Kind Words
Some of my students have kindly offered their feedback on my working with them:
“David is a skilful, perceptive and creative teacher. My son has been taking guitar lessons with him for about a year now and has flourished under his guidance. The classes are well organised, yet flexible, as David listens carefully to the student’s feedback and adapts each session accordingly. I have been especially impressed by the effort David put into understanding my son’s motivation for playing guitar, his musical interests and his personality; and how he has drawn on these to inspire and encourage his progress. David is a knowledgeable and talented musician, with a careful and effective teaching style – inspirational and highly recommended!”
Lyndsey Seddon
Dyslexia Tutor, York
“My son started guitar lessons as a complete beginner with David 6 months ago. David’s friendly and relaxed style both supports and encourages him. My son enjoys his lessons immensely (especially when David plays the music alongside him) and looks forward to them every week, he says they are one of his favourites. In the short time he has been with David he has already learnt a wide range of music from ‘ Greensleeves’ to ‘Love me Tender’ (including the basics). David even taught him to play Happy Birthday as a surprise for me. We would certainly recommend David for all ages. “
Claire Roe
Cost Management Manager, York
“David Bellis was suggested to us by a friend and has more than fulfilled that recommendation. David is friendly and reliable, and has a calm teaching style. While working on the basics – finger exercises and technique – David also raises the confidence of his students helping them to play recognisable tunes quickly, focusing upon the music they like and want to play. From what I have experienced I have no hesitation recommending David to any budding lead guitarist.”
Dr Dave al Bahrani-Peacock
Historian, York
“I started having lessons with Dave about 4 months ago and am extremely pleased with how helpful and reliable he has been throughout. He was able to accommodate my lessons to fit around my work and he makes each lesson interesting by adapting it to suit the music I like. As a beginner I can see how much I progress each week and he takes a genuine interest in my reasons and motivations behind wanting to play guitar. Highly recommended.”
Laura Korobejko
Recruitment Officer, York
“I came to David 3 months ago as an intermediate guitar player with some novice tendencies. I was really apprehensive about my first guitar lesson ever. I wanted a teacher who was able to recognise quickly what skills I already had and more importantly, what areas of my playing needed to be
improved. David was able to quickly assess my skills and then tailor his lessons to what I wanted to learn. I felt that my guitar playing had stagnated over the past year but within the space of a few lessons, it was clear to me that I was progressing very quickly. Overall, I am so pleased that I started
having guitar lessons with David and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to learn.”
Adam Vallance
University Student, York
“I came across David early 2017 and after several unsuccessful attempts to learn to play the guitar with different teachers. I am now several months into David's teaching and I am amazed at the progress I have made. The simple but methodical way he teaches inspires confidence. I now believe I will be successful. Thanks David.”
Mike Brough
Retired Technical Sales Manager, York
“I had Skype lessons from David and really enjoyed my learnings with him. He really knows his stuff and I felt very comfortable with him as he was so supportive. Can highly recommend him as a teacher.”
Amanda Penel
Counselor and Yoga teacher, Sydney, Australia
“Dave is a great teacher who takes an individual approach to his pupils, following their musical interests to make the learning fun. He has inspired my son to make a great start on the guitar.”
Dr Sylvia Schroer
Acupuncturist, York
“I had guitar lessons from David about 10 years ago and my playing really came on while I was having weekly lessons. I wish I didn’t live so far away now or I would be back for more.”
Chris Williams
Bed & Breakfast, Grosmont
‘Our 11 year old son, Henry, had been attempting to teach himself guitar using YouTube for approximately 6 months when we decided to reward his perseverance with some professional tuition in the form of weekly lessons from Dave.
One year on, and the progress has been remarkable; not only in terms of Henry’s playing but also the level of enthusiasm that he now has for learning the instrument in general…it’s now almost an obsession! Here are Henry’s own words regarding Dave’s influence and mentorship:-
” He is very inspiring and helps you whenever you need it. He challenges you but they are always good challenges and the sort that you want to do. He will cover whatever style of playing that you want to do and it is always fun”.
Many thanks Dave…keep up the good work.’
Emma West
Cancer Research Fellow, York
"I have been taking lessons with David for about nine months now. Due to his encouraging way of teaching, I've been progressing faster than I could have ever imagined. David always finds a good mix between teaching challenging exercises and songs that benefit from the exercises.
In addition to his existing course David is also open to take a look at songs that I enjoy and want to learn. I appreciate his well-structured yet individual lessons very much and can recommend him as a teacher to everyone that wants to learn the guitar."
Patrick Shurk
Student, Germany
“If you are looking for guitar lessons in the York area then look no further than David. Not only is he a class act on the guitar he’s also an exceptional teacher. He’s very passionate about the guitar and this comes across from the first minute you meet him. He also has a very calming quality about him as a person which makes learning under his guidance a pleasurable and hugely rewarding experience.”
Dave Collins
Postman, York
“After arranging my first lesson with David six months ago, I would never have guessed that I would be able to make so much progress in such a short space of time. Each week I look forward to learning something new and developing as a guitarist. Lessons are well structured and tailored to suit the type of guitar player I aspire to become. David is a patient teacher, encouraging and also very reliable and I would strongly recommend him to anyone who is considering taking guitar lessons.”
Sophie Hope
Waitress, York
“I have been learning electric guitar with David for six months now. David is a friendly, patient and encouraging teacher. His praise when I have performed a piece well gives me a great sense of achievement and boosts my self-belief in how well I have progressed so far. By addressing songs, techniques, effects and more, David covers all aspects of the instrument. The songs and pieces that I have been given to learn in this first six months are all well-known tracks (some of which are classics!) This instantly makes it more appealing to practice, as these are songs that you will want to play. Flexible and great value for a York area teacher, I would highly recommend David to anybody wanting to take up the guitar.”
Matthew Harker
Management Information Analyst, Selby
“David has taught me the basics of playing the guitar in a structured and easy to follow lesson plan. Theory is mixed with popular songs which makes learning enjoyable. Lessons are fantastic value for money and I would recommend them for anyone thinking of taking up the guitar as a hobby.”
Dr. Jonathan Cutting
Surgeon, York
“I’ve been having lessons with David for nearly two years now. In that time my guitar playing has come a long way, from absolute beginner level. I now have a huge amount of material for both acoustic and electric guitars, and a growing understanding of the theory which ties it all together. Lessons involve feedback in both directions – we have covered material I requested, as well as broadening my knowledge of music I had not encountered before. It is inevitable in nearly two years of playing that I have had frustrating periods in which my own enthusiasm waned – David has managed to coach me through, and so my skills continue to improve!”
Tom Wiggins
Geologist, York
“My son started going to David two years ago, when he was eight. From very early on David gave him easy, well known pieces of music to practise with, music which he could also find on Spotify – from The Beatles to Bastille. This, and David’s encouragement and calm teaching methods, has been very motivational and my son still very much enjoys playing and going to his lessons.”
Eva Mclean
Communications Manager, York
“I restarted lessons with David around three months ago and am really enjoying our weekly tuition sessions. David teaches in a relaxed yet carefully focused manner in ‘normal’ informal surroundings. These help put me at ease and in the best state of mind to use the time for exploring and enjoying the guitar. David draws from a variety of styles and artists to help keep each lesson interesting. Each stage is supplemented with helpful handouts to assist and encourage further practice at home. David responds well to feedback and will alter the pace in response to how I am feeling at the time. As well as the ‘basic’ chords and notes, David puts great store on finger and hand exercises to aid the physical preparation to play. Lessons are great value for money and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend David Bellis to anyone wanting to learn to play the guitar.”
Ian Horner
Account Manager, York
“David has a clear sense of structure and progress to his teaching, which I find helpful. He has a good library of songs for students to work at, and is willing to transcribe new numbers and provide recordings of those transcriptions. As with any instrument, learning the guitar requires regular practice – it’s my own fault that I haven’t given enough time to this!”
Nick Jones
Retired Lecturer, York