A REDDITCH musician is thought to be one of the youngest in the country to pass his Grade 5 electric guitar exam.

Nine-year-old William Lane received a pass with merit in the exam, equivalent to GCSE level, only two and a half years after picking up the instrument for the very first time.

There is no rest for the young virtuoso though as he is already practising for his Grade 6 exam.

His guitar tutor Victor Nicholson said: "William is a one off, an anomaly that only comes along once in a while. I've never had a student this young, achieve as much as he has.

"William has bags of natural talent, but this will only get a player so far. The rest is through hard work and lots of practise.

"If he continues to progress at this rate who knows what the future holds. I am really lucky to have this young man as a student."

William’s dad Peter Lane said: “He is just brilliant, he has a natural talent and has committed himself every day to practice his grade pieces.

"He loves the guitar and has a great tutor who William really gets on with. He has been having lessons every week since he was seven, we are really proud of him."

He added that when William has just been treated to a new Fender acoustic guitar as a reward for working so hard towards passing the exam.