Originally from the L.A. area, Rich has been playing professionally and teaching guitar for over forty years. His education includes years of college and private instruction with a variety teachers including Mitch Holder, Ted Greene, Joe Pass, Charlie Shoemake to name a few. He feels education is a continuing process, there's always more to learn. His playing has been influenced by Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Howard Roberts, Ted Greene and Larry Carleton.
In the 80's Rich wrote three books for a major publisher Dale Zdenek/ Belwin Mills/Columbia providing him the opportunity to work with several great artist/authors like Tommy Tedesco, Joe Diario and Ted Greene. After teaching at GIT/Musicians Institute, in Hollywood, CA, for three years he developed and published his own home study guitar school type curriculum available on his website www.GuitarCollege.com which has helped over ten thousand students improve their playing.
Rich has won honorable mentions and awards in songwriting and served as president of the Ventura County Producers and Songwriters Guild. Touring for three years with "Dick Clark's Good Old Rock and Roll Show" he had the opportunity to perform with Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Anthony and many other great, old time rock and rollers. After moving his family to the Yosemite/Fresno area he taught guitar and directed the jazz band at Fresno Pacific University for two years.
Being a well-rounded player, Rich is comfortable playing a variety of styles including jazz (his favorite), blues, rock, fusion, country and solo fingerstyle. He performs at local venues in a number of different scenarios; as a solo guitarist, with his jazz trio or quartet, western swing band, local big band and recently an appearance with the Fresno Philharmonic.
For over twenty years Rich has been playing guitar in churches in the Fresno, CA area as well as serving as band director and arranger. Rich is committed to raising the level of musicianship in the Christian church today. He's traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada instructing and playing at variety of worship conferences, workshops and seminars.
At home in his studio Rich produces new lessons for his GuitarCollege.com websites and records his original tunes with his local jazz band. Having written a column for Christian Musician Magazine for over 6 years, he currently writes for Collectible Guitar Magazine and has contributed to Just Jazz Guitar Magazine and other music magazines through the years.
Rich is endorsed by Eastman, Heritage and Hofner Guitars, and Quilter Amps which takes him around the country to guitar shows, workshops and clinics promoting these products as well as his own business. Rich also hosts an annual 5 day Guitar College Yosemite Jazz Workshop in the Yosemite foothills area where he resides.
The years of experience and knowledge he can share with you will help you be the player you always dreamed you'd be.
To find out more about Rich
Click to read an interview with Rich from Just Jazz Guitar
Click to read What I Learned From a Master, By Jim Carlton
RICH'S PHILOSOPHY ABOUT TEACHING GUITAR There's an old adage, "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for life." It's that way with guitar playing also. You can learn a song on your guitar and all you'll know is a song. But if you learn some music theory and improve your skill, you'll be able to teach yourself all the songs you want to know.
Having the right material is essential. I believe in teaching music not just a guitar lesson. I don't believe in dumbing down the information nor over complicating the issue. In music as in most things there is a logical progression of learning, one idea building upon another and that's the best, most effective way to learn. The goal is to play, understand and enjoy your guitar and the music you can make with it. If a student learns to understand the music that's in front of him, sees where it should be played on his instrument, hears what it should sound like and develops the technical skill to perform it, there is no stopping him. This is what Guitar College can do for you.
For more details about Rich's and his teaching go to http://www.guitarcollege.net/about_us.html.
