NEW.... Workshops at Crossroads
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September to December 2020
Workshop host: Mark Baxter Location: Crossroads Guitar store, Chaussée de Wavre 198, 1050 Bruxelles. Cost: 20 euro per workshop or buy all 7 for the price of 6 (more info at the bottom of this page) Bring your guitar along |
Crossroads Guitar store in Brussels.
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The workshops....
Jimi Hendrix’s secret weapons
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Thursday 17th September. 19h45 to 21h45. Special workshop to mark the 50th anniversary of Hendrix’s passing Electric guitarists welcome |
Hendrix’s phrasing (first half of the workshop)
We all respect Jimi Hendrix for his electric guitar innovations and for changing the sound of rock music forever in 1967. However, the real reason we still listen to Hendrix in 2020 is due to something else. Some other timeless quality. Something not so easily understood. It is a magic ingredient which attracts us to great music without us knowing precisely what it is.
- Discover the TWO rhythmical games Hendrix commonly played and how he thought about phrasing.
- Hear how he plays these games in classic songs such as Purple haze, Hey Joe, Little wing…
- Learn how you can start to put some magical Hendrix phrasing into your playing to go to the next level.
Hendrix-style rhythm guitar (second half)
- Learn the basic formula:
4 chord shapes + 2 pentatonic scales + double stops
- Discover the logic behind the rhythm guitar parts for songs like Little wing, Castles made of sand, Wind cries Mary…
- Be able to create your own rhythm parts to songs in the Hendrix style.
Must-know music theory for Rock, Pop and Blues
Thursday 1st October. 19h45 to 21h45.
Electric, acoustic and bass guitarists welcome.
A little music theory knowledge will help you to…
- Memorize music easier
- Make less mistakes when playing
- Be more creative
- Learn songs by ear easier
- Understand the music you play
In this workshop, you will learn…
- The TWO scales needed to understand 95% of songs.
- The TWO scales needed to play any Rock/Blues-style solo.
- The TWO rhythms used in 95% of songs.
- The easy way to find out which key a song is in.
Loop pedal jams
Thursday 15th October. 19h45 to 21h45.
Electric guitarists welcome.
Loop pedals are a valuable tool for practicing solos and improvisation.
In this workshop, you will learn…
Bring your loop pedal, if you have one.
Crossroads will have some loop pedals for sale at this workshop, in case you are in the market for one.
Thursday 15th October. 19h45 to 21h45.
Electric guitarists welcome.
Loop pedals are a valuable tool for practicing solos and improvisation.
In this workshop, you will learn…
- How to play a bunch of cool-sounding loops on the electric guitar, complete with bass parts, chord parts and ideas for soloing.
- How to get the start and end of loops to match up seamlessly.
- How to get a good groove (and how to create a backbeat).
- How to create phrases so your solos/improvisations make more sense and so you never lose your place in the music.
- How to leave ‘space’ to add further tracks, so that all parts can be heard (ie so you don’t get a ‘muddy’ mix).
- How to get the most benefit out of your loop pedal.
Bring your loop pedal, if you have one.
Crossroads will have some loop pedals for sale at this workshop, in case you are in the market for one.
Play ALL the classic blues/rock jam session songs
(parts 1 and 2)
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Part 1 Thursday 29th October. 19h45 to 21h45. Part 2 Thursday 12th November. 19h45 to 21h45. Electric, acoustic and bass guitarists welcome. |
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Over the decades of playing at countless jam sessions, I’ve compiled a mental list of the most commonly played songs. Some are invariably played at EVERY jam session, sometimes more than once in an evening! As a competent blues/rock guitarist you are able to play these songs at the drop of a hat!
- Learn the basic rhythm guitar parts to the songs, with variations.
- Learn strategies for improvising solos to these songs.
- Learn how to THINK about the songs, so you don’t lose you place and so you make few mistakes.
- Learn some classic endings (often the shaky part of the song at an unrehearsed jam session!)
- Learn which parts of the songs are likely to cause conflict (so you are aware and can react quickly to other players playing something different).
- Learn the type of song which is GOOD to introduce at a jam session and the type of song which is BAD to introduce at a jam session.
- Practice jamming with others during the workshop.
Time keeping
Thursday 26th November. 19h45 to 21h45.
Electric, acoustic or bass guitarists, all welcome.
No-one wants to practice time-keeping. Most players should practice it. Here’s how.
When a musician loses the groove, the spell they created with the audience is lost. All the energy leaves the room. Listeners start to lose interest. Dancers return to their seats...
Make sure YOU keep the beat with these exercises.
How to improvise blues/rock solos 1
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Thursday 10th December. 19h45 to 21h45. Electric guitarists welcome. |
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I will show you a whole bunch of tricks to help you start to improvise well.
- How to think in phrases, not a continuous stream of notes.
- Group your phrases so your solos/improvisations make more sense to listeners and so you never lose your place in the music.
- Repetition and variation.
- Rhythm first, then melody.
- The Limerick approach.
- ‘Cap’ your phrases to help your solos make more sense.
- The two scales you need to improvise rock and blues solos.
- The extra ‘spicy notes’ you can add to your solos.
Some info about all the workshops at Crossroads
- Bring your guitar.
- Amplifiers will be provided for you to use during the workshop.
- Please bring a pair of headphones for private practice during the workshop.
- Also, don’t forget your guitar cable.
- Cost per workshop: 20 euro. Buy all 7 workshops for the price of 6.
- Limited places at these workshops due to coronavirus restrictions.
- Email markcbaxter@hotmail.com or call 0477 06 53 01 now and speak to Mark to reserve your place before places are taken. I will then send you an email to pay for the workshop.