Biography/ CV

Name: Tomas Karlsson
Year of Birth: 1963
Main Instrument: guitars - electric, acoustic ( nylon-string & steel-string), baritone, ukulele, effects pedals
Additional Instruments: electric bass, keyboards, drums and percussion
Education: "the hard school of the road" - never graduated, still learning... :-) ( MSc degree in mathematics/ physics/ pedagogy)
Profession: musician, educator/ teacher
Knowledge/ Skills: education, music theory, notation, arranging, composition/ songwriting, production, recording, sound reinforcement
Technology ( Hardware): recording hardware, sound reinforcement
Technology ( Software): notation ( Sibelius), misc. ( Band-in-a-Box, EarMaster Pro, Guitar Pro...), transcription ( Transcribe!), MIDI sequencing ( Logic Audio), production/ recording ( Pro Tools LE, Reaper)
Teaching History: Björneborgs svenska samskola: music at high school level 10 years, Korsholms Musikinstitut/ Mustasaari Music School: guitar and ensemble Mar 2007 - Jul 2008, Kauhajoen evankelinen opisto: guitar Sep 2007 - May 2010, Kuula-institutet/ Kuula Music School: guitar Sep 2007 - May 2009, Musikinstitutet Legato/ Legato Music School: guitar, electric bass and ensemble Mar 2008 - present, Kristinestads medborgarinstitut: guitar, electric bass and ensemble Aug 2008 - present, Närpes medborgarinstitut: guitar, electric bass and ensemble Aug 2009 - present, Lappfjärds folkhögskola: guitar, ensemble and music theory Aug 2010 - present

I am a musician by nature and I can hardly even recall ever having wanted to be anything else. You don't actually want to be a musician, it's something you have to be ( and if you have to, you know it) and for me it's not a hobby, nor a career/ profession, it's more like a way of life. Music has always been an important part of my life and I have played many different instruments, including violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone, guitars, drums, electric bass and keyboards. The guitar turned out to be my destiny, though - I was about fifteen when I could lay my hands on my first guitar and it was love at first sight. I learned to read music right from the start and at least for a guitarist I am a good reader. I have also studied music theory a lot on my own, I have read and own lots of books on jazz guitar, music theory, arranging, composition/ songwriting, improvisation, recording and sound reinforcement.

I have played in many pop/ rock/ r&b/ soul/ jazz ( and even dance) bands during the last 30 years. I have performed on radio and TV and I have also worked with theatre - as a musician and as a technician. Some of the more well-known musicians I have played and worked with are Felix Back, Tom Forsman, Magnus Glader, Kjell Granfors, Mats Granfors, Staffan Granfors, Patrik Grannas, Mathias Grön, Philip Hedlund, Timo Helminen, Jouni Hokkanen, Kim Holmbäck, Carl-Johan Hultgren, Seija Hurskainen, Janne Hyöty, Pontus Häggblom, Christoffer Kaustell, Jenny Lahtinen, Jorma Lehtelä, Ari Lehtinen, Petri Lehtonen, Timo Lilja, Stefan "Kilju" Lindblom, Jenny Lundström, Oskar Nilsson, Camilla Nordlund, Kenneth Nordman, Antti Pellinen, Ilpo Peltonen, Miika Perkiö, Jussi Reunamäki, Casper Sahlström, Tomi Saikkonen, Mathias Sandberg, Zbyszek Sikorski, Mikael Skogberg, Stäni Steinbock, Martin Store, Robert Sundén, Petra Sundvik, Kalle Teir, Juha Unkila, Egon Veevo, Hans Vistbacka, Jami Westergård, Jimmy Westerlund and Anders Östling. Some of the more well-known bands I have played in are BC&W ( nowadays Jukepoika) ( guitars), T-Bag ( keyboards and later bass), Petra Sundvik Band ( guitars), Jacob Big Band ( guitars), Krs Jazz House Band ( guitars), Monkey Business ( guitars), Närpes Big Band ( guitars) and Guitars, Ltd. ( guitars). I wouldn't mind taking up playing with a band again, it's just that I don't seem to be able find the right musicians to play with. I think that the main thing is that you write your own music. I also think that if you've got something to say and really believe in yourself, nothing can stop you from succeeding.

I don't have much of a formal education in music and I am also mainly self-taught when it comes to playing the guitar. In addition to obsessive self-study and a lot of practicing I have had some personal teachers pushing me in the right direction here and there, though. Recently I have started to practice seriously again after a ten year break. I have studied jazz guitar and improvisation with Anders Östling and most recently with Mathias Sandberg. In addition to 30 years of experience from "the hard school of the road" playing lots of gigs with a lot of different musicians I also have aquired many, many hours of studio experience - as a player, as a producer or engineer or just as a "hang-around"...

I am getting more and more into teaching music. I have students of ages ranging from 10 to 60, from many different walks of life - all along the Finnish middle west coast. I give lessons and workshops on

• ( jazz) guitar
• ensemble playing
• arranging, composition/ songwriting and music theory
• improvisation/ jazz as an art form/ a way of life

Composition/ songwriting, arranging and producing are what I find the most rewarding aspects of music. I love to write music and lyrics, sometimes I'm so full of ideas that I don't know what to do with them all. I use MIDI sequencers and I think that they are great tools for everything from composing and arranging to recording and producing your own music. I also use score writing software when I arrange and write music, I would never write anything by hand anymore. I write anything and everything from pop songs to instrumental jazz. I like to let out whatever is in my head and not worry about what it is, I leave that for others to figure out... I am currently working on a studio CD with my own music. The music is some kind of "pop music for adults" or something like that and it's going to be finished one day in the near future.

I listen to a lot of music, mainly jazz, and I guess I am a notorious record collector. I probably spent more time in record and music stores than in lecturing rooms during my university years and it's a real wonder I finally got my degree in mathematics... Listening to music is really one of the things I enjoy most in life. There's such an enormous amount of fine records out there worth having - my record collection currently consists of over 500 vinyls and about the same amount of CDs and they just keep piling up...

My main influences: The Beatles, David Bowie, Lenny Breau, Bob Brozman, Chic, Eric Clapton, The Clash, John Coltrane, Elvis Costello, Miles Davis, Joe Diorio, Eliane Elias, Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Bill Evans, Donald Fagen, Bill Frisell, Peter Gabriel, Stan Getz, Mick Goodrick, Freddie Green, Jim Hall, Jesse Harris, Joe Henderson, Jimi Hendrix, James Jamerson, Japan, Jewel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Wilko Johnson, Norah Jones & The Handsome Band, King Crimson, David Kitt, Mark Knopfler, Diana Krall, Led Zeppelin, Living Colour, Bob Marley and the Wailers, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, Motown, Charlie Parker, Joe Pass, Jaco Pastorius, Pink Floyd, The Police, Cole Porter, Prefab Sprout, Queen, Jimmy Raney, Marc Ribot, Stan Ridgway, Nile Rodgers, Rolling Stones, Sonny Rollins, Run C&W, John Scofield, Brian Setzer, Ravi Shankar, Wayne Shorter, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Mike Stern, Sting, Philip Toshio Sudo, David Sylvian, Richard Thompson, Ali Farka Touré, Pete Townshend, Eddie Van Halen, Townes Van Zandt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rufus Wainwright, Tom Waits, Weather Report, Kenny Werner, The Who, Anthony Wilson, Jenny Wilson, Frank Zappa, ZZ Top

Other things that are important to me are

• health
• my two cats
• friendship
• love
• nature and the sea
• our summer cottage
• sportfishing

You can read more on these matters here.