Hi. My name is Jeff and I'm a guitarist, teacher, songwriter, and session musician. I'm a huge fan of the guitar, and have been living a fretboard life ever since I got started at the age of nine. Since then, my musical tastes have become wide and widely varied, and the musicians I admire today span a huge range of styles, which has helped me become a versatile guitarist, musician, and songwriter. As a player, my strengths lie within the realms of rock, funk, finger-style, neo-folk, classical, blues, rockabilly, classic metal, and -most importantly- being a solid utility player.

Lessons

My teaching focuses on good technique, understanding the fretboard and fundamental theory, the basics of reading, soloing, expanding into different styles, song writing, the philosophy of being musical, and instilling a love of music. I believe each student is an individual so my agenda is to help students reach their own musical goals. Being a guitar instructor is such a cool job -I love helping people learn to play the instrument and grow their love for music. I have been teaching for over 20 years, bring a wealth of stage and studio experience into every lesson, and I hold a B.A. from the University of Akron. Check out my lessons page for more info on my teaching, or contact me to get started today.

On stage

I have played hundreds of shows in the greater Midwest market, toured regionally, and have opened for several national acts such as The Pretenders, Hall and Oates, Dave Matthews Band, Weird Al Yankovic, Huey Lewis & The News, Edwin McCain, Beth Hart, Jewel, 10,000 Maniacs, and G. Love & Special Sauce. In addition, I've performed with some of the Midwest's top-drawing cover acts, and continue to produce student-based clinics, workshops, and the occasional student showcase.

In the studio 

As a session guitarist, my aim is to bring something to the project that helps move the piece toward the vision of the writer and/or director. My guitar playing can be heard on several artists’ recordings, the online video demos for Dr. Z Amps, and the recent Mike Farley Band release Where We Stand. Some samples of previous sessions are available to check out as well. If you are interested in having me play on an upcoming project, get in touch to discuss the details.