Gabriel Smith, Nashville Founder

We were originally founded by Gabriel Smith in Nashville, Tennessee. As a boy, Gabriel had tried learning to play guitar, but the Smith family could not afford lessons. He searched for a way to teach himself, but the best he could find was 60-minute how-to video entitled "Learn Guitar in a Weekend." It was woefully inadequate.

Years later, after moving to Nashville, Gabriel Smith teamed up with Steve Krenz, a long-time guitar instructor, to create what would become the worlds first in-depth video training course on how to play guitar. Originally on 10 DVDs, but soon expanded to 20, Learn & Master Guitar tapped a previously unmet need: a complete video course for guitar with two to three years worth of training in a single box. Over 20,000 copies sold in 2006, the first full year of production. Gibson would become a title sponsor in 2010.

A company was born, and so was the Learn & Master brand. Gabriel Smith soon opened a video production studio in Nashville specifically for the continued development of in-depth video training courses in music and arts. Learn & Master Piano was next, followed by Drums, Ballroom Dance, Painting, Photography, and Sign Language, as well as several more guitar training titles.