Get a Toolkit to create your own solos
This is a totally practical and ‘hands on’ workshop with loads of time to play and jam with others. Ian will bring his years of experience of writing and recording original music and playing/performing live to these workshops.
This 2 day workshop is designed to continue our introduction to how you can create your own solos, how to know what to play and when. PLUS we will be looking at how YOU can bring your scales and licks to life! Discover many of the classic techniques you can use to turn your stale scale lines into singing and lyrical solos!
Ian’s Biography:
Ian has spent the last 40 years writing, recording and performing in bands and working on projects with: Jimmy Page, Brian May, Chad Smith, Stiff Little Fingers, Reef, Steve Vai, Wilko Johnson, Zodiac Mindwarp & the Love Reaction and many more.
Ian co-authored the book ‘Running a Band as a Business’ with Bruce Dickinson (Little Angels, Waterbear Music College) and Ian has also written extensively for Guitarist & Total Guitar magazines.
A former Director at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford and Head of Operations at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London, Ian now consults for music schools and artist development programmes around the world and is the founder at Guitar Breaks.
The Detail
See below for more information about this event, how to travel to us and what to expect.
A two day workshop filled with learning and jamming solos with Guitar Breaks founder: Ian Edwards.
An Introduction to Soloing focuses on the key skills required to start building and playing your own guitar solos. PLUS we will start to discover the top tips, tricks and techniques to develop your own ‘voice’:
Bringing Dynamics to your playing:
- Picking – Soft and hard
- Using Volume to create dynamics
- Changing pickups
Expressive techniques:
- Stylistic string bending
- Bending notes – semi tone, tone, tone and a half
- Vibrato
- Sliding into notes – up and down
- Sliding into and out of the b5
- Rakes across multiple strings
Phrasing:
- Note duration. One way to make things sound interesting is to vary with note lengths.
- The space between the notes.
- Dynamics.
- Inflections and articulation.
- Rhythm.
- Repeating lines and licks.
- Having a conversation.
We are based in our own custom built studio, with fellow guitar players.
- Workshop starts at 10am both days
- We spend the morning getting under the skin of the key skills needed to start building your own solos
- Break for a packed lunch (**bring your own) at 1.00pm
- Back at it by 2.00pm
- We will spend the afternoon developing the themes from the morning session and putting all you have learned into practice.
- Saturday will finish around 5.00pm
- We will go for dinner, and perhaps a half of shandy, in the evening
- Sunday will finish at 4.00pm so guests can get home in good time
- Studio located here: Milk Shed Studios, RG42 6AN
If you would like to travel to this workshop, there are a number of hotel options available locally depending on your budget. Here are some examples:
Coppid Beech Hotel, Bracknell: John Nike Way, Bracknell, RG12 8TF. You can visit the hotel’s website here
The Village Hotel, Bracknell: Bagshot Road, Bracknell, RG120QJ. You can visit the hotel’s website here
The Stirrups Hotel, Warfield: Maiden’s Green, Bracknell, RG426LD. You can visit the hotel’s website here
Premier Inn, Bracknell*: Wokingham Road, Berkshire, RG421NA. You can visit the hotel’s website here
NB: The Premier Inn is more expensive than usual this weekend, as there is a Christmas fair nearby
(*This Premier Inn hosts the local Brewers Fayre which can be found here)
The Milk Shed is only 10 minutes from the M4 and 20 minutes from the M3 motorways. So pretty convenient if you are planning to drive, plus there is parking on site!
We have a guide on flying to us with your guitar here.
