MBGU Rock Guitar Masterclass Vol, 1: 60 Tapping Licks for Contemporary Rock Guitar

Born in the Greek island of Crete, Ioannis Anastassakis. He completed his Bachelor degree at the American

College of Greece, and subsequently studied at the distinguished Musicians Institute (GIT), where he was hired

as an instructor, after graduating at the top 1% of his class. He continued his graduate studies in Music, at the

California State University, completing an MA in Guitar Performance, graduating Magna cum Laude.

Ioannis list of Electric guitar teachers is extremely impressive: the list read like as “Who is Who” of contemporary

electric guitar legends! Steve Vai (Whitesnake), Vinnie Moore (UFO), Marty Friedman

(Megadeth), John Petrucci (Dream Theater), Frank Gambale (Chick Corea), Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Richie

Kotzen, Brett Garsed, Joey Tafolla, Scott Henderson, Mike Stern, Jean Marc Belkadi, Darren

Householder, Tommy Tedesco, Ted Greene, Ron Eschete, Sid Jacobs and Joe Diorio.

Ioannis also studied Solo Flamenco Guitar for several years with flamenco maestro Juan Serrano. In addition,

he has studied with Flamenco guitar legends Manolo Sanlucar, Juan Martin, Paco Serrano, Jose

Antonio Rodriguez and Manolo Franco.

Ioannis has also performed and/or recorded in various settings with band members of Whitesnake, Dio, Deep

Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John, Santana, Celine Dion, Sara Vaughan, Tito Puente, Julio Iglesias, Tower of

Power, Chick Corea Electric Band, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai Band, Badlands, Tribal Tech, Natalie Cole, Joe Cocker,

Cher, Blood Sweat & Tears and more.

Ioannis has presented over 400 solo recitals in Europe and the United States and has been a guest lecturer

at several American colleges and Universities (University of Southern California, California State

University Northridge, California State University Fresno, California State University Fullerton, Musicians

Institute, Fresno City College, American College of Greece). In addition, he has won and placed as a finalist in

several Classical and Flamenco guitar competitions and has been featured 15 times on European and American

TV. In 2000, he was the 1st guitarist ever to present a solo guitar recital at the prestigious Greek National

Opera House.

Ioannis’ 1st instrumental Rock/Fusion Electric guitar CD, “Suspension of Disbelief”, was released by

Wild Rose Angel Productions in 2007 – within 3 weeks its worldwide sales soared at the top 5 in the highly

regarded Guitar9.com website!! Ioannis’ highly anticipated second instrumental Rock/Fusion Electric guitar CD,

“Orbital Attempt”, was released by Wild Rose Angel Productions in April 2009 and within weeks reached to

the #1 spot of Guitar9.

Ioannis’ first solo Flamenco guitar CD, “Flamenco Live at Ioannina”, was released by MP3.com in

2000, immediately entered the company’s flamenco Top 10, eventually reaching the #1 place worldwide in

October 2002. The CD was re-mastered and re-released by Wild Rose Angel Productions in 2004 and also

reached the #1 spot in 3 different categories in 2009! Ioannis’ next solo Flamenco guitar CD, “Traditional

Flamenco Guitar Selections” is scheduled to be released by Wild Rose Angel Productions in 2010.

Ioannis’ instructional materials are published and distributed worldwide by Mel Bay Publications. He

has authored 5 Books/CDs/DVDs - “The Art of Rasgueado”, “Flamenco Journal”, “The Art of Tremolo”, “60

Tapping Licks for Contemporary Rock & Metal Guitar” and “60 Sweeping Licks for Contemporary Electric

Guitar”. Most of them achieved best-seller status within months of their initial publication date.

Ioannis is also a regular columnist in Mel Bay’s Guitar Sessions magazine, specializing on articles in

Flamenco Guitar Technique and Advanced Contemporary Electric Guitar Technique and writes a monthly column

on Rock Guitar at the Rock Hard Greece magazine.

Ioannis is currently (2010) sponsored by Ibanez Electric Guitars (6-string), Schecter 7-string Electric

Guitars, Roland Guitar Effects, EMG Active Pickups, ELIXIR Electric Guitar Strings and instrument cables,

LaBella Flamenco Guitar Strings, T-Rex Effect pedals, Visual Sound effects, Hercules stands, Graphtech custom

guitar parts, Snapjack jacks, DR Guitar Straps and George-L studio cables.

Ioannis is also the founder, group leader and manager of the highly successful Greek Guitar Power

Team – an all-instrumental group comprised of his Ioannis and his most advanced Electric guitar students, most

of them already highly respected professionals in the field of Rock guitar.

Ioannis is the artistic director of the annual Athens International Electric Guitar Festival and has also

served as principal instructor at the most prominent International Guitar Festivals in Greece (International

guitar festival of Hermoupolis, International Winter guitar festival of Volos, International guitar festival of

Patras, International guitar festival of Paros, International guitar festival of Porto Heli). Ioannis is also an officially

registered guitar instructor with the London College of Music and Thames Valley University, as well as

a registered LA’s Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT).

Ioannis Anastassakis teaches several classes in Music Business, Music History and Music Performance

and Improvisation at the American College of Greece and maintains a busy private teaching schedule.

Furthermore, he divides his time between recording, writing instructional materials for guitar, conducting clinics

and seminars and presenting guitar recitals around the world. He is currently preparing an extensive series

of instructional materials for Mel Bay Publications, on both Flamenco and Electric guitar related subjects.