Our Strugglers course takes us back to ‘basics’. It is our entry level course for acoustic, electric and bass players who can already play a little or have played for a while but who are stuck in a rut. The focus is about instilling good technique and correcting bad habits. It’ll set you on a path for solid ongoing self-improvement. Your set-up, chords, technique, strumming, fingerpicking, theory, etc. all come into focus. We cover most genres and you’ll learn a number of great songs along the way.
We regularly get players of higher standards on this course as well for both the group playing as well as honing techniques.
There are two basic ways to go about learning to play guitar:
Option (1) is by far the best but it’s an uncommon route for most guitarists. The problem is that the guitar allows us to very quickly get a reasonable sound with just a few chords and so we continue with option (2). Unfortunately, this approach often leads to bad techniques and acquiring inaccurate knowledge; this makes it incredibly difficult to improve at the same initial rate.
This course is about option (1). If you’re relatively new to the guitar, the course will set you off in the right direction. If you’re already on the journey but are really struggling, the course aims to check and correct any issues and establish a solid platform for ongoing improvement.
This is a non-residential teaching day but it involves non-stop playing and you’ll add a number of great songs to your repertoire (10am to 5pm with lunch and morning/afternoon breaks).
We’ll look at posture and set-up, forming and changing chords, techniques, strumming and fingerpicking rhythmically. We’ll also maybe look at the Blues and some essential practical theory.
The overall aims are to:
If you’re already a player but feel like you’re stuck in a rut or you’re just not enjoying your playing or getting anywhere, this is the course for you.
It goes without saying, our tutor might need to tweak the contents and/or flow of the course to reflect the overall standard and objectives of the group.
High Beginner to low intermediate levels of acoustic, electric and bass guitarists
The course caters for relative beginners up to struggling intermediate players. It’s probably not for raw beginners.
Over the years, this course has earned the reputation of being a safe, entry-level for most players (acoustic, electric and bass). Its over-riding aim is to sort out the ‘basics’ i.e. the techniques and know-how that fundamentally affect your ability to play properly.
The content and flow have been layered to allow experienced and less-experienced players alike to play together throughout the course. If you have attempted a few open chord songs, can strum with fingers or, ideally, a plectrum, and want to sort out the ‘basics’ then this is the course for you.
Bass players should have some knowledge of arpeggios to play over major and minor chords. Any ability to play the arpeggios following the chords is a bonus.
For context setting, the Strugglers course sits between our Beginners course and the Improvers course.
The fee is all-inclusive:
Unlike our online sessions these Day-Only courses can only accommodate limited group numbers – book early to avoid disappointment.
There’s fantastic B&B and dinners at the venue (other places are available in the area as well !). Get in touch directly with the venue once you’ve received the Joining Instructions.