darryl syms music
I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13, with no prior experience on any other
instrument. I lived in the UK at this time, and was inspired by my former guitar
teacher to take up the instrument. I was very lucky to be guided in talented
hands, and continuously inspired and challenged to strive for success as a
musician. I remember taking every opportunity outside of school classes to hang
out and watch my teacher and his best students, I found it memorising and
inspiring. Within the first couple years of playing I was sure that I wanted to
pursue music as a career. Through my teen-hood I would be practicing anywhere up
to 10hrs a day, taking my guitar everywhere that I went. I did this for nothing
more than the enjoyment it gave me. Around 16 during the early growth of YouTube
I felt inspired to get my hands on a camera. For a few years I had to pinch my
parents in secret (sorry Dad) since I couldn’t afford my own. I quickly grew to
enjoy the art of video production, which compliments audio production like sand
does the ocean. I posted a handful of YouTube videos at the time but I was
extremely self critical and scared of what others might think, so it was never
long before I took the videos down and re-did them over and over. It took me a
few years to get over the barrier of self-confidence, and when I eventually
began to accept myself for who I was I would post very occasional videos and
considered my YouTube channel to be a portfolio of my own achievements. This
“portfolio” didn’t receive much recognition at all, but it helped greatly when I
decided to create a website and advertise for guitar lessons in my city. I
quickly became quite established as a guitar teacher because unlike 99% of other
teachers, I had video proof that I could play guitar and people found that
inspiring. As adulthood approached me I was lucky enough to have a range of
career opportunities to choose from, but my heart was always set on playing the
guitar as a career, somehow. This was understandably a bit disappointing for my
family because they saw my academic potential and hoped that I would strive for
a more “reliable” and “stable” career. It certainly would have been easier that
way in some regards, but I took the hard route because I just can’t resist a
good challenge and I saw no alternatives to my primary passion. Teaching seemed
like the easiest and most accessible way to make money, but as a newbie on the
scene it wasn’t nearly enough for me to buy a car, pay rent, and endure the
costly life of an adult. I took a job in retail and booked my guitar students
around that. Cycling was my method of commuting everywhere, and cycling through
steep hilly terrain on a single-speed bike with a guitar on your back is no fun,
trust me.. but it had to be done! Despite the challenges, I worked incredibly
hard to deliver the best job that I could to my students. After years of
perseverance I finally had enough students to quit retail, and I had a car which
saved so much time on transport. With the extra time I could reinvest it into my
own practice, and create YouTube videos again… oh and surfing. Whilst I’d love
to talk all about my surfing experience/career, you’re not here for that so
let’s just say that for a few years hereafter I was just cruisin’. During this
time I also worked in two high schools as a guitar teacher. In 2018 one of my
YouTube videos got significantly more exposure than usual, and consequently I
quickly reached 1000 subscribers – this was an incredible achievement for me!
“Making it” on YouTube was always a ridiculously farfetched dream of mine, but
it was at this point that I realised that – maybe it doesn’t have to be a dream.
Fast forward to now, my YouTube channel has over 35,000 subscribers and over
3,000,000 views! I’ve created my own successful online guitar school with
students across 60+ countries, worked and collaborated with a number of industry
leading brands, and done session work for a mixture of clients both live and in
studio. It’s been a tough ride, but a fun one!
