Faculty Biography

Jon Finn, Professor

Professor
Guitar

"You know the perception people have of rock guitarists—gunslingers and drug addicts. If there's one issue I get evangelical about, it's when I hear a lot of words from well-known rock players who say, 'Don't practice, be a rebel. Studying the instrument is bad for your creativity.' The mentality is that if you're too technically proficient, you're not rock 'n' roll; I'm not sure if I agree. My feeling is that it's possible to be a studied musician and maintain that primal energy—it's just not easy. I personally love players like Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Steve Morse, and Eddie Van Halen, the ones who can speak to my soul and challenge my intellect at the same time."

  • B.M., Berklee College of Music
  • Specialist in improvisation and rock guitar styles
  • Performances or recordings with Steve Morse, John Petrucci, Carl Verheyen, Vinnie Moore, Andy Timmons, and Dweezil Zappa
  • Guitarist for the first national touring production of the Broadway show Rent
  • Recordings include Don't Look So Serious on Legato Records and Wicked by the Jon Finn Group, and the Grammy-nominated CD The Celtic Album by the Boston Pops Orchestra (BMG Classics); also with the Boston Pops, A Splash of Pops and The Latin Album (BMG)
  • Author of Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation, Mel Bay Publications

Related Links:

My Top 5 "Desert Island CDs"

Eat a Peach
The Allman Brothers Band
An unbelievable testament to teamwork, dedication and loyalty. This band plays on this album as though all of their minds were in one place!
All 'N All
Earth, Wind, & Fire
This Album has it all. Great playing, great writing, great production, a single (if convoluted) theme. To me this is the funk equivalent of "Sgt. Pepper's" by the Beatles!
The Royal Scam
Steely Dan
This is a very deep album that required repeated listens to actually "get it." Pure genius!
Blow by Blow
Jeff Beck
He plays electric guitar the way I wish I could!
Spectrum
Billy Cobham
Over the top, overblown "look how fast I can play" music. I just LOVE it!!!

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