Richard Melling’s wish for his fifth birthday was a trumpet. Instead, he received a snare drum and an invitation to join Bonnie Langly’s Youth Caballeros Irish-Mexican Marching band, where he played drums and then trumpet for seven years. Richard took up the guitar in his teens and shortly thereafter fell in love with folk, bluegrass, old-time and classic country music. Richard has worked professionally as a kindergarten teacher, he was a volunteer world and folk music programmer on KBOO radio in Portland, and he has been involved with several bands including The Blue Heelers, Stumbleweed Bluegrass Band and, currently, the Ross Island Ramblers.
Class Description:
In this class we will work on reinforcing the basics of bluegrass, old-time, country, and folk guitar playing — tone, rhythm, picking styles, bass runs, flatpicking breaks, and much more. A big focus will be on playing with others and supporting fiddlers and singers (yourself or others). Bring a guitar, capo, tuner, flatpick and your voice. Intermediate Level description: Intermediate students should know most major and minor chords, be able to change chords in a song without slowing down, and feel comfortable learning by ear in a group setting.