The day it was picked up at the printer’s there were celebrations by everyone who knew Jamie….mainly because it allowed for all the 8 1/2 X 11 paper signs to finally come down from the walls that were scotch taped all over her house like wallpaper. The taping process had typically started with the refrigerator but within days, expanded beyond. No room escaped from being part of the guitar instruction book project, not even the bathroom.

An illustration of “The Cup” position from “The Principles”, circa 1998

Each sheet had a concept written on it, sometimes just a few words, sometimes an entire sentence was scribbled out in magic marker, pen, pencil, whatever was handy at the time the thought occurred which needed to be included in the book.

Jamie’s place looked like a hobo home for over three years, and when the “Principles” papers were taken down to reveal the most awful gray fake wood paneling, the walls actually looked even worse than when it had the “Principles” wallpaper covering them. Many friends and family members felt they had made a mistake teasing Jamie all those years. They had made for great conversation, and people missed them. In any case, the wallpaper became the book, and the paneling was eventually painted white.

The “Invisible Details”

Prior to the first printing of the “Principles’ book, Jamie had been teaching guitar for over 20 years to every type of student, from children to teenagers and young adults to senior citizens well into their 80's, as well as every style of guitar… folk, jazz, rock, blues, and the classical guitar.

The very first purchasers of “The Principles”, Little Victor and Big Phil at the home in which the Principles was authored. Follow the arrow to see what they brought to every lesson.

When she first began her teaching practice, she wondered why so many people were having trouble learning to play guitar. They either quit, or got stuck at some level of ability beyond which they could not move. Two central themes showed themselves to Jamie as the predominant factors. She explains it as follows:

“My students did not know the "invisible" details of body mechanics involved in guitar playing that good players take for granted. They did not know how to practice in a way that allowed the hands and body to gradually adapt to the new and unusual demands that guitar playing places upon us. Instead, their practice habits created deadly muscle tension that locked into the body which either prevented or limited all future progress.”

Jamie’s handwritten notes in Little Victor’s book.

Over her years of teaching, the answers to these problems began to emerge. She became obsessed with developing a guitar practice method that would supply all the essential knowledge of how to practice from the very beginning of picking up the guitar, but one that would be used forever after, no matter what the level of the player. She developed a system of progressive exercises to train the hands and fingers for flawless functioning on the guitar, and one that guarantees success in learning to play. "The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar" was born.

Guitar Principles…“It works!”

With the advent of the internet, Jamie became a consultant for the AOL guitar group and wrote many “Principled Essays” called Weekly Wisdoms. The feedback from readers was incredible! Students from around the globe began using her method and getting great results from their practice. There wasn’t a day that went by where the emails did not pour into Jamie’s inbox reporting great progress. One student simply wrote in… “It works! Thanks, Jamie!” Her private students, too, were moving along fast and overcoming their long-time playing obstacles. Her “Principles” system was in full gear.

The first Guitar Principles website logo

It wasn’t long until Jamie decided to break from AOL, and on June 26, 1999 she launched her own site on the Worldwide Web, Guitar Principles , named after her book. She had a crystal clear idea of what she wanted to accomplish with her work and the website’s Home Page stated just that: