be able to teach myself... Fast forward over 10 years later and I still couldn't play a song. I decided to give lessons anither go and in my first lesson with Matt, almost 3 years ago, I left being able to play my first basic song that I wanted to learn, Free Falling! I moved to the Sunshine Coast over a year ago and started Skype lessons instead and love being able to lessons from home. Over the past 3 years, thanks to Matt's teaching and paitence, I now feel that I have the skills to work out how to strum along to almost any song, along with my huge folder of songs I have learnt with Matt. He is the only music teacher I've had that has personalised lessons based on what I want to learn. I have no hesistation in recommending Matt as an awesome guitar teacher.

Matt was great to work with and took me from an absolute beginner to being able to play basic chords in a short period of time. He also took into account different learning styles and always made each lesson interesting and fun - highly recommended👍