My name is Rick and I've been living, breathing, studying, playing, and performing the guitar since 1964 at age 7, and teaching since 1974.

I learned from the late great San Francisco guitar teacher Keith Allen, my mentor since 1973. I learned to play guitar and read music at age 7, two hours a day plus a lesson a week, for 3 years. I later rebelled, quit the lessons, and explored this early-70s new-to-me music by the Allman Bros, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix. I would learn the records late at night, note-for-note. They were my new guitar teachers, and I was on fire for guitar again.

Then at age 17 I went to Blue Bear Waltzes School of Music in San Francisco, the first "Rock&Roll College." It was 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 others.

I studied in college with bandleader Bennett Friedman (playing with classmate 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.

See my work at www.FretboardRevealed.com.