I teach electric and acoustic guitar, in nearly every style except classical (though I dabble with that). I also teach electric bass. I welcome and work with people of all ages and at all levels, from total beginners to working professionals.

In addition to developing your playing skills, we can also work (according to your interests and needs) on ear training, music theory, reading and transcription, and songwriting.

As a working player and full-time professional musician, I can also help train you in performance skills. This includes the technical side, such as choosing the right gear and getting a great live sound. I admit to being a bit of a gearhead!

My Jam Camp program, which is designed to help my students get some real experience playing with other musicians, started up in the summer of 2013 and now happens on just about every Saturday morning of each month. Currently the campers are digging into the mysteries of electric blues, and the never-ending mysteries of how to play well together.

I am also having a lot of fun teaching people to assemble Fender-style electric guitars and basses, generally working with one builder at a time to create customized instruments. These are very high quality, and fun to play.

In the same building as my lesson studio, I have a small workshop for guitar building classes. I also do setups, pickup installations and wiring, and some fret work there.

My live music focus is currently all about playing around the area with a few longtime jam buddies and some new friends in a jazz/rock/funk/whatever-the-hell-we-feel-like band called Swamp Ash. Life in the swamp is fun, and I plan to stay there for a long time!

In 1997, I released a solo fingerpicking guitar CD called Miranda’s Waltz to glowing reviews in the national acoustic music press and nationwide airplay. I’ve also recorded the “Jay’s Jams” series of play-along CD’s in different styles, and always have new projects in the works.

I also work as a composer, performer, and producer of soundtrack music that has been used here in America by CBS, NBC, and ABC, as well as by major cable outlets like USA, Animal Planet, and the Outdoor Living Network. My music has been heard in more than thirty countries around the world, including Japan, Venezuela, and Australia.

I graduated from Brown University with a BA in music, but I’ve learned the most important lessons onstage, in the studio, and in the workshop.