We are absolutely ecstatic to announce that our newest course, “Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar with Sean McGowan,” is officially here! As of 9 am PT, the course is officially live and open to all students.

Sean McGowan is a fingerstyle jazz guitarist who combines many diverse musical influences with unconventional techniques to create a broad palette of textures within his compositions and arrangements for solo guitar. 

His first recording River Coffee won the Best Independent Release of the Year Award (2002) from Acoustic Guitar magazine and music from the recording has been published in Japan’s Acoustic Guitar magazine and Mel Bay’s Master Anthology of Fingerstyle Guitar, Vol. 3 (2005). Sean’s subsequent recordings Indigo (2008) and Sphere: the Music of Thelonious Monk (2011) offer compelling portraits of classic jazz standards performed on solo electric archtop guitar.

Sphere was named one of Acoustic Guitar magazine’s “Essential Albums of 2011”, and Sean was recently featured on the cover of Fingerstyle 360 magazine (Summer 2012). His most recent solo guitar recordings include Thanksgiving & Christmas Tidings (2014) a collection of seasonal hymns and carols arranged for acoustic guitar, and My Fair Lady (2015) a collection of songs from Lerner & Loewe’s masterpiece.

As a soloist, Sean has performed at several festivals including the Novi Sad International Jazz Festival in Serbia, the Healdsburg Guitar Festival in Napa Valley, Copper Mountain Guitar Town, the La Conner Guitar Festival, the Chet Atkins CAAS Convention, and the Artisan Guitar Show with Jimmy Bruno and Brent Mason. He has also collaborated with several dance and improv companies, as well as with jazz and acoustic musicians throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

Sean is an avid arts educator and currently serves as an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Colorado Denver. He earned a DMA in Guitar Performance from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and has conducted workshops at colleges and guitar organizations throughout the country. He has also presented and performed at the Jazz Education Network conference in New Orleans, the International Symposium for the Performing Arts Medicine Association in Aspen, CO, and numerous College Music Society national and regional conferences. 

Sean is a strong advocate for injury prevention and health education for musicians, and his workshops incorporate a holistic approach to playing. He is also a contributing editor and educational advisor for Acoustic Guitar magazine. He is the author of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Solos (Hal Leonard) and the String Letter book/video instructional methods The Acoustic Jazz Guitarist, Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Essentials, and Holiday Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar. Sean has also produced eight courses for ArtistWorks’ sister company, TrueFire, covering the topics of fingerstyle jazz, improvisation, and comping.

Through his online jazz guitar lessons at ArtistWorks, you’ll learn the ins and outs of Sean’s distinct approach to the instrument and the intricate methods that define his one-of-a-kind sound and style. Sean has drawn from his extensive knowledge as a professional guitarist and seasoned educator to create a comprehensive course of jazz guitar lessons online designed to teach players everything they need to know to become a masterful fingerstyle jazz guitarist and well-rounded musician.

So, whether you're starting from scratch or you’re an experienced player looking to break new ground, learn with Sean and get an intimate look into his unique approach and style. Grow as a guitar player while simultaneously furthering yourself as a musician, and get direct guidance from Sean at every step of your musical journey.

SIGN UP NOW to gain access to Sean’s library of online guitar lessons, as well as our patented Video Exchange Learning® platform. Sean reviews each submission and records a video response, offering specific guidance to take your playing to the next level.

ABOUT ARTISTWORKS:

ArtistWorks online music lessons are recorded and taught by more than 40 world-renowned master musicians who not only have rich musical legacies but also have a deep passion for teaching and sharing their knowledge. 

Through the ArtistWorks platform, students have the unique opportunity to both learn at their own pace and also interact with and receive feedback from our faculty of master teachers in the form of Video Exchanges. ArtistWorks' patented Video Exchange Learning® platform allows students to submit questions to our master faculty in the form of a video, and our instructors then create personal video responses full of guidance, encouragement, and critical next steps to facilitate improvement. 

Our teachers also provide notation, tablature, backing tracks, and other amazing supplemental materials to round out their holistic curricula in each course. Students can learn anything from acoustic and electric guitar to banjo, piano, mandolin, fiddle, saxophone, ukulele, how to sing—just about any instrument you can think of. And, our esteemed faculty can teach you how to play everything from bluegrass to jazz to rock to blues to classical and beyond.

Sample some free music lessons here and see what makes ArtistWorks courses some of the best online music lessons around!