STARTING to play the piano at the age of eight ensured that Matt Bramhall’s piano career would strike the right note.

From small beginnings, Matt has carved out a musical life that sees him traverse the world… and being back at home in Tweedbank is a welcome respite.

Matt plays the piano and has just returned from performing at the Follies Bergere in Paris, providing the soundtrack for The Illusionists stage show.

After switching from education and teaching piano, Matt is best described as a freelance musician, strengthening the argument, too, that who you know is better than what you know.

“I have made many friends and contacts, who are consistently on the telephone asking me if I am available to play… from Glastonbury and Moscow, Paris to Berlin, and later this year Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“It is an exciting challenge and I see lots of different countries.

"But it is not all glamour. You do not always see many of the places you visit except the music halls and concert venues.”

Nevertheless, it is a job he would not swap as music has become a way of life, and there is always the option of going back to teaching.

There is also perhaps the less glamorous side of the music business… rehearsals.

But it all started when he went about setting up contacts, whom he could rely on, and they rely on him. Sometimes, he has the unenviable decision of ‘taking on’ work when another option may come along and it is too late for a change of mind.

Now, after an inconsistent period, Matt is going on tour, which means being away from his wife Charlotte, who is also involved in the music field, and new baby Eva.

First, of course, was a New Year concert in London, where he spent six years.

Paris, where he played in ‘The Illusionists’, is followed by Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Moscow, and many other theatres in between and beyond.

Matt has come a long way since he started taking piano lessons at the age of eight. He attended a Music Academy in Birmingham, where he ultimately decided to make music his career.

He put his head down and worked hard to the point that he has reached today, jetting around the world.

As a ‘working musician’ – many just aspire to that watching concerts and shows on television – Matt has carved out a career, which is undoubtedly daunting, but also exciting.

To come back to home allows the family to raise a family far away from the hustle and bustle of London, yet modern technology allows him to fulfil his ambitions.

Playing music for others around the world ensures that life is never dull in the Bramhall world.

Matt is taking on new piano students; so if you are looking to learn the piano then he can be contacted through his web-site: www.mattbramhall.co.uk