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Renowned around the globe for his fingerstyle guitar interpretations of film, TV and video game scores, Paisley’s own Callum McGaw takes us inside his acclaimed online operation.
How did uploading guitar videos progress from a hobby to a career? I never actually started my YouTube channel to make money, it was just an avenue to use my talents. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 11 and my first videos were just standard tutorials but eventually, I began thinking ‘I like the Breaking Bad theme tune, why don’t I record that?’ After that video got 300 views, I was quite pleased. Suddenly, it was into the thousands and that gave me the confidence to begin uploading every week. Once some videos were reaching around 200,000 views, it just snowballed. Finding my niche really helped, especially with YouTube, as you’re always better off playing to your audience rather than chasing views. What’s the process behind reimagining a piece of music from film, games or TV? I adapt every song by ear and they’re all original arrangements, it’s never a case of copying it. It took a lot of work to get to that stage, but it’s really paid off. Plus, I’m always looking to improve the production values of my videos. I like them to be as cinematic as possible. How does it feel to have nurtured a global audience while based in Renfrewshire? It’s pretty bizarre that this is my job and I can do this from my house, 66 MILL
Q&A FAVOURITE FILM COMPOSERS? Tom Newman and Joe Hisaishi. DO YOU OFFER LESSONS? Yes, I’m hoping to get back to face-to-face tutoring very soon. I love passing on skills to those who want to learn. ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO TOUR? Yes, definitely. I’m nervous about doing it, but I’m sure it’ll be fine once I get going. TIPS FOR ASPIRING YOUTUBERS? Use all the free tools to your advantage and don’t worry what anyone has to say about what you’re making.
particularly as my biggest cities in terms of engagement are like Jakarta, Indonesia, Sydney, Australia and Sao Paulo, Brazil. I never thought I’d be making music that would get out this far and it’s a strange feeling, but I love seeing all the comments that are like ‘come play India’ as I’d love to! (laughs). What are your goals for the future? My dream is to write music for film and TV, but I know I’ve got a while to go before I get there. It’s just a case of building a portfolio and proving that I’ve got the skills. For now, I’m just savouring being my own boss across streaming services and YouTube. It’s certainly daunting, but pursuing this full-time is easily the best decision I’ve ever made. To keep up with all things Callum, visit callummcgaw.com
