Senior Guitar Workshop (S1-S4)
Forth School of Music,
210 Newhaven Road,
Edinburgh,
EH6 4QE view map
Lothian Bus Stop: 7, 11
28th Jul 2025 - 30th Jul 2025
Week 1 Mon 28th July - Wed 30th July
10:30am - 1:30pm
Bring: ⚫️ Acoustic guitar ⚪️ Packed lunch 🟤 Water bottle Includes: 🔴 Song sheets, chord charts, tablature 🟠 Studio-style jam sessions 🟡 Songwriting and performance support 🟢 End-of-course showcase and certificate --- Workshop Theme A creative, music-rich summer experience for teens: upbeat indie-pop, chill acoustic vibes, and plenty of room to express themselves. Think “Tiny Desk meets summer camp.” --- Daily Breakdown Day 1: Summer Sound Foundations 10:30 – 10:45 | Welcome & Musical Icebreaker Get to know each other through chord loops and jam snippets. 10:45 – 11:30 | Technique Session: Strumming Styles & Rhythm Control Muting, dynamics, percussive strumming Explore reggae vs. folk strumming 11:30 – 12:15 | Chord Progressions & Improvisation Popular I–V–vi–IV and ii–V–I patterns Add 7ths and suspended chords for colour Begin simple melodic improv using pentatonic shapes 12:15 – 12:45 | Lunch Break 12:45 – 1:30 | Song Study: “Riptide” (Vance Joy) Learn full song + vocal/guitar coordination Optional challenge: fingerpicking intro --- Day 2: Create & Collaborate 10:30 – 11:15 | Warm-up & Fingerstyle Focus Travis picking technique Explore intro riffs and lead lines 11:15 – 12:00 | Summer Songwriting Lab Break into small groups to write an original summer-themed song Choose a style (indie, folk, pop, soft rock) 12:00 – 12:45 | Lunch Break 12:45 – 1:30 | Song Arrangement & Jam Structure your group’s song (verse, chorus, bridge) Assign roles: rhythm, lead, vocals --- Day 3: Performance & Polish 10:30 – 11:15 | Showcase Warm-Up Group rehearsals + final touch-ups Performance tips: stage presence, dynamics, audience connection 11:15 – 12:00 | Final Rehearsals Indoor space set up for relaxed “mini gig” feel 12:00 – 12:45 | Lunch Break 12:45 – 1:30 | Summer Showcase Performance Each group performs their original song Solo/duet performances optional Certificates and shout-outs at the end --- Learning Highlights 🔵 Expanded chord vocabulary (barre, sus, 7th chords) 🟣 Tablature reading and intro soloing ⚫️ Collaborative songwriting and performance ⚪️ A supportive, creativity-first atmosphere