Biography

Hi! My name is Adam Fulara. I'm 33 years old. I live in Ostrzeszow, Poland. It's a small town in the middle of my country. Please e-mail me regarding any mistakes I may have made on this page. My English is far from perfect.

I'm a Computer Science/Electrical Engineering graduate from Wroclaw University (it's a famous university in Poland). My specialty is software engineering.

My main hobby is music - I have been making music for 23 years now. I first started as an accordion and piano player while in a six-year music school in Ostrzeszow. When I was in fifth grade, I took up the guitar. At first I played rock music - I liked Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, Marty Friedman, etc. I had my own band and we gigged frequently, on occasion opening for famous Polish bands like Houk or Armia.

When I was 18, I started to play the guitar with the two-hand tapping technique. At about this time I went to a concert and saw this famous Polish guitar player called Partyzant. He plays using the two-hand tapping technique also. I was blown away by his music.

In school, I learned many polyphonic pieces by J.S. Bach. I liked this type of music, but I couldn't play the entire work when I was just starting to play the guitar (using standard techniques). I could only play one track (either the left or the right hand side of a piano transcription). However, when I employed the two-hand tapping technique, I could play the entire piece.

I have been using the two-hand tapping technique for 16 years now. I play a special doublenecked tap-guitar, made by REK Guitars according to my own specifications.

Currently I play with my jazz trio (tap-guitar, bass and drums). We play jazz standards and our own compositions. I play classical music too - I like listening to Bach, Chopin and Beethoven, but in the future I want to play only Bach tunes, and counterpoint improvisations with my band - this is what I like.

I'm working also as an editor of "Gitarzysta" ("Guitar Player" - Polish ed.) where I'm writting reviews and tapping workshops.

Discography:

• Adam Fulara - "Two-handed tapping. Guitar workshop" (ABsonic 2009). Book + DVD
• Fool-X trio - "Doubleshred" (2006)

Prizes:

• 1st Prize on the Polish National Competition of Guitar Improvisation in Kielce (2005)
• Honourable (special prize) for "expanding jazz guitar area" in most prestige jazz guitar competition in Europe "Guitar City" (2005)
• Best Musician Prize on the Polish National Jazz Competition (Sieradz 2004)
• The Undiscovered talent by Guitar 9 Records (April, May 2006)
• The Leader of Culture 2007 (Prize of Ostrzeszow Culture Institute for promotion of the city)

International festivals and concert halls

• The Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, Ca. U.S.A., 2007) - with Bob Weir, Stu Hamm, Sammy Hagar, D.J. Shadow etc.
• XVI Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Santo Tirso (Portugal 2009) (with Tommy Emmanuel)
• XIII International Festival de Guitarra del Noreste (Mexico 2008)
• Tommy Emmanuel Festival 2009 (Rietberg, Germany 2008)
• International TapGuitar Festival (Braunschweig, Germany 2007)
• Galliate Master Guitar Festival 2009 (Italy) - with Stanley Jordan and Rosenberg Trio
• International Guitar Festival - Newtowards (Northern Ireland 2006) -gig and interview in BBC Radio
• European Tap Semminar (Belgium, few times: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009)
• Perleberg Festival (2007, Germany)
• Guitar Fest 2006 (Bratislava, Slovakia)
• Many Festivals in Poland (Old Music Festival - Zabrze 2008, Autumn Guitar Festival - Slupsk 2008, Guitar Festival - Olsztyn 2008, Mosina Guitar Festival 2008 and many others...)