Harry Gusman - Guitarist - Sydney, Australia


Harry Gusman
Session guitarist, teacher and arranger - Sydney, Australia

BIOGRAPHY

Harry started learning guitar at the age of 12 and joined his first band at 16. His formal education in music began with classical guitar lessons at age 17 followed by a five-year degree in music teaching and performance at the Indonesian Institute of Art. Harry has also taken guitar lessons with guitar gurus in Chicago, USA.
For three consecutive years he was awarded the Best Guitarist in Java in 1989, 1990 and 1991. Harry has been working in the music industry since 1990, including playing lead guitar in various bands in concerts, pubs, night clubs, session work, arranging songs and jingles, teaching guitar and bass, playing in an orchestra, conducting guitar workshops and judging music competitions. He has been responsible for forming, shaping and managing bands in addition to playing music on a full-time basis.
Harry has played various styles of music including Blues, Rock n Roll, Country, Hard Rock, Reggae, Funk, Folk, and more. His influences are Eric Clapton, George Benson, Gary Moore, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Akira Takasaki, Kirk Hammet, Paul Gilbert and Joe Satriani to name a few.
Highlights of his career include live TV performances in Indonesia, playing with Mats Olauson (the former keyboardist from Yngwie Malmsteen's band) playing with the Indonesian Wind Orchestra, and travelling around South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand for gigs.
Harry has taught in well-respected music schools including the Yamaha Music School in Indonesian cities such as Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Solo and established his own private guitar school - Harry's Guitar Studio.
Many of his students have gone on to work as full-time musicians and music teachers.
Since the end of 1998, Harry has been living in Sydney where he has worked as a guitar teacher and played with bands such as Yeah Baby Shagadalic, Glittermania, Caribbean Fever, Caribbean Soul, Seven Year Itch, Hot Banana, Just Quietly and The Tuners. In addition to being a full time guitar and bass teacher, he is also an arranger and a freelance guitarist.