Welcome to the site of the Headless Guitar Player.
I help guitarists learn the iconic parts from the artists who defined 80’s indie and post-punk – Johnny Marr, John Squire, Peter Buck, and others from that golden era.
What sets my lessons apart is the detective work. I don’t just play what sounds right; I study live footage, video clips, and isolated tracks to transcribe these parts as accurately as possible. Then I recreate the backing tracks so you can practice in context.
What I Create
Every lesson follows the same structure: a full playthrough, followed by detailed section-by-section breakdowns where the techniques, voicings, and nuances that make each part distinctive are explained. Each section is played at full speed and half speed with camera angles for left hand, right hand and a full wide shot.
I usually focus on how these songs are played live – acknowledging that studio recordings often feature overdubs and layers that aren’t practical for a single guitarist.
How It Works
New lessons are released to Patreon supporters first, who receive:
- Immediate access to the full lesson
- Guitar Pro files and professionally formatted PDF tabs
- Custom backing tracks for practice
Non-supporters can access the full lessons on YouTube 7-10 days after release. My older content, including tabs on Ultimate Guitar, remains freely available.
Browse the Guitar Players page to see lessons organised by artist, or visit the Tablature page for a complete list of available tabs.
Who Am I?
I’m Adam. I started playing guitar in the 1980s, completely absorbed by the jangly, angular, and atmospheric sounds coming from bands like The Smiths, R.E.M, and The Stone Roses.
These weren’t guitar heroes in the traditional sense – no flashy solos or shredding. Instead, they created distinctive textures and memorable riffs that defined a generation. That’s what I’m preserving here: the craft of guitarists who made every note count.
This is a spare-time passion project, but one I take seriously. If you’d like to support the work and help me continue creating accurate, detailed lessons, I’d be grateful to have you as a Patreon supporter.
HGP 