ABOUT LUCAS
The career of Lucas Michailidis spans more than three decades. He is a past winner of the International Open Strings Competition in Germany and an ARIA award recipient for his work with Zulya and the Children of the Underground. Lucas has performed in Europe, South Korea, and the USA, and has released three solo recordings that have garnered worldwide acclaim. The latest Laughing at the Thief, is featured on premier US acoustic label - Candyrat and promotional videos accompanying the release have clocked over three hundred thousand views. Lucas has been published by Mel Bay, and Guitarist Australia Magazine, and presently has two compositions featured in the VCE Contemporary Guitar Syllabus. He is a long-term instructor at the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Polytechnic and has conducted workshops in Australia, the USA and South Korea.
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OUR STORY
Ideas rarely manifest in straight lines.
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They often represent various strands that meaningfully come together. Things of interest butting up against happenstance. I have often reflected on parallels between music tuition and fitness training: drills, reps and routines. I recall watching wide-eyed, Frank Gambale’s Chop Builder video (think 80's shred meeting Jane Fonda aerobic workout) which featured Frank and his two side-kicks tearing it up in leather and lycra. I have admired a range of classes, from yoga to acqua-aerobics, keenly observing the way in which these are taught and presented.
The idea of practicing as a group has been kicking around for about a decade. A place where players convene under the guidance of an expert. The benefits: numerous: motivation, guidance, inspiration, community-building and enjoyment. Invariably the idea was thwarted due to logistics - sourcing a suitable venue with appropriate equipment, commuting time, costs etc…
Enter COVID 19.
Prior to 2020, Melbourne Guitar Lab sessions were exclusively conducted face to face. COVID of course put an end to this aspect, but, opened up some unforeseen opportunities. Suddenly, it was possible to access incredible players from around the globe: Scott Henderson, Oz Noy, Brett Garsed, James Muller and Michael Dolce.
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In one of Melbourne’s interminable lockdowns of 2020, I attended an online, morning meditation course. Whilst enjoyable, I was taken, not by the mediation, but the realisation that it was through the online platform, that my long - held vision of guitar practice class could be become a reality. A light bulb moment! Previous stumbling blocks were easily overcome and classes could be accessed by participants in the comfort and convenience of their own home. The Micro Practice Sessions had arrived.
The advent of the sessions has also coincided with my own journey of reconnecting with the electric guitar, after a twenty-year love affair with the acoustic. In doing so, I have delved deeply into new learning strategies and techniques that have helped to fast-track my own progress. These have become the foundation of the Micro Practice Sessions.
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“Lucas Michailidis is quite simply a guitar-playing phenomenon..."
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Akustik Gitarre, GermanyAkustik Gitarre, Germany
“Having dealt with thousands of guitarists in the last 40 years, one learns to recognize talent and true love of music. After hearing the beautiful music of Lucas Michailidis, it is my strong wish that everyone could hear it.”
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Ted Greene, author Chord Chemistry
"One of the best I’ve heard in the steel string world. It’s really all about the writing. That is the true art and defines the musician as an artist far above just one that plays the guitar.”
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Bill Piburn, Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine