I was born and raised in the Midwest. Attending the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, I received a B.S. in Computer Science. After
working in academia, a move to Chicago was in order. There, I worked
in corporate America at several large-scale computing sites, continuing to
exercise and build on my knowledge of all things Unix.
Having a persistent drive and determination to fulfill
musical aspirations, I moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music part-time
while keeping the computer skills sharp. I graduated in May 2006, having
majored in Guitar Performance. (Graduated with a 3.9 GPA - yeah baby.)
After school, I returned to Chicago and resumed a full-time I.T.
career at Chicago Trading Company while living in the city.
Got married in '07 to my wife Amanda and we moved to
the burbs in '08. In '09, I left full-time employment to form my
own music and guitar education company, which will feature
a comprehensive product line including books, CDs, DVDs,
classes, workshops, seminars, private instruction, software,
and online content-on-demand.
My hobbies and interests include poker, tutoring K-12 math, inline skating, ultimate
frisbee, doing guitar recording sessions for others, the occasional
video game, and songwriting.
I started playing guitar at the age of 14. My first teacher was Gary Gibson,
but my most influential teacher to this day was my second, Paul DePauw.
While Paul encouraged my interest in my favorite styles, he also broadened
my perspective, encouraging me to pursue sight reading, melody construction,
technical precision, improvisational abilities, music theory, and
a broad stylistic diversity.
I immersed myself in the
instrument from the outset, spending 20 or more hours every week
practicing and performing. My early musical roots are based in
80's heavy metal, but I quickly broadened my playing to include many styles.
(Classical, blues, funk, rock, country, jazz.) In the past 15 years, I
have performed guitar with over 40 different ensembles and/or bands.
The mainstay ensembles of my career have been Virtual Reality, Awkward
Silence, Legally Blind, and Radical Sun.
I continue to actively
play today, and I also write lessons, articles, and even a method book
series. Here are some shorter excerpts of my writings...
Sample of Lessons I've Written:
Chord changing mechanics
(Beginner)
Lateral Arpeggio Workout
(Advanced)
Sample of Articles I've Written:
Tuning with harmonics doesn't work!
Hard Changes, Easy Comping.
Minimal Practice - Maximum Results
