There’s one thing you can’t practise on your own: playing with a band. You can nail every lick in your bedroom, but the moment there’s a drummer behind you and a bass player locking in, everything changes. That’s what Take the Lead: Guitarist for a Day is for — and it’s back for a fourth outing this August.
What actually happens
You book a 45-minute slot and step into a fully equipped rehearsal studio as the lead guitarist in a real band line-up. No backing tracks. No metronome clicks. A live rhythm section, a proper rig, and the whole room listening to what you play.
Because slots are individual, the band is there for you alone — you’re not queuing behind a room of other players waiting for a turn. You’ll work through material with them, get the feel of holding the lead chair, and find out what your playing sounds like when it’s supported rather than solitary.
The details
- When: Sunday 23 August, slots running 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Length: 45 minutes, one player per slot
- Where: Casemates Studios & Cafe, 4 Scott Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, PO3 5JH
- Who: Ages 16+
- Cost: £45 per slot
“Am I good enough for this?”
It’s the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is that you almost certainly are. This isn’t an audition and nobody is marking you. The band adjusts to you, not the other way round — they’ll pitch the material to suit where you’re at, whether that’s a straight twelve-bar or something considerably more involved.
If you can hold a chord progression and play through a song, you’ll get something out of this. Most players come away having done more than they thought they could.
Slots are limited by the length of the morning, and this workshop has sold out on previous rounds, so it’s worth booking early rather than deciding in the last week.
The full workshop season
Take the Lead opens a run of workshops taking us through to the new year, covering everything from blues soloing to jazz improvisation:
- Take the Lead: Guitarist for a Day — Sunday 23 August, 10:00 AM
- The Best of the Blues Guitar Players — Saturday 26 September, 7:00 PM
- Unlocking the Fretboard — Saturday 17 October, 7:00 PM
- The CAGED Rhythm Player — Saturday 28 November, 7:00 PM
- An Introduction to Jazz Guitar Improvisation — Saturday 9 January, 7:00 PM
Full details and pricing for each workshop are on our Eventbrite page. Spaces are limited across the season, so booking ahead is sensible.
Any questions about whether a workshop is right for you, just ask your tutor or drop us a line — we’re happy to talk it through.
