A couple of years later I began to take from a good family friend who was taking from Dick. He began to teach me some of the principles he had learned while taking from Dick Gordon Jr. I liked what I was learning, and after this friend went to college, he recommended me to Dick to continue on the principles I had learned.

My friend/former teacher was such an accomplished guitar player at 18 that I knew I wanted to achieve his playing level, so I had no doubt that taking lessons from Dick would be the key to my success as well. When I started with Dick, I was 16 years old.

I remember when we started Dick did an assessment of where I was in my talent, and from there we started learning more than just guitar. He was teaching me about theory and was giving me the “why” behind the playing. I was very pleased to gain this knowledge, especially because I knew that it was rare to know without studying formerly at a university.

As I progressed, I began to find myself not putting in the right amount of time into my playing. I thought that I would be able to get away with doing just enough to get by, but Dick saw right through it. We worked through some of my personal struggles that lead to me having breakthroughs  personally and with my playing. As I continued taking lessons until college, Dick and I developed a close friendship.

I left for college after taking from Dick for 3 years, and found myself writing a lot of my own songs. I was pleased to have the knowledge I gained from lessons with Dick. The following summer I desired to learn some more, and was able to take from Dick for another few months in between school years.

Three years later I graduated from college and found a job in Tulsa. Not only was I excited about the job but I was excited about learning even more from Dick. Overall our relationship has deep roots and I am thankful for the opportunity to have learned so much from him.

Lessons with Dick Gordon Jr. provided an answer. It was incredibly difficult to start over. I was scared that the creativity I had would disappear when I peeked behind the curtain of how it worked. However, I committed to learning theory and Dick Jr.’s system. While it was incredibly challenging, it was also incredibly rewarding and has benefited me greatly in my career as a musician.

Though I’m not primarily a guitarist, the things I learned with Dick apply to every aspect of what I do. Learning theory created so many opportunities for me to grow as a songwriter, guitarist and pianist. From communicating with players and songwriters to producing and arranging songs, understanding theory unlocked a lot of things for me that would have otherwise been real hindrances. Moreover, learning theory taught me how to push through something difficult and that change is both difficult and necessary to reach the next level in whatever you’re doing.

A friend of mine in school is in a band with one of Dick’s students, and he was telling me how good his guitar player is, and how he knew theory like the back of his hand. That’s what I had been looking for in school, and I just couldn’t find anyone that could teach it on a level that is simple.

I was a music major before I took from Dick, and I wasn’t learning what I went there thinking I was going to learn. I was frustrated with the way they taught music theory, they were never able to relate it to anything I liked. And once I heard about him and his reputation I knew he was the guy for me.

Before I started taking lessons from Dick, I didn’t really have any confidence in my playing. I was pretty good, people told me I was good, I just didn’t believe them. That was one of the first things he knocked out of me, and it didn’t take long. Because I could tell that he cared about me enough to truly want me to know that I wasn’t a bad player. The reason I thought that was because I needed to play what I heard in my head, but because I couldn’t do that yet my mind was telling me that I was bad. I’ve learned how to control my mind and really believe in myself. And that alone has helped my playing, and put my level years ahead of where I was.

I’m much more confident when I play now because I believe in myself. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I know he’ll get me there!

I know I’m going to keep on getting better and better; there’s no one stopping me except for myself. I hope to be able to make a living from the guitar; and I’m 100% positive I will be able to do that with Dick as my teacher.

I was motivated to find a new teacher, because I had a hard time developing my personal style into something I truly liked, and I thought my guitar playing was very narrow-minded. I wanted to expand the personality of my style and my playing ability, and I was tired of playing the same guitar licks over and over. I also had no
idea what was behind the music I was playing. I knew virtually no guitar theory other than what a G chord or D chord was, or major and minor scales.

I found Dick’s services through a recommendation at Tulsa Guitar and Electronics. They said he was the best teacher in Tulsa, so I looked him up in the phone book and gave him a try.

I have now been taking lessons from Mr. Gordon for almost 2 1/2 years and have learned so much from Dick Jr. these past couple of years it would take hours to explain it all. I was forced to immediately change the way I practiced and the mentality I held towards the guitar. I have learned a large amount of theory and have learned how to be constructively creative.

My playing is completely different now. Take my playing three years ago and spin it 180 degrees. I used to have no idea what I was doing. I did what just sounded good to my ear, and now I understand what is happening, and I am able to recognize which tones work with my ear and which don’t, and I can base my music off of the understanding of these tones. My playing sounds much more lyrical, and it has a mature quality to it that sounds much more professional than it used to.

The guitar still plays a large role in my life. I practice and record whenever I can, and I hope to become a good stage performer through Mr. Gordon’s teachings. Out of all of this playing, I have gained a much clearer focus of anything I do, a better sense of myself as an individual, and a new fulfilled part of myself that is indescribable. All of these things have not only exponentially increased my guitar playing ability, they have transformed my character and have made me a much more fun person to hang around with. I have become more aware of the world surrounding me, and I have been able to accomplish any task, because I have learned how to wrap my mind around the situation and solve the problem at hand.

I see my guitar playing ability only increasing. I am still developing my ideal style, and I hope to keep gaining an increased understanding of all types of music and how they are created. This will only help me develop my style through the various sounds I hear, and it will enable me to develop a well-rounded perspective of different types of music. I would like to eventually be known as a professional quality musician.

Everything about my experience generalizes to other areas of my life. I have gained a focus that enables me to search and find the answer to virtually every situation I come across. I have gained an understanding of myself through this focus and guitar playing that has totally transformed and reconstructed my character and made me a more empathetic, compassionate, well-rounded, wise, faithful leader.

1. Direct Substitution: Arranging and Improvising with Extension Chords
2. Three Approaches to Solo Guitar

During the instructional part of the seminars, I was assisted by Colton Miller of CCM Studios. Colton is an exceptional guitar and bass instructor and player whose assistance was greatly appreciated.

At the end of each seminar, a student of mine performed. Both the performances and the audience’s response were exceptional.

After the Direct Substitution presentation, Jackey Norman, a computer programmer for IBM, performed two original songs. Jackie’s songwriting ability is truly exceptional. I have backed up many performers. It’s always the most fun to back up someone who is stimulating and has compelling songs. Jackie is indeed someone with whom I would like to play.

After the Approaches to Solo Guitar presentation, Dalton Bivins, a senior at Broken Arrow High School, performed an original instrumental. It was a great performance of an extremely well-written solo. This was his first time to perform in public and he did not so much as glance at his guitar the whole time. When you take that into account along with the creative and substantive nature of the solo, and the style and finesse he expressed, his courage and talent were apparent.

After the seminars on both days, I performed “Spooky” (originally done by The Classics IV). Three other entertainers played as well:

• Dr. Steven Lusk, a well-known local dentist with a remarkable singing voice who performed Van Morrison’s “Moon Dance”
• Mark Meador of Marjo Operating Co., who has a charm and charisma in his singing and playing, along with a unique rhythmic feel, that flows naturally from his personality and experience. Mark performed “Bob Away My Blues” by the Marshall Tucker Band.
• Colton Miller, one of the top instructors in Tulsa and a highly creative and experienced guitarist.

Colton and I improvised solos for several songs as well.

It was a pleasure to be involved with everyone at the show, and kudos to my students for their strong performances! Thanks in particular to student Scott Hambrick, President of Midwest Shows, Inc., for allowing us to participate.

I returned to Tulsa in 2005 and at that point had been playing (not to be confused with studying) guitar for 3-4 years. I was learning how to play some songs and felt I was improving as a guitar player. I made the decision to begin taking formal lessons in an effort to build upon my “self-taught” level of playing. So, in February of 2007, I returned to taking lessons with Dick Gordon, Jr. about 19 years later. Dick actually remembered me and my father, who would bring me in for my lessons at that time!

When I began working with Dick as an adult, I quickly remembered his “no nonsense” teaching approach to learning to play. He makes it very clear, up front, what his expectations are of your commitment level and will also deliver on his threat to “fire” you as a student if you cannot commit to those expectations.

In turn, he also understands that many of his students are working adults with competing priorities in life that limit the amount of time that can be spent playing each week. He will challenge you and work to pull the best out of you as well as breaking down any mental barriers that may be preventing you from progressing. His unique background in music theory and psychology make for an outstanding teacher of a complex instrument.

After the student commits to his approach, Dick begins the working relationship with his proven methodology of teaching in-depth music theory followed by your desires in the areas that you wish to progress, whether it be lead, rhythm, or a particular playing style.

As a result of the past three years of working with Dick Gordon Jr., I have become a much more technical, confident, and knowledgeable player. Dick is truly a technician. He will correct every “bad habit” that you may have developed as a player to increase your efficiency in your changes or movements.

He is of the belief that you “practice like you perform”, so he also works with you as a performer, not just a guitar player. He is strict and precise with his corrections because that is what a good teacher does: accepts nothing less than your absolute best, every time, even if it is more than you even realize you are capable of.

Dick’s success as a great teacher and mentor can be attributed to his passion for excellence, his care of his students, and his love of music.

I went from viewing guitar as a hobby that I wanted to get better at doing so I could enjoy it more, to being well on my way to being a legitimate performer with a deep understanding of music theory. I am a much better player and singer thanks to Dick Gordon, Jr. and I hope that I continue to have the opportunity to work with him and have a friendship with him for many years to come.

But then I went stagnate pretty much playing the same way for the next decades.

And then I ran across Dick Gordon Jr.’s preview for his presentation at the upcoming 2006 Tulsa Guitar and String Show. It talked about resources for creativity. Not emulating someone else’s sound, but developing your own.

This really appealed to me. And I couldn’t wait for the show. I called Dick and he spent time to discuss his philosophy, what I could expect, and what he would expect from me in the way of dedication.

I think I have been taking now for about a year and a half, and he has delivered on his promise.

I certainly do have more resources available and that allows me a fresh look at songs, even those I learned as a beginner. He is connecting the dots of theory; putting into context the assorted fragments I picked up along the way.

And I am challenged. I make a lot of mistakes. but by pushing through the assignments, I am able to do things i never thought I could. And techniques that start off seemingly impossible, start sounding pretty good, and then become almost effortless. This type of growth is especially gratifying for me.

Every year, one of my resolutions is to become a better guitar player. And I have not made that goal most years. But I can say without a doubt, for the last two years, I have significantly improved. And more importantly to me, guitar playing is fun again.