Guitar Lessons in Overland Park, KS

Instruments: Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Harmonica Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
It was an obvious choice to choose performance, as my passion was so deeply engrained in playing guitar. Of course other degree programs can be more financially lucrative, but having the experience and knowledge set that a degree in music affords is so much more precious to me. Through my studies, it has been like learning another language, and I have had many rewarding conversations and experiences with other musicians that would be rendered impossible if I didn’t have the level of skill and training that was afforded to me by studying music.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
It is so difficult to choose just one, but I will soon have the opportunity to play “Spain” by Chick Corea, which I’ve loved for many years. I first heard a version of the piece played by a guitarist, Bireli Lagrene, and it simply blew me away. The head of the piece has some very challenging parts, and especially so for a guitarist because of some awkward fingerings. I have developed exercises specific to some of those to get to a point where I feel comfortable playing it. I will admit I am a bit nervous to perform it, but I feel confident that my practicing has prepared me to have an enjoyable performance.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
Before I picked up the guitar, I was most attracted to a career in medicine, specifically surgery. My father is a physician, and I was always exposed to the world of medicine. My family has a pretty strong background in science, and I feel I claimed the roll of a scientist, but of a sonic variety. The mathematical mind needed for medicine and music have a lot of overlap, and I have heard of a number of music students that went on to pursue a career in medicine. My father’s first choice in a career was music, but he went into medicine instead, so I have always had my family’s graces to fulfill my love for music.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
This is a really challenging question, as I have had my hands in a lot of different genres throughout the years. My initial stages were of rock and roll, and I don’t think that will ever leave my heart, but after studying jazz for years, my personal style has integrated a lot of those harmonies into my playing. I don’t like to use the term fusion for my guitar playing, but I would say my approach to guitar playing is a synthesis of hard rock with jazz sensibilities. Additionally, I have played acoustic guitar about as much as electric, making this question all the more difficult to answer.

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