When Roger was twelve his father showed him traditional fiddle tunes on the mandolin. Soon after, he says he was adapting those tunes to the guitar believing he’d “invented flatpicking”. A strong desire to fully understand the depth of music eventually lead to formal music study. At nineteen, Roger became a music-major studying Jazz and Classical music at Olympic College in Bremerton Washington – the following year he was an adjunct faculty member – and still teaches at OC!
Gearing up for the Pickin’ Party – Roger (with guitar) and his Dad Chuck Ferguson- San Diego 1975
Comfortable with many styles & techniques, his expertise is in the area of Acoustic Roots music and Americana (i.e. Bluegrass, Country, Traditional Jazz/Blues etc…) Roger offers beginning through advanced music instruction in various styles. He is known as a patient teacher who’ll go over and over a passage or lick, or concept until students are confident they know it! By teaching students how to learn, Roger helps them become independent musicians. Over the years, many of his students have gone on to become professional musicians, audio engineers, and/or music educators.
Roger offers unique insight into learning music and many of his guitar lessons have been published in “Guitar Player Magazine”. Roger’s article, The “Fiddle Shuffle” was featured in GP Magazine’s compilation book, “Licks and Lessons from the World’s Greatest Guitar Players and Teachers” and is one of the book’s key lessons. In the book, Roger is noted to be among of the “finest pickers and teachers on the planet” along with BB King, Al Dimeola, John McLaughlin, Barney Kessel et al, and is also quoted on the back of the book with Steve Vai.
Back cover of “Licks and Lessons from the World’s Greatest Guitar Players and Teachers”
Formal musical training includes two years of classical performance, composition and analysis at Olympic College while studying jazz guitar from Don Mock, of the Guitar Institute of Technology. Two years of Jazz improvisation with Floyd Standifer (previously w/Quincy Jones). Roger also studied informally for two years with Jeff Morrison, former head of the jazz re-harmonization department at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.
