The Guitar Institute employs some of the finest teachers, tutors and professional musicians for a wide range of courses, lessons and training. Click on the photos below to read more about the guitar teachers and tutors who will be teaching and training you!

The Institute also counts exclusively on a number of professional guitarists and academics who regularly drop in. Click here to see members of our visiting faculty!

Pete Whittard
School Director
Pete has worked in a variety of situations from writing library, film & TV music, to live radio and TV broadcasts. His band The Counterfeit Stones have played all over the world opening for acts as diverse as Bryan Adams, Mark Knopfler, Lou Reed, & Blur.

Iain Scott
Head of Guitar
Iain Scott has been a professional session guitarist and guitar teacher for over twenty five years. Iain's varied career has included working with Brian Wilson of the Beachboys and playing in the LA based band Afterburner with Frank Gambale.

Charlie Griffiths
Charlie has worked in a variety of professional situations including radio, tv, numerous sessions and hundreds of gigs. He teaches on all the guitar courses at the Institute, specialising in advanced rock & metal concepts. Charlie is also a contributor for Total Guitar and Guitar Techniques magazines.

Phil Capone
Phil gained extensive touring and recording experience during the early 80s with The Mobiles which was followed by a stint as a session guitarist for Arista records. Phil has been fortunate to work with many respected artists including Maggie Bell, Beverly Martin, Jason Bonham, Wilko Johnson and Jim Mullen.

Dario Cortese
Dario has more than 15 years of experience as a gigging guitarist and a guitar teacher. After graduating from CPM in Milan, Dario participated with amazing achievement in guitar masterclasses by Frank Gambale, Maurizio Colonna, Ralph Towner, Steve Trovato, Richard Smith & Irio De Paula

Justin Sandercoe
Justin's experience as a guitar teacher stretches over 20 years in genres as diverse as rock, jazz & classical with celebrity guitar students such as the million-selling Katie Melua! He's performed at over 1000 gigs with The Counterfeit Stones, appeared on numerous live TV & radio shows, and writes with Katie Melua.

Lee Hodgson
Lee has toured with No.1 chart act Odyssey and Top 10 chart acts Bobby Thurston and George McRae, and has jammed with Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove. In addition to having performed thousands of gigs and recording sessions, Lee's columns have featured regularly in Guitar Techniques & Guitarist magazines

Martin Goulding
Martin covers a wide range of contemporary styles and has over a decades worth of live playing experience. He's one of West London's busiest private guitar teachers and has written for international best seller 'Guitar-A Complete Guide For The Player' and writes and produces for his band, Linearsphere.

Barry Langton
Barry specialises in teaching guitar Jazz Improvisation and has been earning his living as a guitarist for over twenty five years. A seasoned professional, he has worked with numerous recording artists around the world and is experienced in many aspects of music performance.

Tolis Zavaliaris
Tolis relocated from Greece to London in 2001 where he studied on the 3 year degree course here at the Institute (then known as the Guitar Institute). He has worked professionally as a guitarist with numerous artists for more than 10 years along with various famous Greek artists.

Max Milligan
Max has been a gigging guitarist since 1973 and has played many styles of music working in Cabaret Clubs, West End Musicals, Jazz Funk/Soul bands and Rock and Roll tours. He has written with UK singer songwriter Jayne Taylor (Liberty X, Sugababes) & recorded with John Verity (The Zombies, Phoenix)

Chris Newland
Hailing from the USA, Chris is a pro guitarist with over 20 years experience. After attending Berkeley, he immediately became a busy touring and recording guitarist, moving to these shores in 1992. Artists he has worked with include Caribbean Soca/Calypso artist Arrow, Sister Sledge, Odyssey & Mick Ronson

David Birnie
David has been playing the guitar for many years and has recorded for various projects including numerous Channel 4 documentaries and the movie 'Stoned'. He has toured Internationally as a guitarist for The Counterfeit Stones - the worlds most successful Rolling Stones tribute act.

Gianluca Corona
Sardinian guitarist Gianluca graduated from GIT in Los Angeles in 1993, where he studied with Scott Henderson, Joe Diorio, Norman Brown and Brett Garsed. He has played guitar for many top Italian artists, including singer Andrea Parodi, Israeli singer Noa and world famous guitarist Al Di Meola

David Holmes
David's guitar playing has been heard internationally in various settings, from concert to live television performances. The talent he has accompianied on-stage includes: Vanessa Mae, The Supremes, Brian May & Roger Taylor (Queen), Pete Townshend, The Bee Gees, Annie Lennox, Will Young & Lionel Richie

Dylan Kay
Dylan has studied with some of the world's finest jazz educators, including Mick Goodrick and Hal Crook. He's performed across the globe, leading his own contemporary jazz band, performing with numerous artists and working as musical director for US jazz singer Ellen O'Brien.

Andy Saphir
Andy has been gigging & teaching as a professional guitarist for 14 years. One of the UK country scene's top players, he has experience from small club gigs to major festivals. He's backed US singers, Michael Twitty and Alexa Hamilton, toured with US fiddle player/singer John Permenter (Clint Black) and has worked with bass player, Dave Swift (Jools Holland).

Ben Labi
Ben has graced the stages of many well known music venues around the world. Since graduating from GIT, he has worked with artists such as Ringo Starr and producer Mark Hudson. Ben has had experience as a recording artist with the Israeli band “Magefa” and as a published songwriter with Universal Music.

Guitar Visiting Faculty