About Me

First Name

Jude

Last Name

Fingerpicking, Flatpicking, Songwriting, Finding locals to jam with, Bluegrass, Electric guitar, Blues, Collecting guitars

Nickname

jude

Why I'm Here

I started playing at guitar when I was about 18. I’m left handed and my first guitar was a right-handed Epiphone 12-string acoustic that I got for $100. I learned as many chords as I could playing upside down. The first song I learned was Lyin’ Eyes by The Eagles. I struggled for years playing upside down, but never really got any good at it. Actually, I’ve never gotten really good at playing a left-handed guitar right side up. I still call myself playing at guitar, rather than playing guitar.

I’m married and have an 11 year old son and a Golden Retriever puppy. I like building computers, riding my motorcycle and messing with guitars and gear. I’ve owned and traded a fair amount of gear over the past 40 years. I work as a CAD designer for a civil engineering company. I also play keyboards, have a decent drum kit, bass and an adequate home recording setup. I’ve been in bands off and on since 1985, usually as a singer, as that is the one thing I do well. I’ve played guitar in a few bands, barely, and was actually the lead guitarist in one band. I don’t remember the name of it, I just call it “The Band that Sucked.”

I’ve had the privilege of working with some very talented musicians, and have written several songs with a couple of them. These songs are really just about all that I have played at over the years. Songwriting is my real passion, and it is that which I am primarily focused on. I’m not trying to be famous or even successful at it, I just want to get them down on tape. Yes, I said tape.

City

I think guitar is the most expressive instrument, next to voice. I need to be familiar and comfortable with the guitar so I can be free to be more creative with it. I know and can play songs that I have written with other, <em>real</em>, guitarists. But when it comes to writing my own music I'm pretty much stuck in the I, IV, V cowboy chord world. Nothing wrong with that at all, but I would like to be able to play what I can hear in my head.