Songwriting with Chris R.

My first musical language is jazz and the blues, which means I feel all American music, as the blues defines all of our music. I learned my craft from masters such as Marcus Belgrave in my hometown of Detroit, where I played in many Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festivals and toured with the Motown legends, The Temptations. I was always a composer, and that drive dominated the next stage of my career as a classical composer. I acquired a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University and my works have been performed all over the world. I have just finished a commission for ten saxophone quartets, with premiers all over the nation to start in November, 2017. That much said, I have a deep respect for all forms of music, from Mozart to Miles Davis to John Mayer to Aretha Franklin. All are equally profound! And equally enjoyable! I spent many years as college professor, where I taught classical composition, jazz piano, recording, film scoring and recording arts. Since leaving that world, I have been very happily and deeply engaged in gigging, teaching and writing the music that comes from deep in my soul and which expresses all my influences. My approach to teaching also reflects all my skills, and starts with what you want to do with your music. If you want to develop your songwriting skills, we approach from any angle-harmony, development of basic ideas, or seeing what makes a Beatles or Beyonce tune work. If you want to develop your soloing chops, we can look at the deep traditions of jazz and blues. If you're an improvising player who wants to understand theory or develop your reading, I've got strong qualifications there. If you're a beginner, that's cool too! If you have a passion, then everything else follows with an experienced teacher. Bottom line-if you have an idea of where you want to go with your music, I probably have the experience to help you get there, no matter what the style! I teach from my home studio, where I have a beautiful grand piano and many keyboards. I usually play bass with my students. I can provide customized backing tracks for you to practice with. I also teach on line. I can provide many testimonials from world-class professionals and former students who are now making a big splash.