John Standefer has been playing music since he was five years old. Guitar had become his central instrument by age twelve. At age fifteen, he received a teaching certificate from a music conservatory and began playing professionally. He taught private students and toured in bands until he was saved in 1976. Since then he has worn many hats, being a guitar salesman and repairman, an inventor, a manufacturer of guitar tools, an artist in residence in schools, a partner in a publishing company, a writer, arranger and recording artist. He has four albums to his credit and has performed on scores of other albums, demos and commercials. He is currently the featured guitarist for the weekly radio program, A Heart of Praise. He is also an occasional columnist for Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine and is included in their 1996 Christmas Sampler CD.

Having been a Christian for twenty years, John Standefer's heart centers around praise and worship music and the discipling of musicians:

The guitar is perhaps the single best instrument available to accompany worship. It is the most popular instrument of our generation and very portable. Sadly, however, the average Christian guitarist is limited in musical knowledge and therefore forced to play their entire repertoire with little more than 'twelve chords and the Kumbaya strum'. It's like having a palette before you with every color imaginable on it and painting in black and white. This is why I've spent hundreds of hours developing a seminar that is specifically designed for Christian guitarists who are pursuing the art of accompaniment. My whole desire is to play skillfully to the Lord and teach others to do the same.

Visit John's web site at http://www.praiseguitar.com.