For Tom Nothnagle, music is not just a form of expression, it is a way of life. The Iowa City native has had an indestructible passion for the classical guitar since he was 4 years old.

Since then, he has learned to play 21 instruments in addition to his original love. Out of this total, he is skilled enough in six of them to be able to teach others. His typical weekly schedule is booked, teaching 40-50 lessons and playing three to four gigs at local venues. His instrumental technique in performing music consists mostly of improvisation based on the type of crowd he is playing for.

“If I spot an older man in a crowd, I will mostly likely play music of the Eagles,” he said.

Nothnagle has spread his music not only across the United States — having played on both coasts and everywhere in the middle — but in Europe as well. Once, while visiting Paris, he took the stage with several other travelers.

Abram, Nothnagle’s 15-year-old son, thinks his father’s career was the perfect choice and views his traveling as a good way to get his music out. Nothnagle tried to teach him to play guitar in his younger years, but music was not his niche. Rather, Abram’s future plans include a career in science as a physicist. Currently, Tom is once again teaching Abram how to play the guitar. Although Abram’s passion for music does not equal that of Tom’s, they do share a common interest in reading.

Nothnagle and his band, the Freterazzi, will perform a free show at 8 p.m. today at the Java House, 2111⁄2 E. Washington St. He said his musical style, both solo and with his band, combines Brazilian bossa nova with classical music. Other styles include jazz standards, Latin, and blues.

He believes that different styles of music are connected in a worldly sense, especially the intermixing of unlikely styles from around the globe.

“We just sort of take a trip because we can,” he said.

He estimated he has played more than 3,000 gigs in his life, ranging from “low rent” places, such as bars, to venues requiring ticket entry. Other venues include festivals and theaters across the United States.

“In my troubled youth, I played on the West Coast,” Nothnagle said.

During that time, his 20s, he typically covered Bob Dylan songs in bars. If one would look at a list of all of the songs he has performed, the majority are written and performed by Dylan.

When deciding on a favorite type of music, Nothnagle has none. Rather, he bases his judgment of music on artists’ skill and insight into their instruments. To him, music is homogenous. When traveling, he is not affected by regional style because of the lack of musical theme within the Midwest. And because of this, he can be very diverse and flexible with his style.

“I belong to the world in a sense,” he said.

He is among the musicians who are famous or exalted but play for the passion of the art. He is proud of being a middle-class musician enveloped in the purity of the musical world.

“I am always in it,” Nothnagle said. “I am real.”