Dreams are so important to all of us but there comes a time when we need to act on them or that’s all they'll ever be.
Very few of us regret trying to reach our dream but so many regret not realising them.
If you are telling yourself it's too late, ignore it.
If you're telling yourself you are not musical, ignore that too.
None of us are experts in things we can't do so our advice to ourselves is not valid. What we are experts in is talking ourselves out of starting things that we may fail at or we may find hard. We don't need to be anything to follow our dreams other than brave.
My name is Lucas Cook and I can help you realise your dream. I have been a guitar teacher and professional musician for over 20 years and love what I do. How did I get to be in a position to help you? Here’s a little bit of my story.
Everyone has a moment in their life that leads them to do the work they do now. An “aha” moment if you like. This is mine.
I was at Nashville airport. I had just finished recording an album after a tour of the USA but there was a huge problem. The band I was in was falling apart. We had no idea if the album would actually get released, no idea what would happen if it didn’t or no idea if we’d ever play together again. I thought “Hmmm, maybe I should just focus on teaching guitar for a bit.”
I never looked back. I rediscovered my passion for helping people achieve their dream of playing the guitar and I put everything into it. I studied for a music teaching Licentiate, I worked in different schools, I increased the amount of private students I had, started music clubs, basically did everything I could to widen my teaching experience. I became obsessed with progress and how I could help people achieve it. And that’s where I am now. Using my 20 years plus teaching and performing experience to help people make progress in something that they have always dreamed of doing. It’s a pretty good job if you ask me. I also still get to play my guitar.
I have now taught over 40,000 guitar lessons and here’s what people are saying about them.
“The £99 intensive starter course has got me hooked on playing and practising the guitar again, which I’d avoided for the past 10 years. Lucas doesn’t just know how to teach but vitally he knows how to ensure that practising isn’t a hard finger bleeding slog and I’m well on the way to unleashing my ‘inner Muddy Waters’.”
“Lucas has been teaching me guitar, periodically, for more than ten years now, steadily improving both my playing and my passion for playing. His latest initiative, involving a well-considered needs-analysis followed by a pair of very focused online sessions for £99, enabled me to turn a jumbled idea for a song into a sharply executed piece of music. If you have a guitar laying around unused, as I did ten years ago, and need someone to help spark your original desire back into life, then I can highly recommend Lucas Cook!”
“I’ve always harboured a desire to play an instrument, but up until recently, this has always been a pipe dream, or bucket list item. I did buy an acoustic guitar around 15 years ago to accompany me on my then, regular away-from-home work trips, but sadly the guitar spent more time in my car boot, than it did in my actual hands. Eventually it was consigned to the spare room and was gradually forgotten about, until I received a gift voucher at Christmas, for Lucas' intensive guitar course. I’d never heard of Lucas, but this was not surprising as we lived at the opposite ends of the country and I’d never even considered, looking for a one-on-one online guitar coach. To say the very least, I was very apprehensive and nervous, as the thought of picking up my guitar, as a complete beginner, not even knowing how to tune the damn thing, sent shivers down my spine. Finally I plucked up the courage to redeem my voucher and start my journey at the ripe old age of 44, and I’ve not looked back. The intensive course started with initial correspondence including a brief form for me to complete, to help provide Lucas with a picture of who I was, what level I was at, where I wanted to go and what music I liked. Following this Lucas organised a welcome session, for us to break the ice and for Lucas to talk me through and schedule the next 3 intensive courses, over the space of 7 days. Lucas selected a tune from my list of favourite bands and started what seemed to me, to be the arduous task of taking me from ground zero, up to being able to play a recognizable version of the song. This included helping me ensure my guitar was in tune, showing me how to read tab sheets and play basic chords, explaining all major components of the Guitar and building me competence up in the tune, chord by chord. Most of all though, he motivated me throughout the entire course to want to be able to play the guitar and get better. Coaching consisted of one-on-one Zoom sessions, direct WhatsApp support and Facebook live recordings, where Lucas answered questions and provided a recap of my session with him. I found this approach most useful, as it was a great reminder of what was covered in the Zoom session and also provided something to practise along to. I must say that from the off, Lucas was brilliant. He is extremely friendly and listened to my concerns, he has a great dry sense of humour, and his key focus was to make me a better guitar player, even at the detriment to himself….. He is also an awesomely talented guitarist, but equally so down to earth and approachable. I loved my intense course so much, that I’ve now signed up for ongoing lessons and added an electric guitar to my repertoire. If you’re thinking of learning the guitar, or need that motivation to start or improve, then honestly you won’t find better than Lucas.”
What next?
There are many ways that I can help you. From free courses on my Facebook group to exclusive premium tailored lesson packages. The important thing is to do something. One of my favourite quotes about taking action is from Bruce Lee. “If you love life don’t waste time. For time is what life is made up of.” I will also add one of my own (although I'm not as wise as Bruce Lee). "If something's worth doing, do it now." Have a look on my products page for a full list of ways I can help you to start your musical journey. Your time is now. Your future self will thank you.