Hi, I’m Bob Hooper, guitarist, and welcome to my website. I’m here in my ‘About me’ page to chat to you about myself and all things guitar.
Early on
I was born in Wales where I taught myself to play the guitar in my early teens by listening to the recordings of the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, The Hollies, The Animals and The Kinks – to name but a few.
I’ve a great passion and love for the guitar – right from the early days I practiced many hours each day and within a few years I was playing in local rock bands. So you see, if you have the passion and the dedication to practice hard, then you can achieve your dreams.
The guitar is so versatile too – I’ve learned many different styles that go down a storm at parties, be it Rock, Classical, Celtic, Blues, Ragtime and so much more. It really touches the hearts of people and has given me years of enjoyment.
So, after a few years I had already travelled extensively to many European countries – often busking by day and performing in bars and clubs at night. It was exciting times and my travels took me to many interesting places – from Amsterdam to Copenhagen, Paris to Berlin, Munich to Geneva.
Flamenco Guitar
Then I discovered Flamenco Guitar. I was at my uncle’s house, he himself was a jazz guitarist, and ever interested in whatever music was around, I happened upon a vinyl LP with this amazing flamenco guitar playing. I was instantly inspired.
I first studied Flamenco guitar with the very gifted concert guitarist, Philip John Lee, who has sadly since passed. Then briefly with Juan Martin, and later still studied with the world-renowned maestro, Paco Peña, at his master classes in Cordoba, Spain. Paco Peña still performs with his Flamenco Dance Company and you can get a wonderful feel for the music at his shows. I recommend attending as many live music performances as possible to get into the scene and build on your knowledge.
The Wonderful World of the Guitar
As I’ve a great thirst for the guitar, I’ve studied many other styles including Classical, Latin-American, Ragtime and Blues. So later I began travelling again, performing as a solo instrumentalist in many parts of the world, including Kenya, Canada, California, Dubai, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, France and Italy.
I’ve now amassed over 60 videos which can guide you on the many different styles you can play. What do you enjoy? Why not contact me to say what you’d like more of. So I’ve got:
What I’m doing now
I’m now based in London and teach guitar at my home studio and globally via Skype. It’s so much fun chatting to people live from Canada, France, Scotland, The USA, Holland and Germany – they all have great stories to tell.
Of course, I love playing and continue to perform regularly at a variety of events and weddings throughout the UK.
I also enjoy helping people to buy their first guitar, their professional guitar and often their forever guitar. It’s such a personal thing, but it’s also essential that you spot the deficiencies and attributes of any instrument – is the neck right, is the construction true, are the electrics sound? … as well as an eye for a bargain – and that all takes years of experience. I’ve checked out hundreds of guitars in my time and love to play each and every one – they’re all so individual, but only a few shine out, whether they be a few hundred pounds or a few thousand pounds.
Most of all though, I hope that you enjoy listening to my videos and are inspired to develop your skills or begin to listen to live guitar music.
Enjoy