Love guitar. For Life.
Guitar Nutrition will help you love guitar and love learning guitar. It’s a lifelong journey; let’s make it one you’ll enjoy!
Hi, I'm Matthew Stuart
I taught my first guitar lesson from the back room of a music shop in small-town New Zealand. For nearly two decades, I’ve had the privilege of teaching thousands of private students all over the world and have loved every minute of it! I’ve taught music theory at the University of Otago, founded a local music school called Activate Music Academy, and led a team that developed a curriculum used by teachers and schools all around the country. I’ve mentored up-and-coming tutors, advised other organisations in the arts education space, and served on committees dedicated to fostering music education in the community.
Before I was a guitarist, I was a classical pianist and music theory nerd. I would entertain myself by composing pieces for string quartets and six hands on one piano. When I picked up the guitar, I was mostly self-taught. I read every guitar book I could find and spent hours analysing videos of great players, trying to understand exactly why they moved the way they did.
They say it takes 10,000 hours to master a craft. Since that first lesson in the back of the music shop, I’ve spent over a decade clocking those hours, working closely with thousands of private students in an effort to find the most effective way to learn the guitar. Guitar Nutrition is my attempt to share the tools and strategies I’ve developed so far with the wider guitar community. This isn’t the only way to approach learning the guitar. But, these are the mindsets and strategies I’ve found consistently produce the best results.