Professional Guitarist
For over a decade, I have been performing, composing and studying guitar in numerous music styles and genres. Ever since I first got to take guitar classes in middle school, my love for the instrument and drive to learn has led me to the University of Arkansas, where I trained to become a professional guitarist. Among the many styles that I have played in, my favorites are Jazz, Country and Rock genres.
Classical and Jazz Theory
I believe that regardless of however menial it may seem to most others, music theory is inevitably part of a musician’s life. Even more so for the accompanist, who needs to know about harmony and chord melody, improvisation and form. These concepts not only teach technical and practical knowledge to the student but they also teach patience and critical thinking. I’ve always said that learning to read and understand music on a page is like learning another language, the nuances and meaning behind every note and measure on a page can change the piece drastically.
During my four years as a music student at the University of Arkansas, I was classically trained in music theory and trained by my guitar professor in jazz theory and improvisation. My training was taken directly from my guitar instructors training at the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. We covered many concepts such as improvisation, which includes chord-scale relationships and structuring a solo. Another concept we over accompanying a solo, including drop chords, suspended harmony, and 2-5-1 relationships.
