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Music by Ben

I've been playing guitar since 1995 and teaching since 1999. I started playing in middle school in general music class. I picked things up fast and eventually got a used classical guitar for Christmas. After years of lessons from a Berklee grad, a BA in Music Education, and years of teaching/band/performance experience, I am a decent guitarist.

I like writing neat chord progressions and soloing over rock/blues/metal songs. I like improvising so much I started a website for teaching guitarists to become better soloists - www.improvhq.com. I like spontaneous solos rather than written out ones. This comes from laziness and maybe a little creativity.

I love music theory and appreciate music that shows creativity in this way. It's neat to infuse a basic chord structure with thoughtful upper extensions and interesting melodic ideas, for instance, without making it too jazzy or leaving the genre you're in.

I'm very good at hearing things by ear and learning them on guitar. I've done this for students or when I want to learn a song. This skill comes from being bad at reading music.

Being geeky, I like recording things and turning knobs and messing with effects and stuff. I record using Garageband or Logic Express. Below are a few songs I'm fairly happy with from over a decade of recording odds and ends.

Vivify

Under the Boardwalk

Satriani Licks

Before I Could Say

Pavlov

The Orchard

Right Hand Stars

When I Survey

Cross Me Again

Wising Up

Lost My Thought

Fire

1 Corinthians Love Song

Shpoon

Tune in A



Random Holt Quote:

"Let the children who are sent to those schools be taught to read and write and above all, let both sexes be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education." -Benjamin Rush, 1787