Michael Bautista:
Building Classical Guitar Tone (clinic)

Saturday, Mar 10: 10:30 – 11:20

Evergreen Valley HS: Room F114

photo of Michael Bautista

Bring your guitars and learn tips/techniques for strengthening classical guitar tone. Topics of discussion include: free/rest strokes, rasgueados, scales, arpeggios, left/right hand balance, nails, and types of strings. Learn how to create a technique plan of action that fits your practice schedule.


Michael Bautista has a passion for music, life, and learning. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in English from Stanford University, a Master's Degree in Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a California Teaching Credential in Mathematics from National University.

Michael has studied guitar with many great guitarists, including David Tanenbaum, Marc Teicholz, Bahram Behroozi, and Don Balistreri. His performances have captivated audiences since he was a teenager. He has performed the Concierto de Aranjuez for the Ambassador of Spain, given a solo performance for Senator John Kerry, and in 2005 was honored to perform as a soloist in Carnegie Hall.

In 2006, Michael was one of the top 5 guitarists in the Christopher Parkening International Guitar Competition (the world's preeminent classical guitar competition) and in 2009 was selected to perform again. Michael has performed several major concertos with orchestras including works by Rodrigo, Vivaldi, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Michael is also a songwriter - he has written music for short films, jingles that have appeared on corporate sites such as chinesepod.com, and has written hundreds of songs for his old rock band Legends & Deeds.

Michael has co-written a children's guitar method, The Magical Musician: Guitar Book 1 The Land of Lyric, which combines an adventure story with learning to play guitar; available at: www.magicalmusician.com and amazon.com.

Michael is also a dedicated teacher of both guitar and mathematics and strives to help students enjoy learning. He currently performs both solo and with the Pacific Guitar Ensemble - a group that includes David Tanenbaum, Marc Teicholz, Peppino DAgostino, Larry Ferrara, and Jon Mendle.

www.michaelbautista.com