"Foundations of Arranging for Solo Fingerstyle Guitar II" Workshop by BOB McCLOY

Saturday , April 15, 2006
10:30 am - 1230 pm
Location: Elderly Instruments
workshop ($40.00)

A note on the "two-fer" deal offered on a two-part series, if this March 25 fingerstyle guitar workshop is taken in conjunction with "Foundations of Arranging for Solo Fingerstyle Guitar I," held on Saturday, March 25. [See "Foundations...Guitar I" event entry, above, for details on "Solo I."] If you sign up for both workshops, the total cost is $70.

Bob's goal for each of these "Foundations" workshops is to provide the fundamental concepts of solo guitar playing and arranging in a hands-on, no-frills presentation.
Bob has been performing professionally and teaching successfully at Elderly for nearly three decades, and he has requested that we make it clear that these workshops are not "theory-based classes." To this end, last week he confessed (almost sheepishly with an "aw-shucks" manner), "When I first started teaching, I threw all this music theory at my students, and their eyes glazed over. Now it's all hands-on. The students learn by doing."

SOLO GUITAR WORKSHOP II is designed (as is Workshop I) for "advanced-beginners" and above. Students must have a working knowledge of basic guitar chords in order to sign up for this class. Workshop I is a prerequisite for Workshop II (or call Bob to discuss your background before signing up for this workshop; you may request his phone number at the showroom counter).

SOLO GUITAR II continues the focus on fundamental rhythmic foundations and presents tunes to illustrate and develop moving (walking) bass lines in the context of a two-part arrangement (bass line and melody); position shifting; chord substitution; voice leading; and further expansion of middle voice accompaniment. [NOTE: it was at this point that Bob asked us to emphasize that this workshop is NOT a "theory-based approach" but a hands-on do-it-yourself class. It keeps the "work" in "workshop."]

Students will receive a music booklet and a related--and valuable--instructional CD titled "Foundations of Arranging for Solo Guitar: Techniques and Concepts" to illustrate the booklet that is given to students.

Bob has taught private lessons at Elderly since 1979. His understanding of students' viewpoints and needs has grown from those 27 years and thousands of students, and he has remained a consistently-successful teacher, in part due to his hands-on teaching approach. He integrates 30 years of performance--folk, bluegrass, Celtic, country, classical, and swing/jazz--into this workshop series.

Bob writes in his syllabus, "As much fun as I've had playing in bands and jam sessions--from formal situations to the most relaxed encounters, nothing brings me more contentment and sense of accomplishment than playing solo guitar."

Testimonials to his talent abounds, and his list of "Recent Bookings" offers a fascinating variety of venues, from the City Club and the Country Club of Lansing, Cranbrook House in Bloomfield Hills and Crossroads Village to the Governor's Residence, Meadowbrook, the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, and--last but never least--the Wheatland Music Festival.