Finger Licking Good

By Dan Leinfelder

Where Milwaukee sits in a valley of artistic prominence, with the cosmopolitan mountains of Chicago and Minneapolis on either side, there is one art form in which Milwaukee claims supremacy. In recent years, Milwaukee has become the major hub of solo acoustic guitar playing. 

Since the 1980s, Milwaukee has more or less cemented itself as the unofficial capitol of classic American finger-style guitar.

Finger-style composer and educator John Wunsch refers to Milwaukee as "the center of the American guitar universe."

One cornerstone player in the development of this supreme reputation is John Stropes. A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor, Stropes is a longtime guitar teacher and historian. 

Solo acoustic guitar heavyweight Michael Gulezian calls Stropes the "papal authority of American finger-style guitar." Today, he stands at the top of the pyramid within the guitar program at UWM - a program unlike any other in the world.

Until the 1980s, the title finger-style guitar had not yet come about. There was a community of players and composers within the genre as we know it today across the country. They were, however, all without a real classification.

Legendary players such as John Fahey, Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke had already established their own names, but their style had no formal name. These are some of the most celebrated composers of our time. Nevertheless, they were riding on the back of the bus to Guitar Town, behind the more highly defined styles of classical and jazz.

 Then, Stropes, along with all the heavy-hitters of the genre, would convene in Milwaukee to try to establish a solid community.

Stropes also realized that there were no college-level finger-style programs that, in his words, "could add legitimacy" to the genre. From this idea, his vision has since grown into a reality that is just starting to take shape. UWM professor, and "teammate" of Stropes', Rene Izquierdo shares the vision. "The scholastic world has been constricted to classical music, which is a terrible mistake," Izquierdo attests. He believes that the guitar program at UWM is "a new road for finger-style guitar. "

The program, now in its third year, is unlike any other in the entire world. UWM currently offers the only bachelor's degree in a student's choice between classical, jazz, flamenco or American finger-style guitar. It is also the only university in the world that offers a degree in finger-style performance. 

"The unique thing about this program," Izquierdo says, "is that it takes many resources and styles and puts them into one program. "

We want to have a positive influence on the future," Stropes insists, "…so that the music can flourish."


The program is propelling this art form into an extremely bright and promising future. 

"This is the future of American finger-style guitar!" Gulezian exclaimed, part awed, somewhat humbled and with complete enthusiasm.