Guitar Guru
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My Music
The tunes below are complete recordings, with the minor exception of, er, no vocals. Though I sing like a guitar player, someday I'll get around to laying down vocals on these. The songs are otherwise complete: drums, bass, vibraphone, percussion, slide guitar, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar. I did the arrangements, played all the guitars, and programmed the other instruments in Reason v3. Recorded in Amsterdam in December 2005. These MP3s are higher quality than the usual: 192 kbs and 48,000 hz. Click on title to download or play. These are NOT my Bluestronica tunes, those are soon to come. (Be patient as your browser has to download the whole file before playing it.)
Rock Me Baby (5:01, 7.0 megs)
Big Boss Man (4:35, 6.5 megs)
Mean Old World (3:22, 4.7 megs)
The Hunter (2:35, 3.6 megs)
One Night With You (2:18, 3.2 megs)
It Hurts Me Too (2:14, 3.1 megs)
The following were recorded for the band Firedog in 2007, I'm playing electric rhythm and lead guitar (one-take rough mixes, quality= 48K/320):
Tore Down (3:10, 7.5 megs)
Lie To Me (4:13, 10 megs)
Boulder County USA (3:35, 5.0 megs; Copyright Dale Johnson)
Wanna hear me on Bass? While not as easy to hear as guitar, on these tunes I'm playing Bass for Juba Juba!, Denver's best Grateful Dead band. Recorded live at the Mishiwaka Amphitheatre in the Summer of 2007, I boosted the low end so the Bass is louder (60Hz=+6dB, 150Hz=+4dB, 400Hz=+2dB; all are 44.1K/192).
Mister Charlie (6:05, 8.5 megs)
West LA Fadeaway (7:12, 10.1 megs)
Shakedown Street (6:17, 8.8 megs)
Big Boss Man (5:18, 7.4 megs)
Scarlet Begonias into Fire on the Mountain (16:08, 22.7 megs)
New Speedway Boogie (11:13, 15.7 megs)
Bertha into Good Lovin' (12:03, 17 megs)
End of Music
Click on any image here to buy or learn more at www.FretboardRevealed.com:
Four new eBooks for guitarists and all musicians, composers, arrangers, and teachers.
Written by a guitar teacher of 35 years, it contains hard-to-find music and fretboard theories. At only $10, that's the cost of 1/2 of a 1/2 hour lesson, for information that will last you a lifetime.
Download it in PDF format for you to print on your own printer. That cuts the costs and I pass the savings on to you.
Great for Music Teachers of any instrument. With information on Blues and Chord Substitutes, any musician, composer, or arranger can benefit.
w w w . F r e t b o a r d R e v e a l e d . c o m
Click here to send me a personal email
Click here to tell a friend about this site.
Click here to add this page to your Favorites.
BANDS: I'm available for short-notice gigs, especially blues, slide, or those requiring charts. (please no pop or country, nothin' personal) I don't usually need much rehearsal, and actually prefer to step right up and play your set list all night without any. Count it off...
My name is Rick, and yes, I've actually been studying, playing, and performing guitar for the past 45 years, since age 7, and teaching for 35 years.
My specialties are:
**Teaching you any song you want to learn. Are you stuck trying to learn a certain song, or how to play a certain style? Want to learn the SRV sound, or Albert Collins? Roy Buchanan or Robben Ford? I can show you how to get that sound, and how to play the licks that sound like them. Just have the CD, sheet music (I read treble clef fluently), or guitar tab ready, and you will know it within an hour.
**CAGED fretboard theory. You just know there's a grand scheme connecting all those frets and all those strings, but what is it? None of the books, and none of the magazines mention it. But I learned it from the late great San Francisco guitar teacher Keith Allen, my mentor since 1973. Learn CAGED and the fretboard will open an exciting new world of guitar for you. You'll never look at the neck again the same way.
**Slide guitar (bottleneck). Electric, acoustic or lap, brass or glass. This is my favorite guitar style. Make the guitar cry like a forlorn singer, or scream like a razor-back hog. Play 3- to 6-string chords, bend strings under the slide, learn vibrato, in regular or open-E tuning.
**The art of comping, or playing the rhythm guitar interestingly and with variety. Once you know CAGED, you'll never be stuck playing rhythm in the same position or the same boring way. Guaranteed. Also learn 100s of chord substitutions for a cooler, hipper sound.
**Lead guitar. I will teach you how to play lead and solos in any style, and how use the different scales and modes, plus tips and tricks.
After learning to read guitar music in 1964 as a 7-year-old kid, in 1973 I went to Blue Bear Waltzes School of Music in San Francisco, the 1st "Rock&Roll College".
There I learned fretboard and music theory, composition; and studied with my practice partner Chris Hayes (Huey Lewis & The News), Bonnie Hayes (Bonnie Raitt's composer), Keith Allen (Steve Miller Band), and many others.
After that I studied in college with bandleader Bennett Friedman (playing with classmate and future blueswoman Debbie Davies). There, and at a California State University, I was in the jazz program, studying improvisation, composition, arranging, and theory.
I've played in a zillion bands (jazz, country, rock, rock-n-roll, blues, originals), 3 musicals, international tours, countless union and bar gigs, written and recorded music, and recorded others.
Since 1974 I've been teaching only intermediate and advanced players. I still play lead guitar and bass in a few bands in the area.
Others can teach you just fine, but I've likely been doing it longer than they've been alive. I teach what most don't, and I don't want to see you every week unless you really want it. One-time lessons just to learn a song or some technique are fine by me.
Here's what a parent of one student told me recently:
Put together a master class of 5 people and you learn for free.
End of Craigslist ad
The tunes below are complete recordings, with the minor exception of, er, no vocals. Though I sing like a guitar player, someday I'll get around to laying down vocals on these. The songs are otherwise complete: drums, bass, vibraphone, percussion, slide guitar, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar. I did the arrangements, played all the guitars, and programmed the other instruments in Reason v3. Recorded in Amsterdam in December 2005. These MP3s are higher quality than the usual: 192 kbs and 48,000 hz. Click on title to download or play. These are NOT my Bluestronica tunes, those are soon to come. (Be patient as your browser has to download the whole file before playing it.)
Rock Me Baby (5:01, 7.0 megs)
Big Boss Man (4:35, 6.5 megs)
Mean Old World (3:22, 4.7 megs)
The Hunter (2:35, 3.6 megs)
One Night With You (2:18, 3.2 megs)
It Hurts Me Too (2:14, 3.1 megs)
The following were recorded for the band Firedog in 2007, I'm playing electric rhythm and lead guitar (one-take rough mixes, quality= 48K/320):
Tore Down (3:10, 7.5 megs)
Lie To Me (4:13, 10 megs)
Boulder County USA (3:35, 5.0 megs; Copyright Dale Johnson)
Wanna hear me on Bass? While not as easy to hear as guitar, on these tunes I'm playing Bass for Juba Juba!, Denver's best Grateful Dead band. Recorded live at the Mishiwaka Amphitheatre in the Summer of 2007, I boosted the low end so the Bass is louder (60Hz=+6dB, 150Hz=+4dB, 400Hz=+2dB; all are 44.1K/192).
Mister Charlie (6:05, 8.5 megs)
West LA Fadeaway (7:12, 10.1 megs)
Shakedown Street (6:17, 8.8 megs)
Big Boss Man (5:18, 7.4 megs)
Scarlet Begonias into Fire on the Mountain (16:08, 22.7 megs)
New Speedway Boogie (11:13, 15.7 megs)
Bertha into Good Lovin' (12:03, 17 megs)
End of Music
Click on any image here to buy or learn more at www.FretboardRevealed.com:
Four new eBooks for guitarists and all musicians, composers, arrangers, and teachers.
Written by a guitar teacher of 35 years, it contains hard-to-find music and fretboard theories. At only $10, that's the cost of 1/2 of a 1/2 hour lesson, for information that will last you a lifetime.
Download it in PDF format for you to print on your own printer. That cuts the costs and I pass the savings on to you.
Great for Music Teachers of any instrument. With information on Blues and Chord Substitutes, any musician, composer, or arranger can benefit.
w w w . F r e t b o a r d R e v e a l e d . c o m
Click here to tell a friend about this site.
Click here to add this page to your Favorites.
BANDS: I'm available for short-notice gigs, especially blues, slide, or those requiring charts. (please no pop or country, nothin' personal) I don't usually need much rehearsal, and actually prefer to step right up and play your set list all night without any. Count it off...
Teaching Advanced Rock and
Blues Guitar for 35 Years...
My name is Rick, and yes, I've actually been studying, playing, and performing guitar for the past 45 years, since age 7, and teaching for 35 years.My specialties are:
**Teaching you any song you want to learn. Are you stuck trying to learn a certain song, or how to play a certain style? Want to learn the SRV sound, or Albert Collins? Roy Buchanan or Robben Ford? I can show you how to get that sound, and how to play the licks that sound like them. Just have the CD, sheet music (I read treble clef fluently), or guitar tab ready, and you will know it within an hour.
**CAGED fretboard theory. You just know there's a grand scheme connecting all those frets and all those strings, but what is it? None of the books, and none of the magazines mention it. But I learned it from the late great San Francisco guitar teacher Keith Allen, my mentor since 1973. Learn CAGED and the fretboard will open an exciting new world of guitar for you. You'll never look at the neck again the same way.
**Slide guitar (bottleneck). Electric, acoustic or lap, brass or glass. This is my favorite guitar style. Make the guitar cry like a forlorn singer, or scream like a razor-back hog. Play 3- to 6-string chords, bend strings under the slide, learn vibrato, in regular or open-E tuning.
**The art of comping, or playing the rhythm guitar interestingly and with variety. Once you know CAGED, you'll never be stuck playing rhythm in the same position or the same boring way. Guaranteed. Also learn 100s of chord substitutions for a cooler, hipper sound.
**Lead guitar. I will teach you how to play lead and solos in any style, and how use the different scales and modes, plus tips and tricks.
After learning to read guitar music in 1964 as a 7-year-old kid, in 1973 I went to Blue Bear Waltzes School of Music in San Francisco, the 1st "Rock&Roll College".
There I learned fretboard and music theory, composition; and studied with my practice partner Chris Hayes (Huey Lewis & The News), Bonnie Hayes (Bonnie Raitt's composer), Keith Allen (Steve Miller Band), and many others.
After that I studied in college with bandleader Bennett Friedman (playing with classmate and future blueswoman Debbie Davies). There, and at a California State University, I was in the jazz program, studying improvisation, composition, arranging, and theory.
I've played in a zillion bands (jazz, country, rock, rock-n-roll, blues, originals), 3 musicals, international tours, countless union and bar gigs, written and recorded music, and recorded others.
Since 1974 I've been teaching only intermediate and advanced players. I still play lead guitar and bass in a few bands in the area.
Others can teach you just fine, but I've likely been doing it longer than they've been alive. I teach what most don't, and I don't want to see you every week unless you really want it. One-time lessons just to learn a song or some technique are fine by me.
Here's what a parent of one student told me recently:
"He is truly inspired and comes back so psyched up. He has been good with going thru the scales and chords and is learning lots. One thing he will say is that now when he is playing or learning a song he can see a lot more of what is going on. Also he has lost his fear of attempting to play single notes and it seems the scales and exercises have helped. You really have helped him turn the corner."
Put together a master class of 5 people and you learn for free.
End of Craigslist ad
My Music CV
A mature and accomplished guitarist, studying for 45 years (since age 7).
Many styles: jazz, rock'n'roll, blues, rock; duo, solo, slide, electric, acoustic, bass, keys, some vocals; casuals, show, background, sit-in; recording, one-off or tours; band leader or sideman.
Write and sight-read fluently treble clef, chord charts, and scores. Can arrange, score, transpose. I have several dozen music and fake books.
Own a range of pro gear (amps, effects, guitars) for playing live, and a small 8-track recording studio.
Teaching since 1974 fretboard theory, slide, modes, styles.
A mature and accomplished guitarist, studying for 45 years (since age 7).
Many styles: jazz, rock'n'roll, blues, rock; duo, solo, slide, electric, acoustic, bass, keys, some vocals; casuals, show, background, sit-in; recording, one-off or tours; band leader or sideman.
Write and sight-read fluently treble clef, chord charts, and scores. Can arrange, score, transpose. I have several dozen music and fake books.
Own a range of pro gear (amps, effects, guitars) for playing live, and a small 8-track recording studio.
Teaching since 1974 fretboard theory, slide, modes, styles.
2007 Wrote 4 eBooks in the "Secrets Revealed" series
2005 Developed Bluestronica, a new genre combining Techno electronic dance music with live blues guitar and blues vocal samples, Amsterdam
2005 Made field recordings on the streets of Amsterdam, produced album
2005 "Speakeasy St." musical, playwright and composer, Amsterdam
2003 Began 8-track Fostex digital recording and Reason, Amsterdam
1996-01 Sound engineer, DJ, music performer, Burning Man Festival
1995 Artist endorser for Gibson Guitars
1994 Pink Flamingos band, guitarist, toured US and Bahamas
1992 Bachelor of Arts degree (Marketing), Sonoma State University CA
1982 "Godspell" musical, guitarist, Santa Rosa CA
1980 Guitar repair tech for 2 years, Ukiah Music Store, Ukiah CA
1979 Electric Guitar Tech, Fender Music Instruments, Fullerton CA
1979 Physics of Music class, Sonoma State University CA
1979 "Pippin" musical, guitarist, Santa Rosa CA
1978 Music Director/Guitarist, In Love Internally, original musical, Cotati CA
1978 Recording/Sound Tech for the music and dance department for 1 year, paid. Produced all dance program music and recorded all music performances, Sonoma State University CA
1977 Attended Sonoma State University for 3 years, studied traditional music program including piano, vocal, and percussion sight-reading
1977 Sound effects artist, dramatic radio program, KSFO-AM
1976 KMLS-FM radio, DJ; KBBF-FM, News Reader; Santa Rosa CA
1976 Video Production class, Santa Rosa Junior College CA
1975 Justice Sound, live sound tech, Sebastopol CA
1975 Joined American Federation of Musicians union, Local 13, Santa Rosa CA
1975 Studied arranging, jazz composition, improvisation, and music and jazz theory, AA degree, Santa Rosa Junior College CA
1974 Bristlecone Studios, recording and live sound tech, Monte Rio CA
1973 Joined first class of Blue Bear Waltzes School of Music, 1st "Rock&Roll college". Learned fretboard theory, composition. Studied with Chris Hayes, Bonnie Hayes, Keith Allen, and others. San Francisco CA
1970 Began study of contemporary guitar music, rock and mostly blues. Taught myself slide, soloing, rhythm, chords
1967 Began studying 4-string bass guitar and reading bass clef
1967 Began regular concerts as the lead in a guitar trio
1966 Played flute in school band for next 2 years
1966 Began recording life using a new Ampex 1/4-inch reel-to-reel tape recorder
1964 Began studies on guitar. Learned to read treble clef from Alfred McManus Books 1-6, lessons weekly for next 3 years, practice 2 hours per day, annual public performances
Expert in Propellerhead Reason, Goldwave, digital audio recording, audio file post-processing and conversion, many utilities, MS Office, Windows. Able to maintain and repair computers and networks, including and hardware repair.
Able to lead, manage, evaluate, train and develop band members.
Able to write for, arrange and score all instruments, including transposed parts.
Professional, presentable, personable.
Available for tours, contract, subbing, studio, live; sideman, band leader, composer, arranger; union or no.
Have passport, will travel.
End of CV
2005 Developed Bluestronica, a new genre combining Techno electronic dance music with live blues guitar and blues vocal samples, Amsterdam
2005 Made field recordings on the streets of Amsterdam, produced album
2005 "Speakeasy St." musical, playwright and composer, Amsterdam
2003 Began 8-track Fostex digital recording and Reason, Amsterdam
1996-01 Sound engineer, DJ, music performer, Burning Man Festival
1995 Artist endorser for Gibson Guitars
1994 Pink Flamingos band, guitarist, toured US and Bahamas
1992 Bachelor of Arts degree (Marketing), Sonoma State University CA
1982 "Godspell" musical, guitarist, Santa Rosa CA
1980 Guitar repair tech for 2 years, Ukiah Music Store, Ukiah CA
1979 Electric Guitar Tech, Fender Music Instruments, Fullerton CA
1979 Physics of Music class, Sonoma State University CA
1979 "Pippin" musical, guitarist, Santa Rosa CA
1978 Music Director/Guitarist, In Love Internally, original musical, Cotati CA
1978 Recording/Sound Tech for the music and dance department for 1 year, paid. Produced all dance program music and recorded all music performances, Sonoma State University CA
1977 Attended Sonoma State University for 3 years, studied traditional music program including piano, vocal, and percussion sight-reading
1977 Sound effects artist, dramatic radio program, KSFO-AM
1976 KMLS-FM radio, DJ; KBBF-FM, News Reader; Santa Rosa CA
1976 Video Production class, Santa Rosa Junior College CA
1975 Justice Sound, live sound tech, Sebastopol CA
1975 Joined American Federation of Musicians union, Local 13, Santa Rosa CA
1975 Studied arranging, jazz composition, improvisation, and music and jazz theory, AA degree, Santa Rosa Junior College CA
1974 Bristlecone Studios, recording and live sound tech, Monte Rio CA
1973 Joined first class of Blue Bear Waltzes School of Music, 1st "Rock&Roll college". Learned fretboard theory, composition. Studied with Chris Hayes, Bonnie Hayes, Keith Allen, and others. San Francisco CA
1970 Began study of contemporary guitar music, rock and mostly blues. Taught myself slide, soloing, rhythm, chords
1967 Began studying 4-string bass guitar and reading bass clef
1967 Began regular concerts as the lead in a guitar trio
1966 Played flute in school band for next 2 years
1966 Began recording life using a new Ampex 1/4-inch reel-to-reel tape recorder
1964 Began studies on guitar. Learned to read treble clef from Alfred McManus Books 1-6, lessons weekly for next 3 years, practice 2 hours per day, annual public performances
Expert in Propellerhead Reason, Goldwave, digital audio recording, audio file post-processing and conversion, many utilities, MS Office, Windows. Able to maintain and repair computers and networks, including and hardware repair.
Able to lead, manage, evaluate, train and develop band members.
Able to write for, arrange and score all instruments, including transposed parts.
Professional, presentable, personable.
Available for tours, contract, subbing, studio, live; sideman, band leader, composer, arranger; union or no.
Have passport, will travel.
End of CV
Gear
Guitars
Gibson Nighthawk electric
Gibson Les Paul Bass electric
Ibanez Iceman
Alvarez-Yairi acoustic dreadnought
...and others not worth mentioning
Amps and Processors
Mesa/Boogie Mark IV
Roland GP-100 guitar preamp/processor
Mesa/Boogie 50/50 powering (2) Mesa/Boogie floor wedges w/JBL
Resistive Power Soak
Line 6 175LD bass amp
Crown Power Tech 2 powering (2) Electro-Voice floor wedges
BBE Sonic Maximizer 422A
dbx 1046 quad compressor/limiter
Rane stereo 15 band EQ
Other
Brass slides, or a half-full Heineken bottle
Foxx Tone Machine
Color-sound wah-wah
Cry Baby 535 wah-wah
End of Gear
Evolution of a Guitar Guru...
Age 9 (1965) age 22 (1978) Age 49 (2006)
Copyright 2006-10 RR, All Rights Reserved
Gibson Nighthawk electric
Gibson Les Paul Bass electric
Ibanez Iceman
Alvarez-Yairi acoustic dreadnought
...and others not worth mentioning
Amps and Processors
Mesa/Boogie Mark IV
Roland GP-100 guitar preamp/processor
Mesa/Boogie 50/50 powering (2) Mesa/Boogie floor wedges w/JBL
Resistive Power Soak
Line 6 175LD bass amp
Crown Power Tech 2 powering (2) Electro-Voice floor wedges
BBE Sonic Maximizer 422A
dbx 1046 quad compressor/limiter
Rane stereo 15 band EQ
Other
Brass slides, or a half-full Heineken bottle
Foxx Tone Machine
Color-sound wah-wah
Cry Baby 535 wah-wah
End of Gear
Evolution of a Guitar Guru...
Age 9 (1965) age 22 (1978) Age 49 (2006)