About Rhayn

I started classical guitar at 21

Everyone told me I had left it too late. That serious players begin at seven or eight, and that adult beginners never reach a professional level.

I did not accept that.

Two decades later I hold a Masters in Music, I have taught at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, contributed to Classical Guitar Magazine articles, and I have played the pieces I was told I would never play: the Chaconne, all twelve Villa-Lobos études, Leyenda, Recuerdos de la Alhambra, and many more. The reason it worked was not talent. It was having a system.

The Micro Study System

That system is the Micro Study System — advanced repertoire broken into precisely sequenced micro studies that isolate one specific technical challenge at a time: one bar, one interval, one voice. Every micro study produces a measurable outcome — bars 1–8 of Recuerdos at 80bpm with consistent right-hand tone, not a vague instruction to "improve your tremolo." Classical Guitar Rocks, my YouTube channel, has published over 530 lessons built on this method, and it has helped thousands of guitarists learn the pieces they thought unreachable.

Training & credentials

I began classical guitar at 21 under Neil Smith, then studied with Tom Kerstens and James Woodrow at Bath Spa University, and John Mills and Eleftheria Kotzia at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

My academic training includes:

• a BA (Hons) in Music from Bath Spa University (2002)
• a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance from RWCMD (2003)
• and a Masters in Music — Music, Culture & Politics — from Cardiff University (2005) where my dissertation examined hybridity in the music of Leo Brouwer

In 2002 I earned a certificate in 20th-century composition directly under Leo Brouwer at the Córdoba Guitar Festival, and my playing has been shaped by many masterclasses, most notably with Gary Ryan, Craig Ogden, and David Liesner. My early music research runs alongside this: Renaissance lute under Dr. Matthew Spring and Matthew Nisbet, and continuo under Dr. Andrew Wilson-Dickson.

• Masters in Music (Music, Culture & Politics)
• Former Area Leader for Classical Guitar, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD)
• Freelance contributor, Classical Guitar Magazine
• Creator of the Micro Study System
• 530+ lessons on YouTube · rhaynjooste.co.uk

Teaching & examining

I spent five years as Area Leader and Classical Guitar Specialist for the Junior Conservatoire at RWCMD, and designed the guitar curriculum for the Vale of Glamorgan's Adult Education service. From 2009 I served four years as an international examiner for Rockschool (RSL Awards).

Currently I work as a Music Practitioner for Bristol Beacon, leading sessions in Whole Class Ensemble Teaching in ukulele and djembe alongside one-to-one tuition, and have served as Workshop Leader and Music Director for Bristol Beacon events including the WCET Class Concerts (2025) and Earthsong Start Playing Celebration (2026).

Performance & writing

My classical and early music performances range from a professional debut at the Bath Assembly Rooms to lute engagements with the Rondo Theatre Company. I have also toured as bassist for the Celtic-goth rock band Bluehorses — headlining the Cambridge Rock Festival and Solfest — and spent two years writing and recording bass for the South Wales rock outfit Sankara, contributing to an EP and full-length album that received global airplay. As a writer, I am a freelance contributor, having written articles for Classical Guitar Magazine and Bass Musician Magazine, alongside independent academic research on Caribbean & Cuban music. I am the Guitar Editor for the Classical Guitar Rocks platform, where most of my current articles reside.

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