FAQ


Do you offer online lessons?
I get this question a lot, and unfortunately I don't offer online lessons at this time.  I'd really like to be able to offer them, but other commitments keep me from doing so at present.  I plan on completing an instructional DVD at some point.  While not the same as private lessons, it still allows me to get more information out. 

 What are you planning to put on your DVD?
The direction of the DVD will be guided by the following ideas.  First, I will focus on the techniques and approaches that make up my playing.  If I made a generic, "here's a bunch of techniques," video, you might as well go anywhere else on the internet and buy somebody else's.

Second, although I will show examples of how I prefer to apply things, each technique will tie back into the underlying physical principles that make it work, and how to apply those principles broadly.  

Third, it won't cover tons of theory.  Theoretical information is easy enough to find all over the internet, and I'd rather not take up video time covering things that are that readily available.  I can't imagine anybody wanting to watch me play scales for an hour. 

As for specific kinds of technique the video will cover, we'll address everything from warming up to alternate picking to tapping to legato to sweeping and then how to tie various techniques together fluidly.  I'm not sure yet how much information I can get onto a single DVD, but I'd like to be able to make an "A to Z" video that covers entry level application and builds up to advanced ideas.  Maybe it'll be two DVDs!

I've seen you go by the screen name "Kaizen" at different places online.  What does that mean?
"Kaizen" is a Japanese word that basically means, "to take small, consistent steps in an effort to continuously improve."  I think it's a great philosophy, and having this as a screen name gives me a constant reminder of the concept.

How many hours a day do you practice?
I currently put in maybe an hour or two everyday.  Some of it is focused practice, some is unstructured improvisation while jamming over a track.  It's rare that I miss a day, but I also don't watch the clock to see if I'm putting in a certain amount of time.  I just play until I feel like stopping.

What kind of warmup do you do?
While I've used many different warmup exercises over the years, I don't really do a regimented and static warmup.  Usually, I warmup with something that relates to whatever I'm focusing on at the moment.  

Having said that, I think the most important thing is just to get the fingers in motion.  Beyond that, over the course of a 15 minute warmup I'll gradually increase speed and length of stretches, rather than starting out with the fastest, widest lick I can play.  I don't wanna blow a gasket before I even get started!

I've seen video clips of clinics you did from a long time ago.  Any plan to put more of those clips on your website?
To be honest, I didn't know anything like that was even out there until someone emailed me one of them.  These were pretty old because they were from back when I had really long hair.  I don't have copies of these myself, actually, and I don't know who had VHS copies they could have made clips from.  Ah well, the mystery continues.