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An
introduction to Guitar Weekends
The
most common question I get is,
"How good do I need to be?" My answer to that
is
"As good as you are now!".
What
happens and when
These residential guitar
weekend courses at
Farncombe and other venues around the
country are held throughout the year. They have
been specifically developed for hobby-players
of a more mature age to improve their
playing, meet other like minded players and have a great
time. For those of you who have already retired you can
really get to grips improving your ability as well as
making new friends.
The
Guitar Weekend runs from just after 3pm Friday afternoon
through to Sunday afternoon after lunch and you just
play, learn and relax through out the fully residential
weekend. Your time here is completely devoted to guitar
related activities. We do cater for non residential
players as well.
On
the Friday, having arrived sometime in the afternoon we
help you get to know the other players on the weekend.
This helps you to feel more at ease when it comes to
playing and learning during the workshops which start in
earnest on the Saturday morning.
We gradually get you playing on the Friday to get you
warmed up, both before and after
dinner and we do a lot of talking to find out what
each of you wants to get from the weekend. Playing
usually goes on till midnight but this is not essential
as Saturday is a long busy day.
The Saturday consists of workshops throughout the day
(9.15 till 5.30) based around the specific techniques
and knowledge required for the style of weekend
you are attending. With
breaks during the day for coffee, lunch and afternoon
tea. We then have personal time till dinner at 7pm after
which we continue with a project
where we split the group and each part learns a tune to
be played and recorded.
Some
want to learn specific techniques others just want a
chance to play. The weekend is a balance of structured
workshops, organised jam sessions and relaxation.
On the Saturday evening after dinner we do like to split
the group into two or more smaller groups. Each group will then
learn and present a simple tune or song after spending
time preparing and arranging who does what and using
some of the principles and techniques learned during the
day.
We have people of all ages and all abilities on our
weekends and I make it a point to put people at ease.
It's quite daunting to come away and join folks you
don't know, I know because I'm in the same position as
you just a bedroom player with a lot to learn. It is fun
to work with others and certainly improves your ability,
so do not be put off and give it a try.
Guitar weekends are not just a jam session!
I would not advise raw beginners to come along, you do
need to know a few chords and be able to play some lead.
It doesn't matter if you cannot finish the tunes. I have
that problem! We have a special Back to basics weekend with Lin Flanagan called
Strugglers weekend
this includes core subjects to help you improve your
playing both here and when you get back home. Also an
Improvers
weekend with Gary Dunn
which covers the same core subjects,
but with more electric guitars and a
leaning towards classic rock. All the essentials to
improve your guitar playing on a
weekend course. If you
are not sure which weekend to come on then come on one
of these.
Always feel free to call me for
advice 01931 713241 (Malcolm) |
