Don Mock’s musical background is similar to that of any guitarist who began playing in the 60’s. Don’s competitive spirit as a teenager carried over to his early playing experience. All the local players tried their best to learn the fastest solos from rock guitarists Alvin Lee and Eric Clapton. Don’s reputation has grown from being a rock/blues guitarist, to becoming a jazz guitarist in the Northwest. It was a great advantage to him being able to learn quickly the styles of other guitarists. Don has evolved through many phases of jazz, blues, and rock. He borrowed from the best to create his own style. It is literally a “fusion”. Don is well-known among guitarists for his incredible technique and complete command of the instrument. His improvising techniques have been documented in many instructional books, including “Hot Licks”, “Fusion – Hot Lines,” and “Artful Arpeggios.” He also wrote “Ten”, a series of three books for Warner Bros./Alfred. “Guitar Scale Secrets,” his three-book series “Guitar Axis Masterclass”, and his three-book “Guitar Axis Masterclass”. Recent works include “Modal Mojo”, a play-along workshop and play-along series about modal playing, and “Mastering The Dominant Chord.” There are also three instructional videos available: “The Blues From Rock to Jazz”, “Jazz Guitar Tips”, and “Jazz Guitar Rhythm Chops”. Don grew up in Seattle, Washington and played in many of the area’s top jazz and rock bands. In 1972, he began his teaching career at the Cornish School in Washington and Olympic Jr. College in Washington. Don met Howard Roberts, a guitar legend, in 1974. He soon became the manager of guitar-teaching seminars in the Northwest. Howard brought Don to Los Angeles in 1977 to start the Guitar Institute of Technology. Don was the primary instructor at the school and also wrote the curriculum. Don also teamed up that year with Roger Hutchinson (REH), a publisher, to produce and write guitar method books. From 1983 to 1983, Don taught full-time at GIT. In 1983, he started a part time arrangement that involved him driving back and forth between Seattle and Los Angeles. He also traveled to Europe and the U.S to give seminars about GIT. Don was a member of an exciting fusion group that performed at the best jazz venues in Los Angeles. Students and fans alike developed a strong following for the band. His intense style and incredible guitar synthesizer made him well-known. Don was part of a “who’s who”, a group that included a number of bass and guitar players throughout his time at GIT. He often performed at GIT with a virtual “who’s who” of bass and guitar players, including Robben Ford, Larry Carlton and Pat Martino. Don was hired to direct the majority of GIT’s 300+ videos in 1983. Don was also hired to be the primary producer and director of REH’s 1988 instructional video line. Many artists have been fortunate to have had their videos featured on REH/Alfred because of his expertise as a teacher and player. Joe Pass, Allan Holdsworth and Robben Ford are just a few of the artists featured in REH/Alfred videos. Others include Paul Gilbert, Pat Martino. Albert Collins, Frank Gambale. Al DiMeola. Keith Wyatt. John Petrucci. Joe Diorio. Clint Strong, and many others. Mock is a recording artist. He has been a sideman on many albums and has released two solo albums, “Mock One” u0026 “Speed of Light”. Don has been pursuing musical interests for a long time. He is also a passionate fan of unlimited hydroplane race and has written and produced music scores for numerous boat racing video productions, including his highly-acclaimed documentary on Bill Muncey, which lasted six hours. He is responsible for the Hydroplane Museums video productions, adding his unique compositions to the videos and his guitar skills. Don is currently an instructor at the Roberts Music Institute, Bellevue, Washington, where he also helped to develop it with Jay Roberts (son of Howard Roberts). Jay and Don have an exciting duo of guitarists and can be seen performing all over the Seattle area. from http://donmockguitar.com
