Preston’s Summer Guitar Workshop in Scotland 2024

July 5th through the 7th, 2024
 

I will be holding a three-day guitar workshop in Girvan, South Ayrshire, Scotland July 5th through the 7th, 2024.

Over the three days I will be teaching my integrated percussive guitar techniques as well as conventional techniques and my compositional approach. All ages and skill levels are welcome, however some guitar experience is recommended. 

The materials for the course will be compositions from my recording and concert repertoire. Students will learn my techniques as well as the thinking behind them in both a group setting and one-on-one coaching sessions. Along the way students will be encouraged to create their own original compositions using what they have learned. 

Goals for the course will be to expand technical skills, composing skills, creative thinking and musicality, and to increase self-confidence on the instrument. Areas such as how to get the most out of practicing, learning to identify and develop technical and musical goals, tracking your progress, maintaining enthusiasm and focus, injury-avoidance, and nurturing your creativity will be explored. Live performance, stage and studio gear, recording techniques, album production, developing a career as a guitarist and the music business will also be discussed.

The workshop is small and takes place in the sitting room of my and my wife Catherine’s home situated on the main street of the town. In order to ensure the highest quality learning experience, the number of students is limited (if there is more demand, a second weekend may be added). 

The class schedule for each of the three days is 11am to 1pm, a one-hour lunch break (there are several cafés nearby), and 2pm to 4pm, for a total of twelve hours of in-person instruction. 

Equipment required for the workshop is an acoustic steel string or nylon string guitar. I recommend that you bring a pen and notebook, and use your mobile phone or a video camera to record moments of the workshop to refer to later. I do not use tablature to teach, however tablature for many of the compositions will be provided for outside-of-class reference if requested. 

We provide a pub welcome and dinner in a local restaurant on the Thursday the 4th arrival evening. Other than that, we do not provide meals or accommodation. There are many restaurants, cafés and pubs in the town and surrounding area, and multiple options for accommodation including hotels, B&B’s, AirB&B’s, caravan sites and campsites, all book-able online. We can offer recommendations on request.

If arriving by car for the daily classes, there is ample parking available in the car park behind our house.

The fee for the three day workshop is £1000. A 50% non-refundable deposit by bank transfer is required at time of booking, with the balance due two weeks before the start of the workshop. Workshop places are first come, first served.

If you have any questions or would like to book your place on the workshop, email me at fretgenie@gmail.com 

We look forward to hearing from you, and hopefully seeing you in July!

Comments from previous workshops:

"I traveled to Scotland  several years ago to learn from Mr Reed. Preston is an excellent teacher with a great ability to break down his techniques into lessons that are understandable. I consider the time in Girvan with Preston's teachings among my most valuable experiences. Well worth the time invested." (Joel Eldridge)

"Preston's workshop showed me so many different instruments hidden within my guitar!  I use his techniques daily." (Mike Christenberry)  

"I can thoroughly recommend it." (David Carrs)

"Highly recommend learning from Preston!!! An amazing guitar and composition genius. Life changing!" (Josh Fox)

“I've been playing acoustic guitar for 47 years, and traditional fingerstyle for 45. I had wanted to expand into integrative percussive style, but my efforts to teach myself had left me quite lost. I thought that I would benefit from some personal instruction, so I signed up for Preston's workshop, and it changed everything. Preston's individualized tips, encouragement and kind feedback made all the difference. We covered the various percussion sounds on the guitar body and strings, tunings, techniques for overhand hammer ons, pull offs, slides and bends, two-handed fretboard tapping, harmonics, and how to put it all together. As study tools, we used Preston's compositions, and tablature was provided. We also covered tips on composition, gear, performance and promotion. I left with an excellent collection of new techniques to play with, and even the beginnings of an original composition to work on - something I had never dreamed I would be capable of.  The entire experience was a lot of fun and it expanded my guitar abilities as well as my mind in new and unexpected ways. I highly recommend this workshop to anyone who is looking to grow as a guitarist. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️" (Kathy Foley)

“Preston Reed's Summer Guitar Workshop was amazing!  It was an invaluable experience learning the details of Preston's signature techniques and gaining an understanding of Preston's unique approach to the acoustic guitar.  I discovered a whole new set of tools to play with which led me to generate new compositional ideas throughout the workshop.  I left the workshop inspired and confident as a result of the encouraging environment that Preston created.  The setting of the workshop, the coastal town of Girvan, Scotland, is incredibly beautiful and the locals are very friendly.  I would recommend this workshop to anyone looking to explore the acoustic guitar from a fresh perspective.” (Ryan Hall)