The Blues & Beyond

 

 

 

 

 

Aims of the course

 

The main aims of this five day residential course are to:

 

  * Develop individual’s playing skills

  * Learn & play Blues songs

  * Expand knowledge of chord forms

  * Increase your ability to play with others

  * Experiment with a variety of tunings and styles

  * Play solo or in a group    

  * Develop the kind of skills that make you welcome in any jam

 

Course structure

 

The five day course (Monday through Friday) will consist two, 2-hour sessions each day except Wednesday with only a morning class that day (see below). These classes are oriented toward the Piedmont and Delta country blues, but will cover some urban and jazz finger work. You can learn, or reinforce your skills in standard tuning, ‘drop D’, and open tunings, and, there's ‘bottleneck’ style, so bring a slide with you. 
 

Songs covered include:

 

-  Blind Willie McTell’s ‘Stateboro Blues’

-  Robert Johnson’s ‘Dust My Broom'

-  Leadbelly’s ‘Sliver City Bound’

-  Muddy Waters’ ‘My Eyes Keep Me In Trouble'

-  Willie Dixon’s ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ and ‘Little Red Rooster’

-  Big Joe Williams 'Baby Please Don’t Go'

-  Tampa Red’s ‘Thing’s About Coming My Way’

-  Mance Lipscombe’s ‘What You Want Me To Bring You Back’

 

Methods

 

Participants will be given individual and group tutorial in a relaxed and supportive environment. Group members will be encouraged to learn from each other's experience by swapping riffs, licks and other musical ideas. The evenings form an important part of the week and there will be ample time to jam and work on projects.

 

The course will not use formal music notation but from time to time guitar tablature will be used to illustrate riffs and themes. Tablature is a useful tool for the guitarist, in whatever genre of music, and is very easy to pick up. If you aren’t used to using ‘tabs’ then you will be taught the basics. We’ll also be using the standard form of writing song structures familiar to most guitarists

 

If you want to sing while you play, this is the right place for you.

 

Outcomes

 

We hope that participating guitarists will have had a great week and will go home with more skills, confidence and enthusiasm for playing the blues.

 

Who’s it For ?

 

The course is designed primarily for intermediate players. It is taught in layers,

so that up to 3 different levels of students can play the same song. (The more advanced you are, the more complex the finger work, but everybody gets good, solid, basic skills.)

 

Participants should have a working knowledge of major chord shapes, including 7ths, as well as the most commonly used minor chords. If you can make a first position B7 chord, you'll be fine.

 

What do I bring?

 

Your acoustic guitar, bottleneck, capo, and finger picks or flat pick welcome.

A note pad, pen, and recording devices.

And, do not forget your voice ! Singing will be positively encouraged.

 

Note About Wednesday

 

Wednesday afternoon you will have the option of going to the nearby famous Banos hot springs for a relaxing sauna, soak, or full treatment with mud baths, etc.  It's very inexpensive.  Or you can take a trip into the heart of the historic downtown UNESCO city of Cuenca and take a tour guided, double-decker bus ride around the city, or simply stroll the historic streets, churches, and other sites.

We will all gather at a wonderful restaurant in the city for a group dinner before heading back up the mountain.

 

The Fun Continues On Saturday

 

The course is officially five days long, but the fun continues on Saturday for anyone wishing to participate.  There will be a concert held in Cuenca with Guy Davis as the headliner.  Any students wishing to do a song or two are welcome to participate as an opening act.  We will be looking to rent inexpensive rooms at a fantastic hostel in town for after the show hanging out and rest.  Let us know if you're interested in adding this to your artistic getaway.