Newton Faulkner supported by Charlie Winston

Sam Netwon supported by Charlie Winston.

Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner is an English musician. He is known for his guitar playing style, which involves him rhythmically tapping and hitting the guitar's body, and finger-picking.

Faulkner began playing guitar at the age of 11-12 with session guitarist Bob “crazy guy” Cranham and also attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, where he spent 2 years gaining both diploma and the higher diploma award under the tutelage of Eric Roche.

Eric Roche is undoubtedly one of Newton’s biggest influences, both from a stylistic point of view (vis a vis the percussive use of the guitar’s body) and through the use of tapping, uncommon tunings and inventive chord changes, such as in I Need Something and Aging Superhero, from his debut album. This method of playing also shows heavily in the work of Jon Gomm and Pete Wailes, although with a slightly different feel in both.