AFG President
Greg Atkin

ASPIRING PROFESSIONAL GUITARISTS

DISCOVER AWESOME BENEFITS FROM AFG MEMBERSHIP

Development of one’s musical skill and creative expression is a life long process. Sure, there are ups and downs experienced by beginner & professional alike. However, one thing is very clear; membership in a community of accomplished musicians is one of the best ways to accelerate your own musical growth. The Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists (AFG) is one such community of guitarists, with members representing all playing levels, that fulfills this important teaching and support mission.

Professional musician members of AFG volunteer their time and regularly contribute valuable guitar related knowledge to other members. In turn, the AFG membership offers special support that helps many players to develop professional confidence.

Many working guitarists and teachers are the backbone of the Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists. For example, AFG Music Director David Oakes has served the AFG membership for many years. David is an instructor at both USC and Musicians Institute and he performs often at events around the country. AFG programs & concerts are developed by David for the benefit of both the performers and general membership. David’s own guitar seminars are presented throughout the year and are informative and always well attended. In addition, David often provides professional sound services for many of the AFG events. You can learn much more about David Oakes by visiting the AFG web site at www.afg.org. 

Side Bar with photo: AFG members share guitar licks and music knowledge with each other at one of the five gatherings held throughout the year. In addition, AFG attendees serve as a great audience for aspiring professionals to hone their performance skills.

Over the last year AFG members have had the opportunity to learn from many noted professional guitarists, such as; Muriel Anderson, Terry Bailey, Carrasco & Lindsay, Del Casher, Felten & Michelle, Jocelyn Celaya, Dimitri Diatchenko, Jamie Findlay, Igor Grigoriev, Ric Ickard, Laurence Juber, Wayne Wesley Johnson, Gary Lambert, Franco Landi, Jeff Linsky, Michael O’Dorn, Darrell Owens, Donovan Raitt, Ruben Romero, Bob Saxton, Mark Spoelstra, Pete Steinberg, Steve Trovato, Guy Van Duser and many other fine players. Many thanks to you all.

Please note that the annual AFG Convention is scheduled for January 13^th & 14^th, 2007. The two day convention will be held at Los Angeles Harbor College located at 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington, CA 90744. Many thanks to AFG Honorary member Igor Grigoriev and Ken Miller (Music Department Chair at Harbor College) for securing the venue for the 2007 convention.  Watch your mail for more information regarding the January 2007 convention.

Best Regards and Happy Picking,

Greg Atkin

AFG President

PS - A special thanks goes out to our special guests and support team that contributed to the successful 3^rd Annual Member Appreciation event held last September. They are; Michael O’Dorn, Felten & Michelle, David Oakes, Gary Lambert, Freddie House, Reynald Chaput and Jeff Linsky.