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The Sean Clancy School of Modern Guitar
Who is Sean Clancy
Hi there - I'm Sean Clancy - your future Guitar Teacher!
I grew up in Foxton, New Zealand. My nana signed me up for piano lessons from the age of 10 - but I was ashamed to let anybody at school find out about it. However, there was a fender telecaster just lying around where I lived and I started learning some of the notes and then began transporting my piano pieces to the guitar. I started listening and learning a lot of music including Dire Straits, Lionel Richie, The Eagles, ACDC, Ritchie Blackmore and Van Halen, and then I discovered Yngwie Malmsteen and my shred years began. I'm sure I would have progressed faster under a good teacher, but as I had nobody to learn from (thanks Foxton for being a musical wasteland) I now recognize all the pitfalls and shortcuts when I teach my students. When I was 16, I had sweep picking down, all my modal theory down - all thanks to Guitar Player Magazine.
I eventually moved to Auckland, where I really got into practicing. I would get up at 9am and practice until 11:30 at night, stopping only to make a pot of porridge and eat it for 6 minutes - going back to into the woodshed before I lost my train of thought. I joined my first band and then I discovered that there's more to playing in a band or session than practicing in your woodshed!
While I was at one music festival, when I was 19, I was invited to tour around the with a band to the colleges and schools in NZ. After playing the concert, we would split up and give clinics to the students interested in each instrument.
After I had created my first recording "Clancy by Candlelight"and playing with a band or two in Auckland, I moved to Tauranga (more bands), and then it was down to Wellington where I played with a couple of other bands. I played my first well paid session for some guys who were doing an advert for the warriors who were a new rugby league team at the time. It downed on me that there may be a way of living off music. So I started professionally teaching. I was teaching at schools and privately, when I was invited to tour the world with the Rock Opera "No Longer Music".
I started doing clinics in Poland and Asia. When I came back to NZ, I entered a Television Talent competition on a whim and you can see these videos on the lesson home page.
I played in countless bands since then, won a number of competitions, did 2 years at the New Zealand School of Jazz, taught some famous people, all the while absorbing everything I can so I can give it to you!
I want to only invest in teaching students with a certain cut-off limit of numbers. This way I can really focus on you so you become the best player you can be!