Guitar Nine Columns: Guitarists and Bands

Melodic Songwriting Meets Intense Guitar Riffs

Broadening The Appeal Of Instrumental Rock

Bassist, Drummer Combine With Fusion Greats

Professional Guitarist Plans Progressive Instrumental CD

Instrumental Guitarist Readies New Release

Maniacal Instrumental Madness With An Elfin Flavor

Fusion Guitarist Expands Reach

Electrifying, Emotional Blues-Rock Instrumental Music

Crunchy Riffs, Infectious Guitar-Laden Grooves

Dedicated To Great Progressive Instrumental Music

Instrumental Blues, Funk & Jazz

Texas Blues... From Wyoming

Promoting A Better Appreciation Of The Versatility Of Flamenco

Aggressive, Unorthodox Fingerstyle Wins Fans

Visually Evokative Instrumental Music

Singer-Songwriter Offers Guitar-Soaked Release

Jazz Instructor Leads By Example

Melodic And Cheery Acoustic Fingerstyle

Improvisational Instrumental Guitar

Contemporary Acoustic/Electric Instrumentals

Electronic Music For Guitar And Guitar Synth

New Caledonian GIT Graduate Goes Instrumental

French Instrumentalist Signs Deal For New CD

Busy Guitarist Keeps The Releases Coming

Electrifying Live Performer Offers Instrumental Work

I have done interviews with quite a few leading Japanese and European magazines. My experience with them has been very positive. As far as US magazines are concerned, it is hard for me to say how they are handling guitar-oriented music, because I haven`t dealt with them much in the past. There just doesn`t seem to be that much of a market for insturmental music in the US as there is overseas.

We`re definitely going to do another album this year. We`ve got a couple of concepts we`re throwing around. It will be an instrumental album. We`re ready to do that again ourselves. Like I said, we`re extremely proud of "Under The Lash Of Gravity" and we`re doing everything we can to get it out there. Initially, instrumental guitar fans didn`t buy it. But if they give it a chance, it does grow on you.

Don`t get jealous. Don`t put other people down for their playing. You have to concentrate on what you want to do and study and appreciate the works of other people. Don`t rip off works of your friends, take a little from them and add some originality. I have found that the people who take ideas and riffs from others blatantly without giving credit are usually mediocre musicians and writers.

Transcribing is difficult work that takes a lot of concentration--I usually use headphones and I use a switching box which allows me to hear the right or left channel only through both sides of the headphones. This helps when trying to zero in on a particular guitar part. A thorough knowledge of music notation is mandatory also.

I think the stylistic variety comes from the fact that I love so many different kinds of music and I`ve played with a lot of different kinds of artists. I`ve played with a salsa band, a blues band, numerous pop bands, and an avant-garde jammy classical-jazz band.

I wanted to record this album as a band. The intensity and energy you get from recording as a band is far superior than to that of using hired guns. Being very influenced by bands like Dream Theater, Symphony X etc., I wanted the new material to be more aggressive and somewhat progressive, however still keeping everything very melodic.

Jazz Guitarist Releases Second CD

Blues Surf/Rock Trio

Textural Guitar Backs Dramatic Vocals

Vibrant, Creative, Thinking Man's Fusion

Pure Solo Fingerstyle Guitar

Spacey Jam Rock

Fiery Instrumental Rock Fueled By Latin Beats

An Acoustically Brilliant New Beginning

Searing, Yet Soulful Blues

Telling His Life's Story With The Guitar

17 Year Old Finnish Dude Does The Demo Deal