John MacPherson Allan

John MacPherson Allan is a professional guitarist with over 45 years of performing experience and a thriving teaching practice based in Sydney, Australia, where he teaches guitar and bass to students of all ages and levels. Drawing on decades of life as a working musician — the stages, the students, the nerves, the breakthroughs, and everything in between — he brings a rare combination of hard-won experience and genuine warmth to everything he writes and teaches.

His books span genres and audiences. Mind, Music & Practice is a practical guide for musicians on mindset, performance, and inner calm — drawing on his own long meditation practice and decades on stage. Mia and the Missing Note and its sequel Mia Unplugged follow a young girl's musical journey — four years on, a little older and a lot more determined — bringing the joy and challenges of learning music to life for young readers. Who Taught Your Heroes is written for guitar players — especially those just starting out — and explores the teachers, mentors, and pivotal moments behind the guitarists who inspire us, reminding young players that every hero had someone who believed in them first.

When he's not teaching or writing, John designs the Play Guitar Forever t-shirt range — dark, moody, skull-and-music designs for guitarists who wear their passion on their sleeve.

John lives and works in Sydney, where he continues to perform, teach, and write.