Guitar with Jabari H.

I am a Jazz Guitarist and have played/performed for 15+ years. While I work professionally as a Software Developer, music is my passion. My love for music began at age 14 when my best friend from high school decided to start playing guitar. He and the rest of our group of friends took Rock music lessons, while I picked up Acoustic guitar - following my unique path. I spent 6 months learning from a book and then started taking guitar lessons at a guitar shop called Willie's American Guitars in St. Paul, MN. Here I learned how to play songs by the Beatles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more. When my mother saw that I had outgrown these lessons, she enrolled me in the Walker West Music Academy, where I spent 3 years learning Jazz. I was taught music theory, and learned how to play and solo to complex chord progressions. Through being part of the Walker West Jazz Combo, I was able to perform a gigs in the Twin Cities, which exposed me to professional live performances at an early age. I was also able to leverage everything I'd learned about music to make a difference at my high school. I joined my high school's Diversity Team and was able to work with teachers and my fellow students to put on concerts to help break down stereotypes. During college at MIT, I studied both Music and Chemical-Engineering . While I was a student, I was a guitarist in the Festival Jazz Ensemble. Through my music studies, I learned key aspects of Classical Composition: Harmony & Counterpoint, Sight-singing, and Writing in Tonal Forms. I also learned a great amount about Symphonic Music. To this day, I still enjoy listening to Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and other well-known Classical musicians. Being in Boston at the time, I also had the opportunity to jam with Berklee musicians and perform gigs around the city, including open mic nights at famous places like Club Passim. After graduating, I moved to Houston to work as a software developer in Oil & Gas. I performed music at restaurants and had the opportunity to perform at Super Bowl Live back in 2017. Having recently moved to Austin (Cedar Park), a more music-friendly city, I'm excited to help other people develop their musical talents and express themselves with their music.