Scroll down for some videos if you want to hear the kind of stuff I play!

 I've been playing guitar since about 1982 when I started to take lessons from Chet Breau, son of the late, great Lenny Breau.  Sadly , just a couple of months later we moved to a different town but immediately found another great teacher in the form of Mr. Ben Kehler in Winkler, Manitoba where I learned the classical style which utilizes the thumb and fingers of the right hand. 

In 1993-1994 I attended Professional Musicians' College in Winnipeg (studying with Greg Lowe) and studied composition, chord theory, and harmony.  I teach these same ideas and also show my students how to apply them.  Since then I've been in several bands playing either guitar or bass guitar but never really felt the desire to be a travelling musician (although I did spend some time playing bass with a band called Five Mile Mary in London, England.) 

Some of my influences are: 

  • Electric guitar: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Eric Johnson
  • Fingerstyle guitar:  Don Ross, Tommy Emmanuel, Bruce Cockburn, Chet Atkins, Stephen Fearing
  • Songwriters:  Mark Knopfler (again), Bob Dylan, Stephen Fearing (again)
  • I also love east coast fiddle music and the Irish and Scottish traditional music that it stems from.
So, I've been teaching since 2005 and continuing to learn as well. 
 You can check out some videos of the tunes I enjoy playing below.

An original tune inspired by a Kindermusik class my wife used to teach.  Just killing some time between lessons...

This is an original composition called "Kites and Sails".

Short and to the point. Not a happy tune, but sometimes words can only make it worse.

My arrangement of Greensleeves, also known as "What Child is This?" if you're in a Christmassy type mood.  In case you're wondering, I'm not actually playing this left handed.  Apparently the video came out in a mirror image and I just didn't feel like re-doing it.

My arrangement of Christina Macpherson's tune.  I guess it's almost a traditional tune at this point.  Contrary to what you might think, this tune is not waltz at all (especially the way I do it).  If you want a good chuckle, you should really check out the lyrics to this tune, if you don't already know them.  ☺

In October of 2014 I woke up in the hospital after falling on my head onto some concrete.  When my "brain doctor" found out I was a musician, she ordered my wife to bring my guitar to the hospital (which she did the next day).  After three weeks, when I heard I'd be going home in the next week or so, I picked up my guitar and this tune was just sort of waiting there for me.  Definitely a happy tune!

 My arrangement of Paul Williams' "Rainbow Connection" with original interlude.  Feel free to waltz around the room if you like.

Here's one that's just for fun and has nothing to do with guitars or music or teaching - but it's pretty awesome anyway!  It's also my other business that I do when I'm not teaching in the summer.