Jorge Rios of Zen Guitar Studio was listed on the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society site which was founded by the great classical guitarist, Manuel Barrueco from the Peabody Conservatory. I'm a big fan of Maestro Barrueco. My dad used to have some of his old CDs that I'd listen to.
Every major city I've lived in had a classical guitar society. So when I moved to Baltimore, I knew the best teachers would be listed there and I was not wrong.
I had previously studied with other amazing players, but not all great players make good teachers. My previous experience with classical guitar teachers was good, but not great, a bit spotty.
So at our first lesson, the first two things I noticed was his pleasing demeanor and his beautiful "zen" teaching classroom. He had two chairs, two music stands and two foot stools in an uncluttered spacious room. He fondly called it "the sacred space".
Beyond the initial first impression, I was intrigued with his personal method, something that he said had evolved over many years of teaching and his own background in martial arts and meditation.
Since I was already playing at a relatively high level (for an amateur), we started out with Carcassi's 25 Etudes for Guitar. But even though I thought I had the fundamentals down, he would often go back to square one (posture, right/left hand form, technical considerations). Over and over and over again, to this day. But we've progressed onto more challenging pieces since then.
His Zen Method of Guitar is the most comprehensive and innovative method that I am aware of. In a strange way, guitar playing is almost secondary or at least it seems so. He often emphasizes meditations (technical drills) that seem almost divorced from actually music making, but there is a method to his "madness". His primary goal is heightened sense perception awareness (just like in zen). This is the ground from which all else rests upon. He treats the body like it's a machine, because that's what the body actually is, a machine, a system of levers and pulleys, while never losing sight of one's"spirit".
When the Covid pandemic hit us, I was impressed at how he shifted gears without missing a beat (or a lesson) to online Zoom lessons. We continued online lessons for a few months until things opened up again.
His central idea is that as awareness grows, the machine grows in subtle refinement, with the ultimate aim of finding expression as a human art, the art of guitar playing.
Exceptional instructors like Jorge, put as much energy into teaching complete beginners as advanced players. In that sense, he treats them equally.
I am very fortunate to have found him! Thank you BCGS!! read more
