Get up-close and personal with world-class guitarists as they share their techniques and talents at these free clinics. Seating is limited and on a first come, first serve basis. Clinics will be held upstairs at ABC Music Store and Academy, 2156 First Street, Downtown Livermore.
Getting the Most From Your Pedalboard 1:00pm
Voodoo Lab's James Santiago shows you the secrets of the pros for getting better tone from your rig. From incorporating new DSP effects from Strymon, Line 6 and TC Electronic, to vintage staples like an Echoplex and Fuzz Face, you'll learn how to power them, dial in killer settings, and more!
Guitar & Bass Clinic with Travis Larson & Jennifer Young 2:00pm
Guitarist Travis Larson and bassist Jennifer Young will perform, answer questions and discuss their approaches to music, equipment and technique in an intimate clinic setting. With six records and two full-length performance DVDs, the award winning Travis Larson Band is firmly rooted as one of instrumental music’s premiere acts.
The Joy of Looping 3:00pm
Looping effects have been everywhere lately, from singer-songwriters, to hip hop artists to film scores. Guitarist and live looper extraordinaire Bill Walker will demonstrate how these great new tools can help you stimulate your creativity, develop your playing skills, extend your range as a soloist, and add to your enjoyment of the guitar. From the simplest looping strategies to advanced live sampling techniques, Bill will provide a wealth of knowledge and tips on how to get started, as well as provide insight in to the exciting new generation of looping products available and on the horizon.
Owning the Fingerboard 4:00pm
Compass recording artist and Santa Cruz Guitar endorser James Nash will share tips on how to break away from "blues boxes" and "cowboy chords" on a quest for improvisational freedom up and down the guitar neck. James likes to close his eyes and feel his way around the fingerboard--in this clinic, he discusses how to do that without crashing and burning (too often).
Guitar Noire 5:00pm
Learn to play Gypsy jazz with Jim Hurley of Open Strings Music Studio. An introduction to the authentic chords and scales of the genre as found in the classic standards "Minor Swing" and "Bossa Dorado". We will also "gypsy-fy" a simple minor blues. As a guitarist and violinist Hurley has performed and recorded with Queen Ida’s Grammy-winning Bon Temps Zydeco Band, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Dan Hicks, Al Stewart, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson and many other artists and ensembles.
