NGW Monday: Working on the Basics

 

Today was the first full day of the National Guitar Workshop session in Chicago area and we're getting into the "Blues Core" curriculum.  Things started out this morning with a great rhythm training session playing on stage with a drummer and bass player. We played a basic blues shuffle in the key of A.  Even though we have 4 guitar players in our class, the rhythm section is the lifeblood of a band, so they were in charge.  The instructors gave us tips to help us tune in to what's going on in the band and lock into the rhythm.  And despite our occasional sloppy playing, they were always encouraging.  Everyone took a couple of solos and then the instructors wrapped up with an improvised a blues jam.  John, our blues instructor, played some impressive lead guitar. 

Once we got back with John on the Blues Core curriculum, we went through some exercises to help us develop our ability play together as a band.  It included different rhythms, different pentatonic scale patterns, and learning how to mix things up with some fancy-pants 9th and 13th chords.  John is not only an excellent musician but also a great instructor.  He knows when to give us theory, balances things with a lot of guided playing and makes sure that no one gets lost.  I'm also picking up some licks from the other students. 

At the end of the day, we picked a song to work on as a group.  It's an old Freddy King song "I'm Tore Down" as played by Eric Clapton from his album "From the Cradle."  It's a bit more complex than anything we've seen so far, but I think everyone is up for the challenge.  Still, I skipped the evening concert in order to get more practice time. 

In the late afternoon there were Special Interest Clinics on a variety of different topics.  This made for a nice break in the schedule and a chance to focus on something other than the blues.  (Is there anything other than the blues?)  There were sessions on drumming for non-drummers, bluegrass flatpicking, jazz, and metronome training.  Since I'm rhythmically challenged, I chose the latter and it was a good introduction on techniques on how to get more out of your practice time and develop better timing.  It will take me a while to try these techniques out, but it's the kind of basic learning that's necessary in developing your chops.  It may not sound like the most exciting topic, but the instructor Gary was passionate about it and he explained a few things about time signatures and rhythms that even impressed the drummers in the audience.  Here's a short video interview with Gary who teaches the Jazz workshops.

The National Guitar Workshop has additional sessions through the summer in Austin, Texas and at the main campus in Purchase, New York.

• Amazon: From the Cradle, I'm Tore Down (MP3)
• NGW: Main site, Community, Faculty, Guest Artists, Curriculum
• GuitarVibe: NGW Sunday, NGW Tuesday, James Hogan