About Clay Steininger
Ever since playing piano for the first time in the second grade, I have never stopped playing music. My specialty is the electric guitar. I sied under Paul Renz at the West Bank School of Music in Minnesota, and then had the great fortune to go to the Berklee College of Music. Since then I have studied under local masters such as Jim Stinnett and Bruce Bartlett.
Having stayed in Massachusetts, I taught at Central Catholic High school for six years. I developed and implemented curriculum, started and directed a school band, and produced music talent shows. I was selected twice to the “Who’s Who of Teachers” for my work there.
Desiring a more flexible schedule to support my ambitions in the music industry, I left the high school to open my small music school. As my school has had more and more success, so has my career in recording and performing music.
I began playing on the street in beloved Harvard Square. I moved on to playing with some of Boston’s best local funk/jazz talent, such as Zeke Martin, Amy Bowles, and Aaron Bellamy.
Having moved to Lawrence, MA, I discovered Bachata, a proud musical product of the Dominican Republic. I was invited by singer Carlos Vargas to join “Carlos y Alejandra“, the new sensation of urban Bachata.
In three short years the group has had incredible success, including two top ten singles, three major award nominations, and won the award for “Revelacion del año” or best new artist, at Univision’s Premio Nuestro awards. We tour internationally and have appeared on multiple international television programs.
I had the pleasure of doing the guitar work and arrangement for “Cuanto Duele“, the group’s most popular single, which rose to number five on the Latin Tropical billboard.
You can hear my work with Carlos y Alejandra hear on the website as well as my own productions.
In 2011 became the band director and lead guitar player for Domenic Marte, an award winning singer whose song “Ven Tu” still stands as one of the greatest Bachata hits of all time. We have been to Argentina three times, and performed all over the United States. He has been a true insipration and mentor to me in the music industry and I am honored to work with him.
As fate would have it, in 2012 I met a young singer named Johandy Diaz, the winner of a regional televised singing competition called “Mi Voz”. Together we formed a record company named “Crixillion Records” with the purpose of developing Johandy to be a future star in Latin Music. Please go to the Crixillion Records link on my site to hear our music and see what we are up to!
Please enjoy these articles written about me and my career:
http://onmilwaukee.com/seasonal/festivals/articles/steiningerdomenicmarte.html
Guitar Lessons?
Most of us can think of some good guitar player who have never had a formal music lesson. Yet they still seem to have done well! So you say “Hey if that person can succeed do it on their own, why can’t I?” OK. Sure you can learn some things on your own. But why take the risk of doing it on your own when it usually doesn’t work? Most people who never take a lesson:
- Don’t have the money to pay for guitar lessons.
- Don’t care enough getting good to spend the time and money.
- Simply don’t understand what a great teacher can teach them.
Are you one of those? Nah, I didn’t think so!