Guitar improvisation

Locations, dates and times 

Saturdays Summer term  

Saturday 6th of June at 12pm. Saturday 13th of June at 12pm. Saturday 20th of June at 12pm. Saturday 27th of June at 12pm. Saturday 4th of July at 12pm. Saturday 11 of July. Saturday 18th of July. Saturday 25th of July at 12pm. 

Saturdays Autumn term 

Saturday 5th of September at 10.30am. Saturday 12th of September at 10.30am. Saturday 19th of September at 10.30am. Saturday 26th of September at 10.30am. Saturday 3rd of October at 10.30am. Saturday 10th of October at 10.30am. Saturday 17th of October at 10.30am. Saturday 24th of September at 10.30am. 

Course overview 

This workshop is about non-stop jamming for 90 minutes, inspired by the improvisation workshops I attended back in the 1990s in Bradford, which still to this day stand out as the most impactful guitar workshops I have ever done.

As this is a rolling program, you can book at any stage. Your booking entitles you to four sessions delivered across four consecutive weeks. 

The Format

Stood up, plugged in, in a circle, you’ll be playing with a live drummer, bass player, and rhythm guitarist as you work through multiple tracks, each between 3 and 5 minutes long, in styles ranging from Funk to Rock to Trip Hop to Blues. You’ll get 8 or 12 bars to shine and blast out some lead, before the gauntlet is passed until it comes back around to you. 

The backing band will have rehearsed each track-all you will be told is the key right before the count in.   

This might sound intense, but it is a celebration of collaboration as you figure out what works, and what doesn't. Unlike improv at home in front of youtube, you'll be surrounded by other players, and you'll be able to nick ideas from them :) 

Pre-existing Knowledge Required

A pentatonic scale in a minor key

A pentatonic scale in a major key

Knowledge of all the note names on the low E string

Most of all, you need to be ready to put yourself forward and play freely.

 

This takes place in Shoreditch, London, 25-27 Curtain Road, EC2A 3LT