It’s all about fingerstyle.
That's the type of guitarists that Tim Johnson recruits for his Lord of the Strings concert series. Fingerstyle is playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers.
The concerts – which he started five years ago - are typically held every month in Dana Point and Mission Viejo. Johnson finds the best talent from across the world to come and perform.
Q. How did the Lord of the Strings concert series begin?
A. When I lived in Northern California Peppino D’Agostino happened to be a neighbor or mine...I took lessons from him and studied with him for quite a while.
So, when I moved back to Southern California in 2002, I started looking for places where I could hear this kind of music and there wasn't any. So, I thought maybe I could do a few shows.
Q. Where are the shows held?
A. They started in Dana Point...The Dana Point Woman's Club had a little building that had been sitting vacant and I suggested to them that we could partner and do a few shows.
Q. How did the show get to Mission Viejo?
A. I met Renee Beach, who works for the city, and I was chatting with her and she said, I've got this room over here what do you think about it for doing concerts?' She took me into the City Council chambers and as soon as I saw it, I said, 'this is an unbelievable place to do shows that are intimate.
Q. Why do you want people to hear this particular music?
A. Mainly it's astonishing to me that its unknown. If you were to go to one of these concerts, you would hear a guitar player that's playing incredible music and it sounds like three or four people are playing. It's modern music and it's appealing to all ages.