Hello, fellow guitar nerd

Stairway Denied is a collection of guitar lessons, transcriptions, videos and miscellany for off-the-beaten-track songs and bands. After all, the world doesn’t need yet another transcription of Enter Sandman.

Mostly it’s an excuse for me to nerd out about the less well-known music that has inspired me to play guitar for nearly 30 years. Bands like Hum, Chavez, Jawbox, Helmet, Shiner, Burning Airlines, and Barkmarket. The focus is 1990s and early 2000s alternative rock. It’s what I grew up with, and it’s an era that’s filled with underrated and overlooked guitarists. As I settle into middle age you might see some blues and 1970s or 80s rock too.

Whether these songs are old favourites for you too, or you’re discovering them for the first time, I hope you find this stuff interesting or inspiring or… something. Go impress guitar shop employees and patrons alike with something they don’t hear every day.