I started playing guitar when was in the 8th grade. At that time I was into punk, and as got older I moved into listening to classic rock, then blues, then all sorts of funk-jazz and jam bands, and now classical and sacred art. And my playing of the guitar has following the same trajectory: I played in the style I listened to. One common thread through all of this has been an, at first unconscious, but now fully conscious focus on the art of improvisation.