Mike Salow is an American guitarist and music educator from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated with honors from McNally Smith College of Music, where he received a Bachelors of Music in guitar performance with a minor in music business.

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TEACHING EXPERIENCE: After graduating from McNally Smith College of Music, Mike was invited back to join the guitar department as a teacher where he taught from 2013 to 2017. Currently Mike is a teacher in the instrumental jazz program at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, an arts focused high school in St. Paul, Minnesota; he is the founder of Ideal Music Lessons, an in-home music lessons service; and you can find Mike sharing guitar lessons, tips, and tricks all over the internet; most notably on Instagram where he’s amassed over 100,000 followers. Mike recently joined forces with FretboardBiology.com, an online guitar program designed by Joe Elliott, former VP of education at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, California. (Joe Elliott was also head of the guitar department at McNally Smith College of Music from 2010 to 2017).

STAGE EXPERIENCE: With close to 2 decades of professional gigging experience Mike has been fortunate to share the stage with an array of acts such as Fitz and the Tantrums, Great White, The Avett Brothers, Candlebox, Los Lobos, Bleeding Through, Veil of Maya, and many others. Mike gigs regularly with a variety of groups who's styles range from blues to jazz, R&B to rock, pop to metal, etc... Most notably, as lead guitarist & backing vocalist for the band, Chester Bay. In 2010 Chester Bay was featured in Rolling Stone magazine as they were due to release their debut album. Mike also co-founded the progressive metal band, Ideology, along with drummer, Charlie Engen (of Five Finger Death Punch), and Mike is a hired gun for Nate Amor (singer in Trans-Siberian Orchestra).

 

ACCOLADES: In 2016 Mike won 1st place in the #Solocontest2016, an international guitar playing competition hosted by Mesa Boogie, Line 6, Toontrack, Mayones Guitars, and John Browne of the band Monuments. In 2021 Mike released his debut solo album entitled, The Hunt, which can be streamed on any platform and features performances from Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry, Jack Gardiner, and Al Joseph.

 

You can also hear Mike chatting with professional musicians from around the world on his podcast, Creating a Life in Music, available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Guests have included Eric Hutchinson, Scott Henderson, Brett Garsed, BERNTH, and many others.