Step away from practising alone and experience the thrill of making music with other guitarists. Our Residential Guitar Weekend is all about playing in a band, singing songs everyone knows, and discovering what it’s really like to perform as part of a group.
Across the weekend you’ll explore rock, pop, blues, folk, country and more, working with professional musicians who’ll guide you every step of the way. Learn how to lock in with other players, build confidence on stage, and create the energy that only comes from live performance.
Whether you’ve always wanted to play in a band or simply want to take your guitar playing to the next level, this is your chance to get up with the pros, play great songs, and experience the excitement of making music together.
No egos. No pressure. Just a weekend of great music, new friends, and unforgettable performances.
Friday and Saturday are packed with everything you love about our guitar weekends—learning, jamming and exploring the sounds of rock, blues, pop, folk, gospel and more. But this weekend has a twist…
The focus is on playing as a group.
You’ll learn not just what to play, but when to play it. Discover how great musicians listen, interact and create a performance that’s bigger than the sum of its parts. Our professional tutors will demonstrate how they approach each style and reveal the details that make a professional performance stand out.
If you’re a singer, you’re in safe hands too. Andy Moore’s experience as both a frontman and session guitarist means you’ll receive expert coaching on both your guitar playing and your vocals. Gary Dunn is the master of layering parts, having been an accompanist and session player for multiple artists. Together they can show you how to take the simple, or complicated and make it fit perfectly into a musical performance.
Expect plenty of warm-ups, fun exercises and a huge repertoire of well-known songs to choose from. We will start of with songs chosen by the tutors and supplied via the weekend Guitar Weekends Song book. But you can bring your own song choices to!
Saturday evening wraps up with an informal open mic session before Sunday’s highlight: performing alongside the pros. Whether it’s a song you’ve worked on during the weekend or one you’ve prepared in advance, our tutors will play with you, offer practical feedback and, where time allows, give you the chance to perform it again with even more confidence.
Lead sheets are provided wherever possible, so everyone can join in.
Above all, this is a relaxed, supportive and sociable weekend. We’ll tailor the music to suit the group, making sure everyone leaves having learned more, played more and experienced the thrill of making music together.
Note: You’ll be learning and playing as part of a group of diverse players; our tutor might therefore decide to tweak things to fit the group’s overall playing level and combined aspirations. Over and above the playing and learning the weekend is about having a fun and sociable time with a group of hobby players.
Acoustic and/or electric players from beginner to high intermediate.
If you’re comfortable with most open chords, have started playing basic barre chords, and can change between them while strumming (ideally with a plectrum), you’ll be well suited to this weekend. As a simple guide, if you can play a 12-bar blues in Bb, you’ll be ready to join in.
More experienced players will have plenty to get their teeth into, with opportunities for more advanced parts, improvisation, riffs and creative arrangements. You can challenge yourself as much as you like.
The key thing to remember is that this weekend isn’t about playing the most complicated guitar parts—it’s about playing the right parts. Great musicians know how to listen, support the song and work together as a band. That’s exactly what you’ll be learning.
Bring an acoustic guitar, or an electric guitar with a small amp. Please do not bring lots of instruments, larger amps or pedal boards. It’s more than required and simply takes up space and setup time.
Our price for players is all-inclusive:
Our weekends are packed with learning, playing and making music together—but they’re never a race. We pace every course to suit the group, creating a relaxed, supportive atmosphere where you’ll improve your playing, have fun and enjoy a great weekend with fellow guitar enthusiasts.
There’s simply no better way to learn than by playing with other musicians. Sharing ideas, listening, performing and making music together is what these weekends are all about.
To ensure everyone gets plenty of individual attention, places are strictly limited. Book early to avoid disappointment.