Jeff
Foster's Biography
Muncie Indiana native Jeff Foster
cannot remember not playing the guitar.
As a toddler his first stringed instrument was a
ukelele, and after beginning formal training on
the guitar at the age of 10, Jeff soon added
banjo, mandola, fiddle, bass and pedal steel to
his musical arsenal (he was also first-chair
drummer in his high school band, and can still
play the Cowan Blackhawk marching cadence after
all these years).
Jeff knew at a tender age what he wanted to do with his life, and became a professional musician and guitar teacher while still in high school. He cut his teeth playing in several area bands as lead guitarist and banjo picker, writing songs and refining his eclectic guitar style. His fascination with classical, flamenco and jazz manifested early, and he soon became known locally for his advanced and spontaneous guitar musings.
A performer and composer since the
early 70s, Jeff has played virtually every style
of music over the years, including classical,
flamenco, jazz, new-age, rock, country, blues and
bluegrass. As a solo artist or band
member, Jeff has opened concerts for and/or
performed with such luminaries as Frank Zappa
& the Mothers of Invention, John McLaughlin
& the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Pat Benatar,
Tracy Chapman, John Prine, Taj Mahal, Steve
Goodman, Jorma Kaukonen, Rick Danko, The Ides of
March, and many gifted, lesser known musicians.
The late great John Hartford once gave Jeff a lesson on how to tap-dance while playing the fiddle. Other notable musicians Jeff counts among his friends include world-renowned classical guitarist Liona Boyd (for whom Jeff wrote liner notes for two CDs), latin guitar shredmeisters Strunz & Farah (the subject of an extended article Jeff wrote for his guitar community website, StringDancer.com), and his boyhood idol, Mason Williams, with whom Jeff opened a concert in Bakersfield, CA, performing a duet version of Mason's seminal guitar composition, Classical Gas.
Living in Bloomington, Indiana in
the late-80s, Jeff decided to augment his
education, and enrolled at Indiana
University. Sponsored by Dr. Anthony
Seegar (nephew of folk legend, Pete Seegar),
Jeff's individualized major program focused on
Ethnomusicology, specifically on the history and
development of Flamenco, the indigenous
music of the gypsies of southern Spain, noted for
its intricate and robust guitar stylings.
In addition, Jeff studied Jazz Improvization under Dr. David Baker. Another area of interest was Special Education under Dr. Barbara Wolf, which Jeff found quite useful in his role as a Master Music Artist with Very Special Arts, bringing art-related experiences to challenged populations throughout Indiana. In 1989 he received an Honors Grant from IU to travel to Croatia and research the Special Ed programs available in that country.
During his IU days, Jeff was recruited as a guitar instructor by IU's renowned School of Music. He began by teaching beginners and intermediate students, and by the time he left Indiana for California in 1990, Jeff had conceived, created and taught an advanced-level class called Sight Reading and Ear Training for Guitar, writing the textbook himself.
Jeff's interest in electronic
technology began in 1984, when he acquired his
first Macintosh computer. He was one of
the first guitarists in the nation to fully
embrace and exploit MIDI guitar synthesizers,
extending his creative endeavors into MIDI
sequencing for live performance and studio
production.
Jeff went online in the mid-90s. He soon leveraged his knowledge of music and the guitar as an America Online Community Leader in AOL's Computing/Music & Sound channel, where for almost four years he oversaw channel design issues, and supervised activities for their guitar forum, GTR, creating content and building the feature list. His relationship with AOL ended in 2000, but Jeff found he rather enjoyed web design, and in the new millennium launched his own design and hosting company, FostersWeb.com.
Today, Jeff resides contentedly
with his pretty wife, Rhonda Lynn Haggard Foster,
and their menagerie in the woods near
Bloomington, Indiana. He continues to
perform solo, and also gigs with long-time
friends Stella & Jane.
A stringed-instrument instructor for over 35 years, Jeff teaches privately in his home studio. Jeff continues his work as a freelance web designer, and enjoys building his award-winning online guitar community, StringDancer.com.
B e g i n n i n g s
Jeff knew at a tender age what he wanted to do with his life, and became a professional musician and guitar teacher while still in high school. He cut his teeth playing in several area bands as lead guitarist and banjo picker, writing songs and refining his eclectic guitar style. His fascination with classical, flamenco and jazz manifested early, and he soon became known locally for his advanced and spontaneous guitar musings.
P e r f o r m i n g
The late great John Hartford once gave Jeff a lesson on how to tap-dance while playing the fiddle. Other notable musicians Jeff counts among his friends include world-renowned classical guitarist Liona Boyd (for whom Jeff wrote liner notes for two CDs), latin guitar shredmeisters Strunz & Farah (the subject of an extended article Jeff wrote for his guitar community website, StringDancer.com), and his boyhood idol, Mason Williams, with whom Jeff opened a concert in Bakersfield, CA, performing a duet version of Mason's seminal guitar composition, Classical Gas.
A c a d e m i a
In addition, Jeff studied Jazz Improvization under Dr. David Baker. Another area of interest was Special Education under Dr. Barbara Wolf, which Jeff found quite useful in his role as a Master Music Artist with Very Special Arts, bringing art-related experiences to challenged populations throughout Indiana. In 1989 he received an Honors Grant from IU to travel to Croatia and research the Special Ed programs available in that country.
During his IU days, Jeff was recruited as a guitar instructor by IU's renowned School of Music. He began by teaching beginners and intermediate students, and by the time he left Indiana for California in 1990, Jeff had conceived, created and taught an advanced-level class called Sight Reading and Ear Training for Guitar, writing the textbook himself.
T e c h n o l o g y
Jeff went online in the mid-90s. He soon leveraged his knowledge of music and the guitar as an America Online Community Leader in AOL's Computing/Music & Sound channel, where for almost four years he oversaw channel design issues, and supervised activities for their guitar forum, GTR, creating content and building the feature list. His relationship with AOL ended in 2000, but Jeff found he rather enjoyed web design, and in the new millennium launched his own design and hosting company, FostersWeb.com.
T o d a y
A stringed-instrument instructor for over 35 years, Jeff teaches privately in his home studio. Jeff continues his work as a freelance web designer, and enjoys building his award-winning online guitar community, StringDancer.com.