Music Department “picked” a world-class guitar professor
If you asked the average kindergartner what they thought their calling in life would be, you might get answers like, “I want to be a dinosaur when I grow up.”
Professor of music Michael Christiansen, however, seemed to hit the nail on the head when he started playing the guitar at the age of 6. He grew up in Provo and graduated from Utah State University. When he was studying, there wasn’t a guitar program-so he started one. It is now one of the largest guitar programs in the nation. This will be Christiansen’s thirtieth year teaching at USU. Along with being a professor, he is also a professional musician and author for Mel Bay Publications Inc., one of the largest publishers of guitar music in the nation.
Christiansen loves the versatility of the guitar and points out the many different styles of music that can be played – from jazz and classical to blues and rock.
“The guitar is the easiest instrument to learn how to play poorly and one of the most difficult to master,” Christiansen said.
Christiansen said that even the greatest guitar players still take lessons. Last semester, he made a trip to Brazil and worked with with Brazilian music giants Antonio Aldolfo and Thiago Trajano. “I studied how to play Bossa Nova and Samba in Brazil because I wanted to “lose my [American] accent, Christiansen said.
In fact, Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel, used one of Christiansen’s guitar books on the jazz method overnighted to him.
When it comes to teaching and performing, Christiansen said they both have their rewards. Christiansen loves teaching and feels obligated to help students succeed.
“We’ve got good students and I am happy to be here,” said Christiansen.
Kris Krompel, a senior majoring in guitar, came to USU from Price mostly because of Christiansen. He started playing the guitar when he was 12 years old using a book that Christiansen wrote.
“He’s influenced me more than any other guitarist,” Krompel said.
Since 1992, Christiansen has been part of a very successful group called the Lightwood Duo. He plays the guitar and performs with clarinetist Eric Nelsen. Together, they have preformed in many parts of the United States and even internationally. They are regular performers at Sai Sommet, an upscale restaurant in Deer Valley – a favorite spot for many celebrities. They also perform here in Logan at Hamilton’s, usually on the first and third Friday of each month.
“The customers always enjoy having them here. They play a soft blend of music that creates a nice atmosphere here at dinner. They are enjoyable people,” said Matt Peterson, a manager at Hamilton’s and a junior in finance.
Music has taken Christiansen many places and introduced him to many interesting people. He has many well-known friends in the music business and has even played back-up guitar for Glenn Frey of the Eagles.
The versatility of the guitar also allows him to play many different gigs. Last weekend, he played a rock gig on Friday, a jazz gig on Saturday and then played the banjo with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Sunday.
To stay sharp, Christiansen plays for at least an hour or two a day. But there have been times in his career where he would devote his whole day to practicing.
Currently, he has authored or co-authored 42 books and his latest project is creating a guitar book for senior citizens.
“I was thinking of songs senior citizens might like, like ‘Take me out to the ball game,'” he said. But then he was told to think more along the lines of the Beatles, not realizing that today’s senior citizens were yesterday’s flower children.
Christiansen feels that working with students helps to keep him young. It is important to try and stay healthy while being a musician because the long hours and lack of sleep can be taxing on the body. Even eating right can be a challenge, explains Christiansen, because all of the fancy restaurants they play at feed them really good food.
Christiansen plays an average of 130 gigs a year, but he said in his free time he enjoys cross-country skiing and golf. He also loves his family and working in his yard with his wife. He is the father of four very successful children – all of whom have been involved with music. His oldest son Corey is an accomplished jazz guitarist and also writes for Mel Bay. His youngest daughter is a professor of music at South Plains College in Texas.
An important part of playing the guitar that some might find strange is keeping well-manicured hands. Christiansen advises his students to keep the nails on the left hand very short so playing the chords will be easier. He also recommends the nails on the right hand be left long, so when strumming, a brighter, clearer sound will be produced.
If they were not blessed with diamond-tough nails, Christiansen can help them fix that problem with a ping-pong ball. He cuts a ping-pong ball in half and then uses a small pair of scissors to cut a half-moon shape out of the ping-pong ball. He then fits it to the underside of a fingernail and uses super glue to adhere it.
“You can file it however you like and a pack of ping pong balls will last you a couple of years,” he said.
There have been times when he was not playing the guitar and got some strange looks because of his peculiar manicure. “Sometimes when I hold out my hand for change, people look at me funny – like they’re thinking, ‘nice nails.'”
-nnaylor@cc.usu.edu
USU guitar instructor Michael Christiansen still practices guitar with student Kris Krompel. Christiansen practices for one or two hours everyday. (Jamie Crane)