An inquisitive and restless musical spirit, Buzz Gravelle is one of the world’s leading fretless classical guitarists. Buzz’s music for fretless guitar is informed by a modernist’s perspective yet is lyrical, expressive, and often virtuosic.
The fretless classical guitar's potential is still largely untapped, and Buzz has set about to raise awareness of its beauty and potential through original compositions, a strong online presence, pedagogical materials, lecture/demonstrations, interviews, podcasts, and performances. In 2019 he released to popular acclaim The Realm of Endless Concepts, an album of all original compositions for fretless classical guitar. His newest album, Mirage of the White Rainbow, continues to further expand on the possibilities of the fretless classical guitar incorporating elements of musical traditions from around the world.
Buzz holds both M.F.A. and D.M.A. degrees in Music from UCLA. Buzz has over thirty years of experience as a music educator. He serves on the faculty of California Polytechnic University at Pomona, where he teaches music theory and coordinates the guitar studies program.
In 2021 Buzz co-founded G&G Guitars, exclusive resellers of Altamira fretless guitars. Buzz helped design fretless versions of Altamira's standard classical guitars, and plays and endorses Altamira fretless guitars. Buzz uses Pitbull strings on all his fretless guitars.