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Stephen Ross

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.stephenross.com

Genre

Music, Nonfiction

Member Since

July 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/bibbythebookworm

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Stephen Ross, whose real name is Stephen Rogouski, is a guitarist/composer/author who was discovered by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records. In 1991, Stephen released his debut CD called Midnight Drive on the Shrapnel label.

Inspired to write music by the Beatles, Chicago, Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, Stephen began his musical journey with his guitar but it wasn't until he heard Van Halen and Rhandy Rhoads that he became obsessed with becoming a lead guitarist. At sixteen, Stephen began lessons with one of the hottest jazz guitar players in the area, Harry Leahey gaining a solid foundation of improvisational tools.

After playing in some of New Jersey's top musical acts and playing before many national acts including the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Lesl Stephen Ross, whose real name is Stephen Rogouski, is a guitarist/composer/author who was discovered by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records. In 1991, Stephen released his debut CD called Midnight Drive on the Shrapnel label.

Inspired to write music by the Beatles, Chicago, Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, Stephen began his musical journey with his guitar but it wasn't until he heard Van Halen and Rhandy Rhoads that he became obsessed with becoming a lead guitarist. At sixteen, Stephen began lessons with one of the hottest jazz guitar players in the area, Harry Leahey gaining a solid foundation of improvisational tools.

After playing in some of New Jersey's top musical acts and playing before many national acts including the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Leslie Lest, Foghat and Slayer, Stephen received a phone call from Owner of Shrapnel Records, Mike Varney, expressing interest in giving Stephen a record deal. Stephen began sending Varney several new songs a week which impressed Mike enough to release Stephen's debut CD, Midnight Drive in 1991.

After Midnight Drive was released Stephen was involved in a wide variety of projects. He toured and recorded with some of the top bands in New Jersey and New York including Epic Recording artist Adrian Dodz, Taz, Pushing Up Daisies, Vox, Joey and the Works, The Michael Davis Band, Talk Town, Jarrett Dean, Geoffen Recording artist Raw Angel, Tyketto's Danny Vaughn, Look and a handful of others.

In 2011 he teamed up with some friends and released and produced the Rogosonic project on his own record label. This CD showed a heavier side of Stephen's playing and drew upon some of his nineties influences, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Nine Inch Nails as well as his earlier guitar influences. During this period Stephen Ross also wrote his first book for powerhouse publishing company Hal Leoard called "Arpeggios for the Modern Guitarist". The book has become a definitive text on how to use arpeggios in a modern guitar context.

Jabberwhacky
Stephen just finished up his second and latest solo instrumental guitar CD featuring a band of top notch players; Joe Nevolo on drums, John De Servio on bass and special guest appearance by bassist Bunny Brunell. John De Servio is currently the bassist with Black Label Society, Joe Nevolo was the drummer on Midnight Drive and also recorded and performed with Frank Marino, Greg Howe, Pat Travers and Shadow Gallery and Bunny Brunell is currently in the fusion band CAB and toured and recorded with the great Chick Corea and many more notable acts.

Stephen also created and runs the website The Instrumental Guitarist

Quotes
"Stephen Ross plays extremely fast but what separates him from the current pack of velocity worshippers is an intangible called personality."
James Rotundi, Guitar Player Magazine (5/1992)

"Stephen delivers a collection of high-energy instrumentals featuring incredible technique and feel."
Mike Varney, Guitar Player Magazine (9/1988) ...more

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Combine Editions
Stephen Ross’s books

Average rating: 5.0 · 2 ratings · 0 reviews · 1 distinct work

Arpeggios for the Modern Guitarist: The Complete Guide, Including Theory, Patterns, Techniques and Applications

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2008 — 2 editions

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Stephen Ross's Blog

Skipping Strings

Skipping strings can add some pizazz to ordinary licks and patterns. Scales and arpeggios are normally taught with forms that ascend and descend using notes on adjacent strings. I too, started with this approach which was fine for learning forms. The string skipping light bulb went off in my head when I started to explore intervals. The wider the intervals got, the more it appeared I needed to ski Read more of this blog post »

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Published on May 06, 2019 04:08

Stephen is Currently Reading

Stephen Ross is currently reading

5 Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing (The Writer's Toolbox Series)

by C.S. Lakin (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 25, 2021 08:55AM

Stephen Ross is currently reading

Leah on the Offbeat (Simonverse, #3)

by Becky Albertalli (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 12, 2019 08:39AM

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Stephen’s Recent Updates

Stephen Ross is now following Robin Lamont Author of If Thy Right Hand
Jul 24, 2025 05:13AM · like

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Stephen’s Quotes

“Invisibility is Just Visibility Inside Out”
― Stephen Rogouski

tags: coming-of-age, fiction, stephen-rogouski, young-adult

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“It's terrifying when you consider that every thought we have, every choice we could possibly make, branches off into a new world.”
― Blake Crouch, Dark Matter

288 likes

“No one tells you it's all about to change, to be taken away. There's no proximity alert, no indication that you're standing on the precipice. And maybe that's what makes tragedy so tragic. Not just what happens, but how it happens: a sucker punch that comes at you out of nowhere, when you're least expecting it. No time to flinch or brace.”
― Blake Crouch, Dark Matter

251 likes

“We're more than the sum total of our choices, that all the paths we might have taken factor somehow into the math of our identity.”
― Blake Crouch, Dark Matter

427 likes