John Renbourn
Guitar Workshops
Agia Galini, Crete, Greece
May 25th, 2019
The Summer 2019 Renbourn Workshop dates have now been finalised and we are accepting bookings. Use the from on the left of this page to request a place or ask questions.
The 2019 Tutors will again be long time associates of John's and regular tutors - Remy Froissart & Mike Walker.
The venue is once again the Kipos Taverna in Agia Galini on the beautiful Greek isle of Crete - perhaps John Renbourn's favourite workshop location.
These workshops were dear to John's heart and we continue them in his honour. They are a feast of his wonderful guitar playing technique and draw on selected pieces from the Renbourn repertoire.
As when John was heading these workshops - players at all levels are welcome but complete beginners may find the week too demanding.
We are currently considering the possibility of guest tutors once again this year and developments on that will appear here as we explore the possibilities.
Prices include 6 days tuition and 7 nights accommodation, breakfasts and dinners.
Places are awarded on a first come/first served basis
Use the form on the left to contact us if you want to book a place or ask a question.
The workshop content
John's family have graciously given us permission to use John's transcriptions and all the material which we have developed for the workshops. Work is still ongoing to add to this body of work by producing high quality, accurate transcriptions of John's repertoire and thanks to the Renbourn family we have access to all the manuscripts and files John left behind. We hope that these will be published at some point in the future.
Students have a say in what pieces we work on and the programme is always flexible. We try to allocate as much time as possible time to material and topics brought along by the students.
There is a broad spectrum of activity from technique building and development, analysis of John's technique and approach through to note by note coverage of individual pieces. There is always plenty of opportunities to play and jam of course.
About Renbourn Guitar Workshops
The Renbourn Guitar Workshops have been running since 2010.
John loved these workshops and was very clear on the approach he wanted - laid back, friendly, inclusive and totally focused on the students and what they want. After much consideration and discussion with John's family (and encouragement from students both past and aspiring) the team (Mike and Irene Walker and Remy Froissart) who worked with John to develop these workshops have resolved to try and keep the events going using the approach John used.
Typically the workshops run for a week and are held in inspirational residential locations where developing or experienced fingerstyle guitarists can immerse themselves in playing and learning through the music of John Renbourn in comfortable and conducive surroundings. Guitarists are encouraged to bring their partners as most of the venues offer plenty to do for the non-player while the sessions are in progress. Food and accommodation are included in the price.
All aspects of the wide-ranging Renbourn repertoire are reflected and the venues are carefully chosen to offer a perfect setting for a relaxed but productive week of fingerstyle guitar study based on the music of one of the founding fathers of the Folk Baroque style of playing.
The sessions are run on a very informal and friendly basis in group sessions but with plenty of opportunities for the students to benefit from smaller group work and one-to-one tuition on a specific tune or aspect from John’s repertoire.
Resident Tutors
RemyFroissart, being an “early Renbournist” (discovering John’s music in 1967) is a full time teacher (guitar and harmony), and has long experience in teaching this unique guitar style. John once said - "If I wanted to learn to play the guitar like me, I'd go to Remy". Remy did some of the earliest transcriptions of John's work back in the 70's.
Mike Walker has been playing Folk Baroque guitar for four and a half decades and became a friend of John's back in the 80's (as senior mastering engineer at the legendary Trident Studios in London) back in the day working with John on the early digital re-releases of the Pentangle /Renbourn/ Jansch Transatlantic recordings - a special treat for a fanatical Folk Baroque player and sound engineer. Now assisting John's family and Newcastle University to establish an archive of John's musical legacy.
Remy, Mike and our guest tutors aim to deliver high quality fingerstyle guitar lessons based on the Renbourn repertoire aimed at giving the developing guitarist the tools to play this demanding music (and have a great time too).
The workshops also usually have a number of optional sessions, demonstrations and talks and discussions on specific topics (or tunes), harmony, technique and also an approach to home sound recording techniques using affordable kit and home computer technology.
The idea is to give the solo guitarist fresh directions on developing their playing and an approach to achieving their own high quality recordings whether for home use, distribution or as a valuable self-teaching aid.
Students have the opportunity to record a piece and have it edited & mastered by Mike providing a tangible result from the workshop as well as a wonderful souvenir of what is likely to be an unforgettable week for any guitarist and Renbourn fan. When appropriate there are also optional sessions showing how using a computer can assist the guitarist to learn and develop their musicality and technique.
