 Drake's attention to his studies deteriorated and, although he had accelerated a year in Eagle House, at Marlborough he neglected his studies in favour of music.In 1963 he attained seven GCE O-Levels, fewer than his teachers had been expecting, failing "Physics with Chemistry".In 1965, Drake paid £13 () for his first acoustic guitar, a Levin, and was soon experimenting with open tuning and finger-picking techniques.