Live or Virtual Guitar Workshops Guitar Camps & House Concerts
In addition to my performances, I've also been teaching guitar for over 40 years in a variety of settings such as notable guitar camps, workshops and private lessons via Skype, Zoom or in my studio.
"Toby Walker is a fingerstyle guitar virtuoso, a wizard, especially adept at blues, rags and hot country picking. He has a solid command of all aspects of blues fingerpicking, and he knows how to teach it as well."
Happy Traum, owner of Homespun Music Instruction.
"Toby Walker is a fingerstyle guitar virtuoso, a wizard, especially adept at blues, rags and hot country picking. He has a solid command of all aspects of blues fingerpicking, and he knows how to teach it as well."
Happy Traum, owner of Homespun Music Instruction.
|
Guitar Camps
I've Taught At: Fur Peace Ranch - OH
Swanannoa Gathering - NC Guitar Intensive - ME Big Jersey Guitar Camp - NJ National Guitar Guitar Camp - CT Woody Mann's Workshop - NYC |
|
|
Virtual Guitar Workshops
Every now and then I conduct a guitar workshop via Zoom. You can also record the workshop as a video while using the tab that I'll provide. We all have tons of fun!! |
|
Live Guitar Workshops
|
|
In your home or another facility:
Do have some friends that love playing the guitar? Then how about hosting a guitar workshop with me? It's real simple to do.
There's a couple of ways this can be done. You can do it in your own home which would be very easy to arrange, or maybe you know a guitar shop in your area that would like to be a host for this.
In addition to the workshop I have a follow-up web page containing all the tab and streaming instructional videos which covers the material taught in the workshop. This will ensure that no student is left behind and will have plenty of material to practice at their own pace.
Length of workshops: I prefer to do two, 75 minute sessions with a short break in the middle. Additional arrangements can be made if students want an individual 10 minute 'breakout' session.
At a guitar camp:
As you can see from above, I also do workshops for larger guitar camps. In those cases the length of the workshop depends on the camp as well as how often we'll all meet.
Workshops I Have To Offer
These courses can be taught at guitar camps or online via Zoom meetings. At the end of the class, each student will be given access to streaming, instructional videos along with tab/notation to work on as long as they want. I mean, who can remember all this cool stuff any other way?
Level: Beginning/Intermediate - Students should have mastered their basic open chords.
Learning Travis Style
Did you ever wonder how some guitar players can make their instrument sound like two guitars playing at once? In this class I’ll teach you how in a basic, step-by-step way how to play an alternating bass while adding some cool notes on top at the same time. This style has a few names you may have heard of like ‘Travis' or ‘Piedmont’ fingerpicking. Once you have the foundational basics down you’ll come away playing your first instrumental and perhaps a song or two by Etta Baker and Mississippi John Hurt. This style can be applied to many Blues, Folk, Country, Pop and Ragtime songs.
How To Play Acoustic Lead Guitar
If you’ve never played lead guitar and always how folks made it look so easy then this class is for you! Literally starting from the ground up, I’ll break down the process using Country and Blues styles in a very simple, easy to follow way so you can play meaningful solos without breaking any speed limits or just noodling around. You’ll also learn how to utilize some wonderful backing tracks to practice your new skills.
Jam Gumbo 1 - Getting Inside The Song.
There are many different ways to play a song beside just strumming a few chords. In this class I’ll teach you how to play the melody, how to harmonize it (that makes for a great solo by the way) how to play moving bass lines along with your chords, some nice, easy lead licks, chord variations and some very easy swing chords. You’ll learn how to apply these skills to ‘You’re Cheating Heart’ by Hank Williams. Depending on the length of the workshop, we can also cover ‘Baby What You Want Me To Do’ by the Blues guitarist Jimmy Reed and possibly a few other tunes. There will be backing tracks streaming instructional videos plus tab/notation included.
Jam Gumbo 2 - Getting Inside The Song.
Similar to Jam Gumbo 1. I’ll be teaching you how to play ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival with all kinds of variations including a unique way of strumming, bass lines, melodic lines, fingerpicking patterns and a cool ‘Jimmy Buffett’ type lead break!!! Students will also have access to all of the materials via a hidden page on my website which includes streaming instructional videos, backing tracks and tab/notation. Special Bonus on the webpage - you’ll also learn how to play ‘Friend Of The Devil’ by the Grateful Dead in the comfort of your own home, again with tons of variations.
Beginning Slide Guitar
In this class the student will learn the basics of using a slide to play in a popular tuning used in acoustic Delta style blues - open G. Once the basics are taught, they will learn songs by Son House, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and others. Some basic fingerpicking may be helpful, but not required.
Understanding The Fingerboard
The fingerboard of the guitar can be a daunting mystery to some. In this class I’ll teach students the basics of how chords are built, how to use them up and down the fingerboard, major and minor scales and how to apply these to any song they know already and learn in the future.
Blues Licks By The Truckload.
If you'd like to increase your arsenal of cool acoustic guitar licks or even if you've never played lead guitar at all this class is for you. We'll cover a truckload of neat licks in a variety of keys and I'll show you how to apply them to some common Blues progressions.
Licks-ercises
If you want to increase your playing technique without doing boring scales or redundant finger exercises but rather do it while learning a whole bunch of cool acoustic guitar licks, then this workshop is for you!!
Level: Intermediate to Advanced- Students should be able to play their basic open chords and be comfortable fingerpicking an alternating bass while playing simple melodies on top.
The Magic Chords
Why play a song the same way over and over again? Think of ‘Magic Chords’ as the Swiss Army knife of Blues, Folk, Country and Ragtime fingepicking guitar playing. These moveable, Magic Chords are chock full of dozens of variations which you’ll be able to apply to tons of songs. Speaking of songs, you’ll also learn new ways of playing tunes by Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis and many others.
Level - Intermediate Fingerpicking: fingerpicking an alternating bass while playing simple melodies on top.
Fingerpicking Greenwich Village.
Folks like Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk and Tom Paxton came out with some very popular songs which embodied the spirit of this burgeoning music scene in the sixties. Here I’ll each fingerpicking arrangements of Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, Tom Paxton’s ‘Bottle of Wine’ and Dave Van Ronk’s ‘Green, Green Rocky Road.’
Creative Country Blues Fingerpicking.
In this course I’ll teach you how to be more creative with standard Country Blues songs. You’ll learn songs from Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mance Lipscomb and Reverend Gary Davis without playing then the same way twice. Plus you can take these skills and apply them to many other songs!
Acoustic Blues Direct From Their Front Porch
During the years 1990 to 1994, I made over a dozen field trips to Mississippi and North Carolina in order to learn first-hand how the Blues is really played by some of the masters! From their front porches, living rooms, and backyards, these players taught me some of the most intriguing songs and cool licks, which I would love to pass on to you.
"Now you play those blues real good. I want you to carry them on for me."
Eugene Powell, Greenville Mississippi.
Do have some friends that love playing the guitar? Then how about hosting a guitar workshop with me? It's real simple to do.
There's a couple of ways this can be done. You can do it in your own home which would be very easy to arrange, or maybe you know a guitar shop in your area that would like to be a host for this.
In addition to the workshop I have a follow-up web page containing all the tab and streaming instructional videos which covers the material taught in the workshop. This will ensure that no student is left behind and will have plenty of material to practice at their own pace.
Length of workshops: I prefer to do two, 75 minute sessions with a short break in the middle. Additional arrangements can be made if students want an individual 10 minute 'breakout' session.
At a guitar camp:
As you can see from above, I also do workshops for larger guitar camps. In those cases the length of the workshop depends on the camp as well as how often we'll all meet.
Workshops I Have To Offer
These courses can be taught at guitar camps or online via Zoom meetings. At the end of the class, each student will be given access to streaming, instructional videos along with tab/notation to work on as long as they want. I mean, who can remember all this cool stuff any other way?
Level: Beginning/Intermediate - Students should have mastered their basic open chords.
Learning Travis Style
Did you ever wonder how some guitar players can make their instrument sound like two guitars playing at once? In this class I’ll teach you how in a basic, step-by-step way how to play an alternating bass while adding some cool notes on top at the same time. This style has a few names you may have heard of like ‘Travis' or ‘Piedmont’ fingerpicking. Once you have the foundational basics down you’ll come away playing your first instrumental and perhaps a song or two by Etta Baker and Mississippi John Hurt. This style can be applied to many Blues, Folk, Country, Pop and Ragtime songs.
How To Play Acoustic Lead Guitar
If you’ve never played lead guitar and always how folks made it look so easy then this class is for you! Literally starting from the ground up, I’ll break down the process using Country and Blues styles in a very simple, easy to follow way so you can play meaningful solos without breaking any speed limits or just noodling around. You’ll also learn how to utilize some wonderful backing tracks to practice your new skills.
Jam Gumbo 1 - Getting Inside The Song.
There are many different ways to play a song beside just strumming a few chords. In this class I’ll teach you how to play the melody, how to harmonize it (that makes for a great solo by the way) how to play moving bass lines along with your chords, some nice, easy lead licks, chord variations and some very easy swing chords. You’ll learn how to apply these skills to ‘You’re Cheating Heart’ by Hank Williams. Depending on the length of the workshop, we can also cover ‘Baby What You Want Me To Do’ by the Blues guitarist Jimmy Reed and possibly a few other tunes. There will be backing tracks streaming instructional videos plus tab/notation included.
Jam Gumbo 2 - Getting Inside The Song.
Similar to Jam Gumbo 1. I’ll be teaching you how to play ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival with all kinds of variations including a unique way of strumming, bass lines, melodic lines, fingerpicking patterns and a cool ‘Jimmy Buffett’ type lead break!!! Students will also have access to all of the materials via a hidden page on my website which includes streaming instructional videos, backing tracks and tab/notation. Special Bonus on the webpage - you’ll also learn how to play ‘Friend Of The Devil’ by the Grateful Dead in the comfort of your own home, again with tons of variations.
Beginning Slide Guitar
In this class the student will learn the basics of using a slide to play in a popular tuning used in acoustic Delta style blues - open G. Once the basics are taught, they will learn songs by Son House, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and others. Some basic fingerpicking may be helpful, but not required.
Understanding The Fingerboard
The fingerboard of the guitar can be a daunting mystery to some. In this class I’ll teach students the basics of how chords are built, how to use them up and down the fingerboard, major and minor scales and how to apply these to any song they know already and learn in the future.
Blues Licks By The Truckload.
If you'd like to increase your arsenal of cool acoustic guitar licks or even if you've never played lead guitar at all this class is for you. We'll cover a truckload of neat licks in a variety of keys and I'll show you how to apply them to some common Blues progressions.
Licks-ercises
If you want to increase your playing technique without doing boring scales or redundant finger exercises but rather do it while learning a whole bunch of cool acoustic guitar licks, then this workshop is for you!!
Level: Intermediate to Advanced- Students should be able to play their basic open chords and be comfortable fingerpicking an alternating bass while playing simple melodies on top.
The Magic Chords
Why play a song the same way over and over again? Think of ‘Magic Chords’ as the Swiss Army knife of Blues, Folk, Country and Ragtime fingepicking guitar playing. These moveable, Magic Chords are chock full of dozens of variations which you’ll be able to apply to tons of songs. Speaking of songs, you’ll also learn new ways of playing tunes by Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis and many others.
Level - Intermediate Fingerpicking: fingerpicking an alternating bass while playing simple melodies on top.
Fingerpicking Greenwich Village.
Folks like Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk and Tom Paxton came out with some very popular songs which embodied the spirit of this burgeoning music scene in the sixties. Here I’ll each fingerpicking arrangements of Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, Tom Paxton’s ‘Bottle of Wine’ and Dave Van Ronk’s ‘Green, Green Rocky Road.’
Creative Country Blues Fingerpicking.
In this course I’ll teach you how to be more creative with standard Country Blues songs. You’ll learn songs from Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mance Lipscomb and Reverend Gary Davis without playing then the same way twice. Plus you can take these skills and apply them to many other songs!
Acoustic Blues Direct From Their Front Porch
During the years 1990 to 1994, I made over a dozen field trips to Mississippi and North Carolina in order to learn first-hand how the Blues is really played by some of the masters! From their front porches, living rooms, and backyards, these players taught me some of the most intriguing songs and cool licks, which I would love to pass on to you.
"Now you play those blues real good. I want you to carry them on for me."
Eugene Powell, Greenville Mississippi.
House Concerts
Some of the best shows you have ever experienced have been in an intimate setting. Now you can create your own.
A house concert is a wonderful alternative to concert halls and coffeehouses. It's a great way for the audience to meet the musician "up close and personal" in a comfortable, informal setting. This is the stuff that memories are made of, folks.
These concerts are real easy to set-up, and I've never been at one that hasn't been a blast. Nothing better than traveling through an area and meeting new friends that I get to entertain.
Be sure to visit THIS PAGE for more information on how to set this event up.
Here's an example of a house concert that I played:
A house concert is a wonderful alternative to concert halls and coffeehouses. It's a great way for the audience to meet the musician "up close and personal" in a comfortable, informal setting. This is the stuff that memories are made of, folks.
These concerts are real easy to set-up, and I've never been at one that hasn't been a blast. Nothing better than traveling through an area and meeting new friends that I get to entertain.
Be sure to visit THIS PAGE for more information on how to set this event up.
Here's an example of a house concert that I played: