Guitar Lessons in Santa Rosa, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Clarinet Bass Guitar Organ Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Double Bass Keyboard Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
This almost an impossible question as I enjoy playing in many genres. I would have to say that I like best the contemporary Lutheran church music that has roots in tradition and classical music but also allows me to incorporate all the genres I like such as European-American folk music as well as many world folk and ethnic musics. I love bluegrass and old country-rock, Latin, soul, gospel, bossa nova, Western swing, polka and gypsy jazz and enjoy incorporating all of these, when appropriate, to service music.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
I added clarinet because I loved the sound and admired players such as Sidney Bechet, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Pete Fountain. The clarinet appeared, to me at age ten to be an instrument that fitted a variety of styles. At this point my goal was to be a college professor that played in the local orchestra and had a Dixieland jazz band on the side. I added bass (double and electric) in high school because that would allow me to play in stage band. Out of high school I added guitar so that I could accompany myself in singing. Later adding mandolin, recorder, darbuka, tar and dobro because I love music instruments.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Yes, music runs in my family. On my father’s side my great-grandmother used to play piano for silent movies and my grandfather played violin and saxophone in a polka/dance band in Minnesota. My grandmother on my mother’s side played piano for Sunday School and at around age sixty-five decided to learn to play guitar. Both of my parents played music but only at a level for entertainment at home. Some of the best times I remember is when all the grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins would get together play music in association with holidays and family celebrations.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I avoided being a professional musician because, as my parents, grandfather and great-grandmother would say, “Music is a good hobby but not good work.” So I tried other occupations until I was in my early thirties. At that time I had a series of crisis in my life that included an ending of a relationship two weeks before the wedding and my gardening business was failing. At that point I was making enough as a bass player to support myself and so decided to be a professional musician. After making that decision I was offered a position as a church pianist and to teach at a local music store.

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