Introduction & Influence

Hey, all you Jag Panzer fanatics! For those of you who might
be guitar geeks like me, here's some answers to some of
your questions!

First of all, I love the guitar and I love the piano!
I have always been infatuated with both of these instruments since
I was around 5 years old. I finally got my own guitar at 14 years old
and I would fantasize that I could play like Ace Frehley of Kiss.
I didn't have a teacher, so I had to learn the long, hard way - playing
my records over and over until I could figure out bits and
pieces of songs. I remember one album that was instrumental
in my guitar education - Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs".

I would practice with that album every day for two years until I knew
most of the guitar parts! Remember, there was no tabulature or
instructional videos back then! The next guitarist that blew me away
was Jeff Beck - his albums "Blow By Blow", "Wired", and
"There And Back" became part of my musical daily diet.

My next major influence was Eric Johnson - His amazing tone, phrasing,
and emotion showed me glimpses of musical ecstacy that I never
knew existed. Oh, before I get too far, I must mention one other player
that was huge for me - Jimi Hendrix! (Kind of a no-brainer!)
After I had been playing for a few years, Van Halen came out
and completely redefined rock guitar.

Then came Randy Rhoads, Michael Schenker, Rik Emmett,
Steve Howe, Alex Lifeson. It was at this time I discovered great
guitarists from other genres, such as Jazz and Classical.
Guys like Wes Montgomery, Howard Roberts, John Williams,
Andres Segovia. They all made me want to sit in my room
and practice every waking minute!

Then came Yngwie Malmsteen!
That guy sent every guitar player back to his practice room for years
(and probably made some quit)! Which leads us to the SHRED era!
Players like Vinnie Moore, Tony Mac Alpine, Paul Gilbert,
Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, Greg Howe and even Jag Panzer's
own Joey Tafolla were the guys to listen to.
They were all a huge inspiration to me!

Eventually, I discovered a player who is my all-time favorite musician
and greatest inspiration: Shawn Lane. He was truly a one-of-a-kind
genius. I have been very fortunate to have studied with some incredible
players along the way. I took lessons from the great Jason Becker,
and I will always cherish that experience.

I also studied Classical guitar with Ricardo Iznaola, who's teachings
changed my whole approach to music/guitar for the better.
I have also studied with Greg Howe, the great rock-fusion guitarist.
Finally, I am currently studying piano/composition with Bill Alexander,
who teaches the Equal-Interval system of music theory.
I'm always striving to improve!

Equipement

Although it's always changing, here's some of the equipment I'm using:

Guitars:

Ibanez JS1200
Ibanez S-series 7-String
A couple of Ibanez RG 220B's
Dean Soltero
G&L Telecaster
Fender Stratocaster

Amplifiers:

Marshall JCM 800

Effects:

POD X3 Live
Various Boss pedals
Dunlop 535Q Wah
Bad Horsie Wah
Chandler Tube Driver

Also, I teach lessons via webcam for those of you who don't live
near me! I'm using Skype, as well as e-mailing powertabs and
guitar pro files.

Students can learn:

-Actual parts to Jag Panzer songs (Rhythm And Lead)
-Technique (Alternate Picking, Sweep Picking, Tapping, String
 Skipping, Economy Picking, etc.)
-Total fretboard knowledge (Scales, Arpeggios, etc.)
-Theory
-Efficient practice tips
-Improvisation

We are not limited to only Metal.
I teach Classical, Jazz, Blues and even Country.

Just write me at chris@jagpanzer.com.
You can also go to my MySpace Profile for more detailed info.
Just click the pic below. Thanks for stopping by!