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Community Corner

Modes and Improvisation Clinic for Guitar Players

What:  2-hour guitar clinic hosted by Plugged In instructors, Steph Goyer and Ben Cohen. Come hang out, improvise, and learn your fretboard. We'll be going over all 7 modes and learn to connect them on the guitar. You'll learn important 3 note per string scale shapes and exercises to help you move around the fretboard faster. We'll also teach you how to know what scales to use over different chords progressions. You will leave the clinic with lots of materials to continue practicing and studying the fretboard. Whatever type of music you like to play, you'll leave this clinic with a better connection to your guitar.  We want everyone to get a chance to try some improvising so come ready to play and ready to support everyone else playing!

When:  Saturday, November 30 from 3pm to 5pm.

Who:
  Open to the public.  For ages 13 to adult.  Participants must know the notes on the 6th and 5th strings as well as basic music theory.

Where:
  Plugged In / 20 Freeman Place / Needham / 02492

Workshop fee:  $50/person (payable online or at the door)
Online payment link:  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8WZX8YTBE4PPG

Teacher Bios
Ben Cohen: Ben received his first guitar at the age of 13, and has been addicted to it ever since. He has played both guitar and bass guitar in numerous bands around the Boston area. His current band is Lattermath, a progressive metal outfit in which he plays lead and rhythm guitar. At the age of 15, After having outgrown several previous teachers Ben began studying guitar with Berklee professor and one of the fastest guitarists in the world, Joe Stump.  In 2004, Ben was awarded a Berklee Entering Student Talent Scholarship and began his studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Now 27 years-old, Ben is a graduate of Berklee, with a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Music. In 2008, he attended Mattias “IA” Eklundh’s prestigious Freak Guitar Camp in Gothenburg, Sweden, studying with Mattias, who is widely considered to be one of the most innovative guitarists in the world today.  In 2000, Ben began to teach guitar lessons, and has been teaching passionately ever since, specializing in rock/metal, while also being well-versed in a diverse array of other styles. He has been teaching at Plugged In since 2005, and enjoys passing on wisdom gained from years of playing in professional bands to younger players. Ben continues to strive to push the limits of his playing, and encourages his students to do the same on their instruments, while maintaining a relaxed, anxiety-free teaching style that is focused on the individual goals of each student, no matter what the student’s level of experience and stylistic preferences might be.

Steph Goyer: Steph Goyer, a Berklee College of Music graduate, has been playing guitar for 17 years and teaching professionally for 7.  Steph is also an accomplished song-writer and has been teaching students song-writing skills for 7 years.  Steph gigs regularly in the Boston area and has toured the east coast. Although her playing is mainly focused in rock and metal, she has studied classical, jazz and funk and enjoys working with students in any style of music. Steph likes to cater her guitar lessons to the students interests, learning style and personal goals.  Beginner students working with Steph can expect to learn all of the fundamentals like reading music, pick holding, fretting, string bending, sliding, and playing with vibrato.  For advanced students, she puts a great emphasis on fret board knowledge, scales, theory, exercises and soloing. Steph incorporates technology into her teaching and is happy to make custom exercises and backing tracks for students to practice with or help with transcriptions, recording or song writing. Above all, her main goal is to make the student love guitar as much as she does!

Contact Info:    
stephgoyer@pluggedinband.org
bencohen@pluggedinband.org
dan@pluggedinband.org

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