GUITARIST Ace from legendary rock band Skunk Anansie counts playing for the Dalai Lama and headlining at Glastonbury among his career highlights.

But after more than 20 years of globetrotting he has returned to his old stomping ground – as a teacher at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance.

The guitarist, whose real name is Martin Kent, picked the institute, in Dyne Road, just off Kilburn High Road, as his venue of choice because he used to live nearby.

He told the New Journal he wanted to pass on his skills in an “old-fashioned way”, adding: “It’s an organic process, training people to play by ear so they can improvise and play their unique way rather than it being like it came out of a box in a factory. 

“In theory, at the beginning they can play absolutely nothing, but will go on to being able to play in a band, able to play anything.”

Skunk Anansie, who have toured with U2, Lenny Kravitz and Aerosmith, formed in King’s Cross in 1994. Their first gig was at the Splash Club, at the Water Rats Theatre, in Gray’s Inn Roads.

With major hits such as Weak, Charity and Hedonism, the group performed at Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday concert in Johannesburg in 1998. The four-piece band – who take their name from a spider man in a Ghanaian folk tale – are still going strong, recently completing an acoustic tour of Europe. 

As a self-taught musician himself, Ace said he found it really “rewarding” seeing someone who has never picked up a guitar before strumming along to a song an hour later.

“I taught myself to play guitar with no lessons, and I found that if I teach people my method, they pick it up really easily,” he said.

The new course will have tutors on hand to teach youngsters skills in bass, drums, guitars and vocals, opening the centre up to those aged 12 to 18 for the first time. After mastering their individual parts, students will play together each week as a band. 

Beginning on September 27, the course is made of 10-week terms with lessons on Saturdays. 

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance is widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading schools of modern music, according to its website.