Jan Rivera

Jan Rivera's debut album "Existential Paranoia" has been featured in exclusives by Guitar World Magazine, PROG Magazine, and Bass Magazine among others. His song "Can't Fight Who You Are", was named the #1 Track of The Week by PROG Magazine. It features Mohini Dey, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), and Marco Minnemann (Aristocrats, Steven Wilson.)

The album also features Nili Brosh (Danny Elfman, Tony Macalpine), Gary Husband (John McLaughlin), Jimmy Johnson (Allan Holdsworth), Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa), and Chris Clark (Virgil Donati band), among others.

Jan is a graduate from both the A.A. and bachelor’s programs (Electric Guitar Performance – Contemporary Styles) at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, CA; where he studied with Alex Machacek, Antti Kotikoski, Chris Juergensen, Greg Howe, Scott Henderson, and also worked as a Teaching Assistant.

He was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where he started his formal education by obtaining a B.M. in Musical Education and a B.A. in Music (Classical Guitar) from the Universidad Interamericana of Puerto Rico, San German Campus. He also finished all coursework for a Masters in Music Education before moving to Los Angeles, where he still resides.

His book “Advanced Rhythmic Concepts for Guitar; Foreword by Alex Machacek: (An in-depth study on Metric Modulation, Polyrhythms and Polymeters)” has received raving reviews by publications the likes of JazzTimes Magazine, Vintage Guitar Magazine,fellow authors (Mel Bay/Hal Leonard), educators (Musicians Institute, Berklee College of Music, and the Tokyo School of Music), as well as other musicians. It has been cited in several books around the world, used as a resource in music bachelor programs, and published in two languages.

Jan has worked as an on-set consultant, curriculum designer and writer for Fender Guitars, and taught and performed clinics with Guitar Workshop Plus. A guitar camp that regularly features guest artists like Tosin Abasi, Paul Gilbert, Albert Lee, Gary Hoey, and Andy McKee.

Jan was a Teaching Assistant at Musicians Institute, Hollywood CA, and has been featured as a presenter at the Puerto Rican Congress of Investigation in Education.