About RichSeverson
Click to read an interview with Rich
Originally from the L.A. area, Rich has been playing professionally and teaching guitar for over thirty 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. Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Howard Roberts, Ted Greene and Larry Carleton have all influenced his playing.
Rich wrote three books for a major publisher Dale Zdenek/ Belwin Mills/Columbia providing him the opportunity to work with other 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 or smooth jazz quintet and also with an eleven piece little big band.
At home in his studio he is continually producing new lessons for www.GuitarCollegeLibrary.com. Rich has also written for and contributed articles to many music/guitar magazines.
For over twenty years Rich played guitar in various local churches, also serving as the band director at Northside Christian Church for seven years in Fresno. Rich is committed to raising the level of musicianship in the Christian church today. He travels throughout the U.S. and Canada instructing and playing at variety of Christian worship conferences, workshops and seminars. Rich is also endorsed and dealer of Heritage Guitars, Eastman Guitars, and Quilter Amps which takes him around the country to guitar shows, workshops and clinics. Rich also hosts an annual Guitar College Jazz Workshop in the Yosemite area.
The years of experience and knowledge he can share with you will
help you be the player you always dreamed you'd be.
ABOUT GUITAR COLLEGE
THE FIRST, THE ORIGINAL. Created in 1989 as a mail order program called Guitar Correspondence then reorganized into home study courses when I initiated our website in 1995. As a former instructor at Musicians Institute of Technology (G.I.T.), I can say first hand, it's an excellent school. Unfortunately due the high cost and a year long full time commitment, only a small percentage of musicians will ever be able to attend. I was amazed at how many students came there totally unprepared, spending $1000's to learn just the fundamentals of music and guitar. Students who started the program with a working knowledge of music theory and decent chops gained the most from what the school had to offer. I saw the need for a program to adequately prepare students beforehand as well as offer an affordable, advanced level, comparable curriculum for those who would never have the opportunity to attend a school like GIT. I researched the market and found that the only home study type guitar lessons available were the Dick Grove's programs that cost thousands of dollars. So I decided to develop something more offering comparable instruction, make it more than just a guitar lesson you'd get at a local music store, and add a complete, affordable music education too, similar to GIT and Dick Grove. Although some students require the accountability of an instructor to complete their work, most desire the flexibility of a working at their own pace and around their schedule. So after writing and recording almost 100 lessons, I organized them into Guitar College as you see it today, an affordable Home Study Guitar Program for all levels, in a variety of styles.
I now produce new video lessons weekly to add to our www.GuitarCollegeLibrary.com website. There are currently over 250 download guitar lessons available instantly to students all over the world at just the click of a button for a very minimal fee. Please visit us there, I think you'll get hooked and become a better player in the process!
