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Beginning Guitar:
An easy-going introduction to basic
folk guitar. Includes tuning, stringing the guitar, chords,
fingering, strumming, and simple repertoire
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Blues Guitar: This
course will cover pre-war Blues styles in their regional contexts,
along with the individual players that defined Country, Delta, Piedmont
(Ragtime), Texas and other styles of Blues.
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Intro to Fingerstyle Guitar:
This course will have an emphasis on
technique both for the left and right hand, developing an efficient
technical approach to the instrument and examining learning and practicing methods through the use of a variety
of exercises. We will look at right hand techniques used in fingerstyle
guitar
by looking at a variety of fingerstyle pieces.
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Advanced Fingerstyle:
A class drawn
from all the previous periods of growth, as well as exploring new and
varied approaches and techniques to what is possible on the
instrument. Music from a number of earlier periods provides a wide
musical palette from which to draw. The influence of Pierre Bensusan,
Alex DiGrassi, Micheal Hedges, Duck Baker, Tim Sparks, Peppino
Agostino, and Leo Kottke will all find there way into this course.
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Flatpicking: This
will be a low key look into Flatpicking Guitar - - NOT!!! We will spend
the week learning basic to intermediate skills. Topics will include but
not limited to: Left hand
placement and technique, right hand rhythm and lead technique, developing
better dynamics, bass lines and connecting chords with melodic bass walks,
new tunes, how to develop solos for vocals and more. Bring plenty of extra
strings and picks, tape recorder (no videos) and questions..
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Advanced Flatpicking: This
class will help the students develop their own style of solo guitar. We
will focus on how to play more out of our heads and get away from the
paper through Steve’s award winning methods. We will work towards
understanding and unlocking the fingerboard and much more. Class topics
will also be student driven.
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Folk & Roots
Guitar: This
class will take the beginning/intermediate guitarist and introduce
them to many of the basics of folk/roots guitar. Covered topics
include basic theory, tuning, reading tablature, right and left hand
patterns, blues rhythms, travis picking, frailing patterns,
flatpicking, open tunings, slide and more. The main idea behind this
class is to introduce the student to new techniques that will advance
their playing and hopefully point them in some new directions as
players!
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Open Tunings: Course
description coming soon.
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Slide Guitar: This class will
explore in detail the use of Open D tuning and bottleneck guitar playing.
Topics covered will include basic techniques of slide playing like damping
and vibrato, chord and scale positions in open D, rhythm guitar playing in
Open D tuning, hot licks and tricks, accompanying and
improvising. Class level is for intermediate guitar players
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Songwriting: This
class will cover song structure, melody, ideas and where to find them, and
getting into the zone. We'll talk about balancing 'the rules' with
your own creative expression and touch on the business of songwriting as
well.
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Voice:
In this class, students will do daily
warm-ups and vocal exercises to help build strength, control and proper
vocalization & breathing techniques. We will discuss and
practice relaxation techniques to help get the most from your voice and to
help connect your voice, heart & mind. We'll also set aside time
to answer your questions about live performance & studio techniques
and the practicalities of caring for your voice and building/maintaining
confidence.
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| MINOR CLASSES:
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| Intro to Music Theory for the
Guitarist: Using
the major scale as a building block we will look at other scales, chord
theory and some useful tricks on how this all relates to the guitar.
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| Intro to the Mandolin:
Learn all the fundamentals
necessary to begin playing the Mandolin.
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| Licks
& Tricks: This class will
cover some moves to spice up your playing in various styles. We'll
talk about moveable open chords, bending notes within a chord, cascade
licks, harmonics and other ways to add some new colors to your playing. |
| Crosspicking:
Crosspicking is a specific roll pattern designed to
be melodic through syncopated right hand roll patterns. We will learn the
basic motor skill of crosspicking and then learn how to take several
different roll patterns and apply them to real world situations. Best
materials suited for crosspicking are ballads, gospel vocals, bluegrass
vocals, some sections of fiddle tunes and much more. Be sure to learn this
dying art of guitar playing. Beginners need to learn the rolls as a motor
skill. Intermediate and advanced will learn the rolls and songs.. |
| Swing
Chords: We
will work on a set of chords and learn how they are used to replace some
of the chords we already know. We will also work on some swing songs like
Lady Be Good, Sweet Georgia Brown and more is swing or sock rhythm and
then lead into Texas Style back-up with a different chord every two beats
with a walking bass line. Sounds tough? No Way, just wait and see. For
high end beginners through advanced.. |
| Waltzes
for Guitar: My favorite songs
these days are waltzes. They help you develop melody and harmony, learn
how to play slowly (very important the farther you go into music), develop
greater left hand strength and sustain and impress your friends and
neighbors with new style and grace on the guitar. We will not only work on
the melodies but also the incredibly beautiful and semi-complex chord
structure to classic waltzes. Beginners can work on the chord structures.
Intermediate and Advanced will work on the lead and back-part. |
| Guitar
Playing as a Duo: Learn
the art of making any song a guitar duet. |
