In memory of a wonderful man

I met Patrick Bashford (1929-2011) when I started to learn classical guitar at school. The love of the instrument that he expressed was an inspiration to me from the first lesson. As I became a more competent player, I realised that as much as he loved the guitar, his real devotion was to musical expression, and that he would never be satisfied by mere correct playing of the notes; he would encourage each student to discover an interpretation that balanced musical understanding and emotional content. He started me off as a teacher of classical guitar by suggesting  I take over some of his duties when the popularity of the instrument in the early 1970s led to a surge in demand for guitar lessons. I had always been aware that he had a great gift for teaching, but at this stage I was able to appreciate how creative his approach was. When we discussed a technical problem that a student was experiencing, he would delight in exploring that difficulty and coming up with a unique exercise that addressed it. Sometimes these exercise were of such worth that they were incorporated into the general programme for all students, while others were so specifically tuned to a particular problem that they would only get used to overcome that particular stumbling block.

I was privileged to be able to get to know Patrick well enough to count him as a friend as well as a teacher and colleague. He was warm and generous, had incredible charisma and masses of charm. He threw open the door to music for me, and, through his decency, kindness and humanity, also taught me a huge amount about life and how to live it.