If you want to build a guitar well, it helps to also know how to play a guitar well — and that’s where Bruce Buckingham comes in. All Guitar Craft Academy Nashville students take a weekly guitar performance class from Bruce as part of their curriculum. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Bruce has been playing guitar for 50 years, first discovering the instrument as a teenager after falling in love with B.B. King’s style of playing.
Bruce has been teaching guitar since 1980, largely through Musicians Institute’s Hollywood location. Along the way, he’s published four instructional guitar books and two DVDs. He’s also worked with artists including Helen Reddy and John Patitucci, and participated in recordings for Michael Jackson’s play “Sisterella.” Since moving to Nashville in 2015, he has continued his work here through Guitar Craft Academy Nashville. “It’s always fun helping students unlock something that makes them think a little differently about guitar and music, and seeing them get excited about that,” he says.