Not About Anything Automotive but About a Good Friend That Has Passed

Today I lost a friend. It's a shame too. He's was good guy, good guy.

My guitar teacher from Guitar Guys passed away. His name was Rick, and he was the coolest teacher that I have ever had!!!! He was always happy, bubbly and smiling from ear to ear and left the student feeling the same way!!!!!passed away. His name was Rick, and he was the coolest teacher that I have ever had!!!! He was always happy, bubbly and smiling from ear to ear and left the student feeling the same way!!!!!

And dam, if I was not getting paid this week and planning on going back to having lessons with him. He was out recently for some health reasons, and I was looking forward to impressing him with my practicing lately.

The last time I had lessons with him, I was having major panic/anxiety attacks to a point that I could barely play.  But even with that, he made me laugh and I thought the lesson went way too fast when he said we are done now Kevin.    Sad but true, I did not practice one day out of the four, and I forget what we went over =) lol

You know when you are getting old, when you forget what you are supposed to practice right after you learn it.

They say teachers inspire, and he truly made me want to be a better player, even if was horrible, I wanted to be a better horrible player because I wanted him to be proud of my little accomplishments.  He reminded me of my dad’s personality, he was always finding ways to compliment the student when there really was no improvement that I personally saw.

He made you feel better about you.  It was not so much about the lesson, but how he made you think about the enjoyment of the activity itself.  He was not so much about this, that and the other, he just made it fun.  I so enjoyed going to see him even though I quit and started and quit and started.

He always found something that was positive even if you did not hear it or see it yourself.

In the past when I would stop going and walk in there and then see him, I would feel guilty because I thought I let him down.  I did not want him to feel that I quit because I wanted him to be proud of me because his effort did not go to waste.  I think a couple of times I was nervous as I was when I was learning my Haftorah for my Bar-Mitzvah.  Not kidding, it was that important to me!

Feeling Guilty Because I let Him Down

And then I went back to him, and I told him,

“I don't know if you're going to take me because I feel guilty because I quit on you.”  I enquired very empathetically before I restarted my lessons with him not so long ago again.

As most of my time with him, we just connected and not so much about music and notes, but about life’s up and downs and he clued me to his secret.

GUITAR AS THERAPY

“I always found that music helps me during those times in my life where I was going through hard times.”

Rick’s Philosophy on Life

I picked up guitar when I was going through my divorce, and I go to it on and off when everything else in my going to shit.  Like just not so recently when I broke up with my Fiancée of almost a decade.

He had a way with people, no matter the person, he was always complimentary and enjoy all the time that I was able to practice with him.  Guitar Therapy is what he was able to do for me.  I started playing and messing around with guitar when I was first going through my Divorce, Separation, etc.  Sort of the same thing that I was just going through recently minus being the married part, and he was like

“Kevin, I always thought that my guitar and playing music during troubling times in my life was great therapy to help me through the rough patches that I encountered.”

I would say that my Guitar Therapy with Rick was as valuable as any amount of Shrink counseling etc.   It was like when he closed that door, it was just you and music and how you can enjoy your skillset, no matter how much lack of skills you think you have.  (I know not the best thought of my ability)

And it was so calming to get there. And to just be able to everything looks so easy to play. And he could do rhythm and he could do bass and he could do back, and then forth and then just jam out up the neck and down the neck of the guitar like the guitar Jedi he was.  Man, I'm really going to miss him. He's really a good guy. Just a good guy.  We thought the same about life, and that was the real lesson, to enjoy and have fun in the exercise of just learning!

Inspirational Escape from Common Day to Day Struggles

I'm going to miss the escaping music or escaping art, escaping this or that.  It only takes two or three chords of my favorite songs for me to almost play right, and I get goosebumps.  =)   All it takes to hear a remote familiar riff that I heard a thousand times and my uncoordinated, untalented movements can produce it, that is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inspiration is where You Find It

I get so excited. Yeah, I think that's what. That's what playing guitar, writing, you know, finding art, finding something you love to do, it makes you feel. Alive. And. He was just a good guy. Really. I just. I wanted to write something about him because they like to share this with his wife as well.

In The Past

I wrote about what and why of how playing guitar is incorporated into my life.  But like hundreds of other things that they've written that a lot of people don't see, or you want to see. Because I wanted to be a good representation of, you know what he meant?   Not only to me, but to many others.

Regretted In the Past

I remember I would make a monthly or semi-monthly stop into the Guitar Guys and I started listening to this one woman.   She was playing, and I'm like, wow, you really know how to play!  I was like who taught you? She's like, oh, I'd only been playing with Rick for about a year now.

And it was like, right after like six months after I left him.

Special People

There are people in your life like that. You don't really have to that close to leave with one with the impression that really understand that person is a good person.

Rick left that impression on you each time, no matter how short of duration, continually left that great experience!

You could tell you had a good heart.

Even When You Suck

H made you feel good about whatever you were doing no matter your lack of skill of playing truly what you thought of how you played!  - Just a great all-around GUY!

Even though I was not able to truly show him that his efforts were not in vain all time he spent with me, and it was too short, I feel that I was fortunate to have been able to be taught by him =)

Yeah, he's one of the good ones.

He really had a great connection with people. And he's going to be very badly missed.

MAY YOU ROCK and REST IN PEACE =)

You made me everyone you taught feel like they were a rock star!

As A Matter of Fact - Update!!!!!!!!!!

This is ALMOST UNBELIEVEABLE

This happened this morning - My memories for Facebook came up with Guitar As Therapy Picture that I posted a number of years ago - I think he is already talking to those that he left behind in anyway possible =)

Ricks Message from Beyond This Existence

Kevin Douglas Berg #GuitarGuys #NewarkOhio #HeathOhio #GreatGuy #AllAroundGreatPerson #Inspirational #GreatTeacher #LifeCoach #GuitarAsTherapy