Artist Profile – Jeff Beasley
“I have known Jeff for a while and have jammed with him on several occasions. He is not only an amazing guitarist, but a great instructor as well.”
-Michael Angelo Batio“Killer chops, great melody and song diversity”
-Rusty Cooley
Jeff Beasley is another one of those players that I have been peripherally aware of but much to my chagrin I hadn’t investigated his playing or talent as thoroughly as he deserves -- well I’ll set that situation to rights immediately and give you a thorough profile on this amazing player and educator.
Jeff has been playing guitar for 32 years, teaching for 22 years and in that time has written for many of the largest guitar-based publications such as the now defunct Guitar for the Practising Musician, Premier Guitar and Guitar Player as well as holding B.A degrees in Music and Classical Guitar, working with some of the top shred guitarsists, and also finding time to hold a Senior Faculty position with the National Guitar Workshop. On top of all those achievements he’s somehow found time to release a couple of solo CD’s (“Tiebreaker” in 2006 and “Shred Ahead” in 2008) and a successful DVD (Shred Ahead Blues Rock) for Truefire, as well as performing in national tours and clinics -- all of which speak volumes about his knowledge, ability and credentials as a real “American Virtuoso” and no doubt, an extremely busy individual!
Jeff’s playing at times reminds of me of Perpetual Burn-era Jason Becker as it ranges from clean toned classical arrangements with swarming harmonised arpeggios and contrapuntal lines, use of the diminished scale and outside tonalities but a well-grounded sense of his rock guitar roots and a definite desire to compose music rather than simply bombard the listener with a hail of notes. Of course, as someone with those credentials Jeff certainly has a wide range of techniques at his disposal and the sensibilities to know when to use his formidable chops, or simply play a few choice phrases with a rather tasty vibrato and a refreshingly unaffected tone.
Live with Michael Angelo Batio on the Southern Shred tour Jeff reveals a wide range of his abilities from simple, laid back and effective blues licks, to hybrid picking, to sweep picking and a complimentary attitude towards his fellow performer which is far removed from the brash and ineffective approaches other players would display in the same situation. Far from giving into temptation and simply ripping it up on stage Jeff chooses his notes carefully and demonstrates a very solid command of the blues idiom before accelerating into more angular phrases as a wonderful foil to MAB’s fast-picking approach.
I absolutely recommend that you take the time to read through some of his lessons (especially those dealing with Diminished and Augmented tonalities as he handles them with such aplomb) and also give Jeff’s compositions a listen.
“Wow! Neoclassical mayhem…Jeff radiates confidence in his notes and fierce technical ability, yet can also show restraint”-Guitarist Network magazine
“Jeff Beasley’s material is very impressive … fantastic guitarist.”-Guitar for the Practicing Musician
Jeff is endorsed by Dean Guitars, Sierra Guitars, THD Amplifiers, Dimarzio Pickups, D’Addario Strings, In Tune Guitar Picks and Keeley Effects.
http://www.myspace.com/jeffbeasleyguitar
http://truefire.com/index2.html
Jeff, you are world wide! U R on your way!
He’s definitely deserving of some more exposure – great player
I really can’t believe my luck to be able to take lessons from Jeff. Our most productive lessons are when I let Jeff drive and after a few minutes I’m looking down at my own fingers in amazement. Our worst are when I ask Jeff to show me how to play something and he does but also makes me learn why the artist wrote it that way. Either way, every week I leave his studio a better musician than when I walked in.
That’s excellent – can’t ask for a better recommendation than that
Hi Jeff,
Awesome review and so true!!! I am fortunate to have such a wonderful, skilled and engaging instructor.
The extent of your knowlegde only makes me better!!
This man is a fantastic guitarist, period.
Yah, he is – very nice guy as well.
I had the opportunity to study with Jeff for 4 years (2000-2004). During that time he was hard at work composing the tracks for his “Tiebreaker” CD, and I was privileged to hear some of the tracks as works in progress. It was apparentthen, as it is now, that Jeff demanded perfection of himself. Whether it was composing, practicing, or teaching, he always gave 110% to whatever he did. I’m glad he’s still going strong! Rock on, Jeff
I teach with Jeff, and he is indeed one of the best instructors in the place. He is able to break things down where one can understand it and digest it, and apply it musically. Also Jeff has a tremendous work ethic when it comes to practice…”Repetition is the mother of skill”
Congrats Floyd !!!