Chris Rocha & Doug Doppler
2024 CR EXPERIENCE GUITAR CAMP
By Doug Doppler
The CR Experience Guitar Camp was founded by Chris Rocha and Andrés Castro to help them minister to campers through their guitars and in their hearts . Previous guest instructors had been Nigel Hendroff and Stu G . For this year ’ s camp Chris and Andrés invited Javier Serrano and myself to join them sharing our passion for guitar and worship ! By day we shared our collective insights about guitar and by night we worshipped together with the team from Chris ’ home church . While I ’ ve been part of guitar camps with the likes of Joe Satriani , Steve Vai , John Petrucci , and Paul Gilbert , what made this camp so special was the heart of and for worship that lifted the experience far beyond the high expectations I had going in . Like the amazing campers I met , I left with ‘ far more ’ than when I arrived .
[ Doug ] Chris , let ’ s start with your background on the instrument .
[ Chris Rocha ] Alright ! I started playing guitar at the age of seven . I am from Robstown , Texas . It ’ s a little town south of Corpus Christi . I started touring Texas with my Dad when I was nine , and , I started bands in the neighborhood , teaching my little buddies how to play instruments . When I was fourteen , I started a band with my sisters and toured around Texas , and then when I was eighteen , I started getting into production . I took my first church position when I was twenty . I had two opportunities and had to make an important decision . One was to play with Selena ’ s Dad in Corpus . Selena had already passed away , but her Dad , Abraham Quintanilla called me up and offered a position to record guitar at his studio and tour with one of his artists . And I asked God for direction , and He gave me a very clear message . The message was to stay close to His church . As long as I stayed close to His church , I would never lack anything , He would take care of everything for me . I took the position at the church , and ever since then I felt like he ’ s just been providing ,
42 October 2024 Subscribe for Free ...