About Student of Guitar

My name is Harrison and I created Student of Guitar to share everything I'm learning about guitar.

I first started learning a musical instrument at age nine. Around that age I went on a school field trip to watch a luthier make a violin, and the experience convinced me I wanted to become a violinist, so I sold my mom on letting me take lessons. Three years later, after not enjoying violin lessons very much, I picked up my sister's guitar. Once I started playing the guitar I knew it was the instrument for me, and I have played ever since.

I've taken lessons from three different teachers and led worship at my high school, my college club and my local church. I'm not a guitar expert or a virtuoso, but I really enjoy playing, and I hope this website helps you in your own guitar journey.

Founder

Harrison Alley

Student of Guitar was the first site Harrison built. In 2021 he left a career in finance to run publishing businesses full time, after learning how display advertising could support a site while helping his wife, Jasmine, grow her travel blog. The guitar site came first; the lessons from building it led to FictionLit and the rest of the group.

"One year later, the income from display ads was greater than the salary at my job."

He is candid about the risk of paying writers before a site has an audience. "It's always scary when you're investing money upfront," he told Google, which profiled FictionLit in 2023 as an example of a small publisher building a real readership. Read the Google for Publishers story.

Our writers

Most articles are written by David, a senior editor at Ultimate Guitar, and Irene, a former rhythm guitarist and vocalist, alongside Harrison and a few regular contributors. Each writer's own profiles are linked from their author page.

Who publishes Student of Guitar

Student of Guitar is published by The Ordinary Trade Pty Ltd, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia. The site is supported by advertising and some affiliate links; see our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.