About

Who I Am

My name is Dustin Hanusch (ha-NISH). I am a musician, teacher, and producer, living in Franklin Tennessee. I was born in Renton Washington and raised in San Diego California. I have been studying music in one form or another since I was ten years old and have been playing the guitar since I was 15 years old (31 years old as of 2021).

I received my first formal guitar instruction at the age of 25 when I studied Classical Guitar performance at Los Angeles Valley College under the tutelage of Dr. Jordan Charnofsky and Dr. Gregory Newton. I currently reside in Franklin Tennessee, teaching music, performing throughout the greater Nashville area, and recording and producing music and YouTube videos.

My debut EP, “Culmination,” was released March of 2019, my debut album, “Positively Lovely,” was released May of 2020, and my first original album, “Conception,” was released September of 2021 under the moniker of my one-man, instrumental, jam band project, “Fifth Bass.” It is my mission to enrich people’s lives through music via my entertainment and education business, 4Ground Music.

How I play

I am trained to play using, “Classical Guitar,” technique but am heavily influenced by a lifetime of studying Jazz and Progressive Rock.

I like to think that through my use of Giuliani-like arpeggio patterns, sudden pentatonic scale runs, melodic lines improvised on the spot, and the like, that I am developing a sort of, “Signature Sound.” A staple of my performance is arranging preexisting pieces for solo guitar and I strive to add my signature to each arrangement. While solo guitar arrangements take up most of my performance, I also love to write and perform original music.

The music that I write is usually textural and improvisation based. Ambient, ethereal-like vamps with complex arpeggio patterns accompanying Jazz rooted improvisations and tied together with progressive rock inspired synchronized licks, riffs, and fills. It could be said that my original music fits somewhere around the genre know as, “Post-Rock.” As of now I have only had a handful of original releases, but you can expect much more in the near future.

How I Teach

My goal for any student is to get them to a point where they can proactively learn and create music.

It is simpler than you think to play GREAT music. Playing music is like assembling a puzzle. I teach by presenting students with pieces to the puzzle and then showing them how to connect them (because it is not always obvious, as with any puzzle). Music is organized perfectly, and I strive to lay it all out in a way that a student will simply end up with an arsenal of musical tools that they can use in a way that is fun and original.

It is not so much that I teach music theory, but that I teach Music Practicality. Not only do I teach students about music theoretical concepts, but I show them how to actually use these concepts. Instead of just learning tabs note by note or practicing scales with no context, I show students how everything in music compliments everything else and it can all be practical and usable.

All of this whilst teaching efficient and organized physical technique.

Fifth Bass

The music that I write is heavily influenced by bands like AFI and Thrice, bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Blues Traveler, artists like Chick Corea and Bola Sete, and my instrument of choice, The Classical Guitar. The resulting sound doesn’t exactly fit into my usual target audience, so in an attempt to reach the correct people, I have formed a one-man band to release this music under the guise of.

Fifth Bass’s influence has been present in my music since the beginning. They were the band behind my debut EP Culmination and have performed on numerous of my singles and EP’s not to mention playing on half of the tracks on my debut album, Positively Lovely. After the mediocre success of my Fifth Bass style arrangement of Smells Like Teen Spirit, I knew that if I wanted to continue to release Classical Guitar driven music on the heavier Post-Rock/Jazz Fusion side of the spectrum, we needed to make it official.

My debut album as Fifth Bass, “Conception,” is the realization of my vison to mix the artistry of the classical guitar with the finesse of progressive rock.

Check out Fifth Bass on

For all other relevant information, please visit 4GroundMusic.net/FfifthBass