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This workshop is an introduction to the music genre known as the murder ballad. Derived from the British/Scottish Broadside Ballad tradition as a means to spread news, the tradition was carried over to America and continued most notably in Appalachia, sometimes as a cautionary tale, and sometimes as a means to reinforce social order. Some like to think of them as an “old time true crime podcast” before we had such things. 

Learn some of the secrets that made Pete Townshend a legendary guitar player. Part jam, part rhythm technique, we will focus on learning some of The Who’s most iconic songs as well as Pete Townshend’s unique rhythmic strum. We will decode some examples of how he made some of the most iconic rock songs of all time by using a few techniques which he employed again and again throughout his songwriting career.

How would you like to write an anti-love anthem like Taylor Swift? Deliver a burn song like Justin Bieber? Or revel in the pain of longing like Bob Marley? This workshop will open your mind to the spectrum of love songs from empowerment to revenge! Learn how to craft a tone for your song, pick a topic, and come up with buzzwords for your lyrics, basic rhyme schemes, song structure, and chords! This is a very hands-on approach to songwriting where you will write a song together as a group. An understanding of basic music theory is recommended for this workshop. 

Have you ever wanted to learn how to improvise but were unsure how to do it? You don't need to know all the notes on the fretboard or memorize all your scales in order to play a solo. In this workshop, you will begin by tapping into your intuitive brain and learning to improvise using colors to represent emotions. You'll also learn how to create musical phrases starting with just 3 notes.