Aaron Cloutier

Aaron Cloutier is a songwriter, composer, and music educator with a deep-rooted passion for musical storytelling. Though a metal fan since childhood, his own creative journey began at 16 with a beat-up classical guitar and a bedroom full of ambition. He later found his voice through multitrack recording, producing two full-length albums under the moniker Davola.

A graduate of the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences, Aaron has worked as an educator at School of Rock and as a freelance vocalist and guitarist for clients around the world. His songwriting and recording credits include work for platforms like Songfinch and Songlorious, as well as collaborations with companies such as Redwirez, Korora Audio, and even the late Sir Christopher Lee.

At InstruFEST, Aaron draws on years of experience to guide aspiring musicians through the craft of songwriting. He also writes about songwriting, arrangement, and music theory for Higher Hz, combining technical insight with real-world creative process.

experimenting with alternate guitar tunings

These 7 alternate guitar tunings will break you out of a playing rut

In the guitar playing community, the topic of alternate tunings will come up and it’s never failed to grab my attention and for good reason.

Alternate tunings can break you out of a playing rut almost instantly due to their beefy low end and lush cascading open strings (depending on which tuning you use) as well as fingerings that live outside the safety of our tried and true standard tuning. It all adds up to a shift in perspective that often leads to exciting music.

one-armed guitarist Keith Xander

The 6 talented guitarists who overcame their disabilities

In this article, I want to shine a light on six guitarists who refused to accept the limitations of their disabilities. Some we all know well, while others might fly a little more under the radar. But their respective stories of passion, determination and drive will no doubt inspire you to pick up that guitar that’s been sitting in the corner by the end of this read.