Jeffrey Foster

I have used the venerable Mel Bay “Modern Guitar Method” Series for all beginning students. First published in 1948, and the very first volume in the MelBay Publishing dynasty, this series has stood the test of time by being musically thorough, incremental and well-graded in design, as well as musically satisfying.

In the classical style, I also access materials from Frederick Noad’s “First Book Of The Guitar”, supplemented by the Twenty Sor Studies transcribed by Andre Segovia, and works of Tarrega and others. For Flamenco I lean heavily on the peagogical works of Juan Serrano.

If you count the ukulele, I can’t remember *not* playing stringed instruments. I started formal guitar lessons at 10, learning to read music and technique, and had a knack for it, and soon branched out to play 5-string banjo, bass, mandola, fiddle and a little pedal-steel. I began teaching guitar and 5-string banjo as a sophomore in high school, hired by my go-to music store at the time.

While I started performing while still a teen, teaching has always been a cornerstone of my career. I gave my first online lesson back in 2016 or so, using Facetime or Skype, then Zoom of course in 2020. I truly love teaching, and from all reports am very good at it… I should be after a half-century in the business!

I’ve been reinforcing my right-hand nails with acrylic since 1991. At the time, guitarists using acrylic nails was virtually unheard of, but many guitar players since then have learned the many advantages of reinforced nails in terms of durability and tone production.