I have been playing guitar for over 35 years—since 1987—and my formal education was in music education. I grew up in Marietta, Georgia, not too far from where I live now; I attended East Cobb Middle School and Wheeler High School (both in Marietta), and then Abilene Christian University (in Abilene, Texas). My principal instrument throughout my school years was alto saxophone (but I also played a good bit of baritone sax as well), and like all music education majors I learned to play all the wind instruments typically found in school bands...and of course, throughout all of that, I learned to play guitar as well. I play or have played bass, lead and/or rhythm guitar in many bands and musical projects in and around the metro Atlanta area over the years, in styles ranging from punk rock, to '60s garage rock, to metal, to experimental, to blues, to country, to heavy psychedelic rock, and lots of other genres along the way.