Guitar Teaching      

If you want to study guitar with me that is cool. Here is more information:  

I believe in the basics. Music in general and the guitar specifically are many splendered things. Excellence beyond the basics and into artistry will be a personal journey for some. I am aware everyone is unique and ought to follow their interests carefully.

My first official teacher was Phil "Flip" Hayes. He was intensely into applied theory as well as the basics of reading and technique. He laid a great foundation and supplied much inspiration for a number of players from my area growing up. I could name a few you might know. Later, I studied with Paul Sweeney, Steve Brown, Lou Francovillo and a number of other guys at workshops and seminars. With the help of Tom Dempsey (ol' buddy ol' pal - former "flip et") I checked out Jody Fischer, Mike Stern, Steve Khan, Rodney Jones,  and on and on....good stuff indeed.

Teaching guitar has been a pleasure for me since I was 16 years old. This started officially in Binghamton at the Community Music Center. I was recommended by Al Hamme, who was then the head of the Music Department and Jazz Studies program at Binghamton University. He also mentored me along into the union rehearsal band and as a clinician/faculty at the Jazz at Harpur Summer Program. I also had a few guys I watched closely growing up. They were local to New York. Ask me about them sometime I will tell you. (David Torn by the way was always somehow out of reach.)