GUITAR BY GALEN
Letter to Potential Guitar/Music Students
Although known for the last 17 years as the guitarist for Lisa Rankin, and as a solo acoustic and jazz guitarist, my performing and teaching experience covers just about every style of music imaginable.
I have had much success as an instructor largely due to the fact that I teach the individual. No two guitarists are the same, and we each have different ways of learning. It’s one of the things that makes us unique in this world. One of my greatest joys in this life is helping other musicians reach their full potential (and hopefully expanding that potential). I’ve been very lucky and blessed to have been able to earn my living through playing the guitar. I started out quite young, and have had the pleasure of studying with and becoming friends with several of the great guitar masters.
With over 25 years of professional playing experience behind me, I still continue to enjoy studying the guitar as much today as I did the first day I picked it up.
The guitar has been very good to me. It’s an instrument that you “get to know” as you go. It has taken me all over this country and several others. Between countless hours as a studio musician, work in both television and radio, private and group instruction, combined with the fact that I normally perform over 250 gigs a year (I’ve actually performed over 450 dates in one year!), I have “gotten to know” the guitar quite well, and hope to know it alot better as time goes on. I look at every day as a new opportunity to learn, define and redefine my personal style.
If you are a serious student of the guitar or want to be, give me a call. I have relayed the following message to every student I’ve taught including the seminars and clinics I’ve conducted.
“Regardless if you’re on your first chord or delving into the worlds of improv and chord substitutions, bring who you are to the music, and the music will help you to become who and what you want to be. It doesn’t matter how far along you are on your musical path. We’ve all passed along (or will) that same point somewhere in time. So, never be afraid to seek out advice and knowledge, be it from me or someone else.
Remember to enjoy the path and the experience. The guitar can teach you a lot about life and most importantly it can be alot of fun.”
Listen to some of my guitar work.
