Kurt Aiken, Guitar & Bass Instructor

Autobiography

            I have been playing music for most of my life.  Starting on piano and picking up the guitar in college, I have performed many styles over the years including classical, jazz, R&B, funk, gospel, country, and bluegrass to name a few.  I guess my education in music has come from a variety of sources; playing in gospel groups like the Roberts Brothers, and with singer Jermaine Milton, performing weekly in church with the Hines Brothers and the Murray’s (his great friend Ray and his wonderfully talented family), studying Jazz with Craig Owens at Wichita State University, performing in R&B and funk bands such as Merging Traffic, Soul Injection, Something Extra, and with Soul artist Rudy Love.   Although I really don’t know if contests necessarily create good music, I enjoy competition and the work ethic required to compete successfully, and have been mildly successful in them since I was a child (in athletics and music, in fact I believe I still hold a state road racing record, and was at one time captain of Kansas University’s cross country team).  Recently in the bluegrass flatpick guitar scene, judges acknowledged that I put in enough work for third at state and sixth at nationals.  Currently I am working on a Masters degree in guitar performance at Wichita State University.  As a composer, I concentrate on avant-garde jazz, but have also written many pop tunes. Over the years I’ve taught guitar and bass to hundreds of students, and written an instructional book for guitar.  I have to say music is the third love in my life behind my daughter and wife, both of whom mean the world to me.