[2] He then became a pupil of Madame Sidney Pratten (1821–1895) who provided him with scores and became the first publisher of his compositions.
In the United Kingdom, his playing remained unsurpassed until the emergence of Julian Bream in the late 1940s.
Shand made his living mainly from acting in music halls, and only late in life was persuaded by his wife and friends to take up the guitar professionally.
During one of his tours, he was apparently attacked by an aggrieved Russian and sustained severe injuries that affected him for the rest of his life.
"All of these compositions are filled with unbridled individualism; lyrical pieces that are peppered with the suggestion of song.