About
In the Beginning:
I grew up in the mid-west; Ohio, USA.
My earliest memories are my dad playing "Pop Goes the Weasel" and "Humoresque" on his violin and my Mom playing hymns at church on the piano. We never had much materially but we were "rich" with music.
I started playing the guitar first when I was seven. We had no money for music lessons but my dad bought a basic Kay guitar and two Mel Bay books for $20 at the music store. I didn't understand the books so the guitar sat in the corner of the living room for awhile. We had a nice stereo unit, radio; record player. My mom enjoyed the music of Eddie Arnold, Jim Reeves, Nat King Cole, German Polkas and the Classics. About the only music with any "beat" was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
One day, I was home sick from school. My mom went to pick up my home work from the teacher. Earlier that day, she had been playing a Herb Alpert album. The song, "Walk, Don't Run" was rolling around in my head. For some reason, I could "see" the music in my mind; that is, the direction of the notes. I put the record back on and picked up the guitar in the corner. In about fifteen minutes, I quickly figured out the main theme to the song while playing along with the record.
When mom came back with my school work, I said, "Hey, watch this!" Putting the recorded back on, I swiftly began playing along with the record. My mom dropped the books in amazement. Of course, I gave a "concert" for my father when he came home from work.
Playing along with the record was a big help in learning music. This is why I always included play along audio tracks with my arrangements. This system WORKS.
Later that week, I showed my neighbor friends "Walk Don't Run" as I played along with the Tijuana Brass record.
My buddy, Mike had a small reel to reel tape recorder, so, we played "Rock Star". He was my manager and another friend, Russ, was my recording engineer. Mike's little sister, Julie, was my go-go girl.
One sultry summer afternoon, we were on my front porch playing "Rock Star". I had worked up a neat two note riff on the lower bass string. The tape player was rolling, Russ was holding the microphone and Julie was dancing. It wasn't long before Russ's teenage sister, Marcella, came to tell her brother it was time to come home for dinner. Russ said, "Wait! Listen to this great 'song' Jay plays". So, we started our routine and I played my two note riff on the E string for Marcella.
When I finished she said (like a typical teen), "Well, it's 'ok', I guess", then added, "Can you play anything more than two notes?"
I was crushed, but she was right. There were a lot of extra frets on my guitar and I needed to find out what they were for. So, I started reading those two Mel Bay books my dad bought with the guitar. Oh, if only those books had a recording to listen or play along with! But there were no recordings, no CDs and definitely no videos. Now that I look back at all of this, it was probably a good thing I didn't have any audio or video recordings; this way I could develop my personal style.
We were too poor for regular music lessons. So, I took matters into my own hands; as I learned chords and songs in those books, I would give guitar lessons to my neighbor friends for a quarter. I would save the money. When I had two dollars, I would go to the local music store down the street and get a "real" guitar lesson. Then I would teach my students what I learned and keep reinvesting my earnings and knowledge.
The Growing Years:
My dad liked my guitar picking but really wanted me to learn the violin. I really hated that instrument. It was scratchy and was impossible to get it to sound good. The violin was a "sissy" instrument. All of my guy friends were playing the really "cool" instruments; the trumpet, drums, etc. I hated to walk home from school with the violin; only the girls had violins.
My violin lessons were free since they were part of my elementary school program. Violin class was in the basement of the building.
One day, I had a plan to get rid of that awful violin. During violin class, I watched the clock in anticipation. When violin class was finished, I threw the fiddle into the case but DIDN'T LATCH IT SHUT. So.... when I grabbed the handle to the case, I made a quick flip of the wrist and the violin twirled out and into the air making the most beautiful somersaults! At that moment, everything was in slow motion. The other girl students screamed, my teacher gasped in horror as the violin hit the cement floor very hard and literally exploded into a gazillion pieces!
While everyone was in shock over the event, I calmly, but quickly, picked up the pieces and threw them in the case, this time latching it securely and said (in great relief), "Well, I guess that's the end of violin lessons. It's been nice knowing y'all!" and went to my next class.
Shortly after that, my violin teacher called my mom and told her about the "accident".
Mom called dad.
When I got home from school, there were five violins lined up on the sofa staring back at me. My worst dream had come true! MORE VIOLINS!!!! AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!
"What are all those violins doing there!", I asked.
"Your violin teacher called me about your "violin accident", my dad replied. "There was an ad in the newspaper for five violins. I bought them all. So, when one breaks, you'll have another violin to play, If that one breaks, you'll have another. If all five break, I'll buy five more; I want you to play the violin."
So, I played the violin.
I also took piano lessons. I didn't care for that either. Both instruments (the lessons) were very structured and didn't allow for individual expression; improvisation. At least, not at my lessons. I was playing classical music and everything had to match the written music. The guitar, however, I was playing from what I felt inside and was more expressive. I was thirsting for improvisational knowledge and the ability to play from the heart, not sheet music.
Either way, I stuck with the "program" and continued my structured classical music lessons through high school. Looking back on those lessons, I would say they helped me with technique and execution. Combining my classical training and my improvisational skills on guitar, I was becoming a well adjusted musician that could fit in well with just about any musical situation. I could read music fluently in an orchestra and also create music on the spot with a jazz or rock band. I now had the best of both worlds; the formal structure of music and the feeling to make it my own.
During those school years, I picked up several more instruments; the Dobro, Banjo, Mandolin, Bass Uke, Harmonica, Renaissance Lute and many others that had strings. It wasn't difficult since the music is the same, I only needed to understand where those notes fit on that particular instrument and the nuances that were peculiar to that instrument.
When I was sixteen, I discovered bluegrass and the "fiddle". I liked the fiddle since it wasn't so structured as the violin and classical music.
Where I'm going:
My parents passed away when I was very young. I'm sorry they didn't get to see me mature musically and reach my goals.
Through my 30's and 40's, I continued honing my teaching skills and musicianship. I attended many competitions; fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, etc., striving for perfection. I won many state championships in the west including third place at the Winfield, KS National Guitar Championships in 1999. After that, I "retired" from competition.
I built a few dozen guitars, mandolins and violins through the 1990's. It was a good experience and was helpful to understand the mechanics of the instruments and the subtle tone differences in wood species. However, lutherie wasn't my forte; teaching music is where I excelled.
In the late 1990's, I felt the need to create a program that would help my students to learn to play their music with others; family or friends. This was the creation of my current teaching materials. In 2000, I launched this web site to expand beyond my home town and country.
Then something special happened to me in the spring of 2010, I discovered the joys of the harp guitar. The harp guitar, for me, is the finest instrument on the planet. Playing and learning music on the harp guitar reminds me of the original excitement that I felt when I first learned to play "Walk Don't Run" on the regular six string guitar. Playing and learning the harp guitar makes me feel like I'm seven years old all over again.
My desire is so great for the harp guitar, that I've begun to build and design my own hand crafted instruments, writing new arrangements and instruction books and videos for this "mysterious" instrument. I'm doing this now in Lviv, Ukraine. I've taken this so seriously, that I decided to leave my homeland, America, to focus 100% on this project. As of October, 2011, I officially packed my bags in Las Vegas and bought a one-way ticket to Lviv. The reasons for choosing to construct my hand crafted instruments in Ukraine are many. But the two most important are; I have friends here that are like "family" to me; the family that I lost many years ago. Also, I want my instruments to be built in the "old world" European style; more hand tools and fewer power tools. Also, original hot hide glues, not sythetic glues used in China or other modern guitar factories.
Beginning 2012, the harp guitar will be a new part of the growing lineup of instruments on my web site.
I've finally made it "full circle" returning to my first love, the guitar.
Thank you mama and papa for your patience, love and inspiration. I miss you both very much.
