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 too ashamed to let anybody at school know 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 over 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 worked hard to get good with no teacher (thanks Foxton for being a musical wasteland) I now recognize all the possible pitfalls and shortcuts I come across when teaching 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 in 6 minutes, then 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 work than practicing in your woodshed!
While I was at one music festival, 19 years of age, I was invited to tour in a band around the country to all 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 played 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 dawned on me that there may be a way of living off music. So I did a business course and started professionally teaching. I was teaching privately and at schools, when I was invited to tour the world with the Rock Opera "No Longer Music".
During the tour 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 a smaller amount of students. This way I can really focus on you so you become the best player you can be!