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After more than 30 Years,
there is no better place
to learn music than the
Puget Sound Guitar Workshop
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Each summer since 1974 the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop has taken place at a
sylvan camp/retreat hidden away in the tall pines of Washington State.
Each year we prepare a brochure describing the classes and activities
that will take place during the upcoming summer.
The brochure has grown to be a sixteen-page book.
Now you can browse the contents of this year's (and several previous year's)
brochures on the World Wide Web... See the Brochures
section below.
The spirit of that first Guitar Workshop session in 1974 has grown and
prospered, and in the process inspired many other camps, conferences,
and retreats.
The
PSGW Events Calendar
lists other events that PSGW sponsors throughout the year,
and links to several camps inspired by PSGW may be found
here.
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music classes in a wooded setting
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"Guitar Camp" -- The One-Week PSGW Summer Sessions
PSGW runs three independent, one-week-long Guitar Workshop sessions each
year designed for adults ranging from bare-bones beginners to professional
musicians and singers.
The teachers and classes are different in each
session and although there are a number of classes that will always be
given (e.g. beginning guitar), each week develops its own character based
on that week's unique teachers, classes, and students.
A teacher list is available here.
The brochure for each year's summer sessions can be viewed through the
PSGW Brochures - Past & Present
section.
The dates for the 2010 summer sessions are:
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Session 1: | July 31 - | August 6 |
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Session 2: | August 7 - | August 13 |
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Session 3: | August 14 - | August 20 |
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(The PSGW Countdown Clock gives
a little higher precision, if you need that.)
You can always find the dates for any of the PSGW events on the
PSGW Events Calendar page.
Location
PSGW is held in a gorgeous wooded setting with a private lake
near Bremerton, Washington (about 90 minutes southwest of Seattle by car).
A complete set of directions are automatically sent to all students well
before camp.
Seattle-Tacoma airport (commonly known as "SeaTac", airport code SEA) is the closest major airport.
The shuttle bus from the airport to camp takes 60 to 90 minutes.
The PSGW Week in a Nutshell
The first day of camp is set aside for meeting other campers and finding out
about the classes being offered during the week. The next five days have
classes in the morning and early afternoon, workshops in the late afternoon,
and special events in the evening. The last day of camp is devoted to
packing up and saying goodbyes.
In addition to the scheduled events, every day has opportunities for
jamming, swimming, or just playing hooky and sleeping. Each day's events are
listed on large posters in the lodge, so you needn't memorize the schedule.
A Typical Day in Music Heaven . . .
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8:00 a.m. -- 8:45 a.m. | Breakfast
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9:00 a.m. -- 10:15 a.m. | First Class Period
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10:30 a.m. -- 11:45 a.m. | Second Class Period
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12:00 p.m. -- 12:45 p.m. | Lunch
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1:00 p.m. -- 2:15 p.m. | Third Class Period
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2:15 p.m. -- 4:00 p.m. | Free Time (practicing, jamming, swimming, napping, ...)
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4:00 p.m. -- 5:30 p.m. | Workshops (one-shots, offered by teachers or students)
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6:00 p.m. -- 6:45 p.m. | Dinner
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7:00 p.m. -- 10:30 p.m. | Evening Activities (concerts, dances, music circles, etc.)
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10:30 p.m. -- 11:00 p.m. | Late Night Snack
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11:00 p.m. -- . . . | Jamming, Practicing, Sleeping, ...
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About Teachers
Aside from its students, PSGW's single strongest asset is its teachers.
Teachers are chosen for
their ability to communicate their knowledge, enthusiasm, and skill, both in
the formal class atmosphere and in the equally-important informal playing
situations that abound at camp.
Although the teachers provide hand-holding when needed, they also provide
space for the student to experiment and make mistakes on his or her own,
leading to satisfying growth.
About Classes and Levels
Classes are ongoing for the full week while afternoon workshop sessions are
one-shot offerings. Level numbers (arabic numerals) are included with class
descriptions to help you decide which classes make sense for you. It helps
a lot if everyone in a class plays at about the same level. Feel free to
ask for advice from teachers. The ``Meet the Teacher'' sessions on the
first day are specially designed for this purpose, but you can ask anytime.
The level numbers correspond to the following guitar skill levels:
LEVEL 1: Just learning the first chords and can't yet change chords without
pausing to relocate fingers (level I players are sometimes known as
ªbeginnersº).
LEVEL 2: Mostly accompaniment styles and designed for a range of skills.
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At the simpler end, gets from one chord to another without pausing on at
least three or four chords. Can't play an F chord. Rhythm is pretty steady
as long as the song is familiar. Generally needs chords either written out
over the words or else taught to each song.
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At the more advanced end, has met an F chord but shuns its acquaintance;
knows a few bass runs or a finger pattern or two; has sometimes played a
little with a friend; may be beginning to sort out finger and flatpicking;
competent with basic chords: A, Am, B7, C, C7, D, Dm, E, Em, G, and G7. Can
sing and strum at the same time easily; learns chords to simple tunes fairly
quickly.
LEVEL 3: No problems with F chord, can hear I, IV, and V chords and usually
recognizes a circle of fifths.
Fingerpicking: plays a few tunes smoothly; usually learns from friends or
tablature. If making own arrangements, they are usually fairly simple, with
an alternating bass or a few bass runs.
Flatpicking: can play a few melodies smoothly clear through and may be
starting to improvise leads.
Fancy Chord Styles: knows there is life above the fifth fret and has been
there with barre or four finger (partial) chords. Keeps steady rhythm.
LEVEL 4:
Fingerpicking: works out arrangements or learns complex arrangements from
recordings, including moving bass lines and treble harmonies.
Flatpicking: plays lead and back-up with steady rhythm, some improvisation,
and clear tone. Plays skillfully with others.
Fancy Chord Styles: knows there is life above the seventh fret and is on a
first-name basis with most of the chords; has been known to use 12 chords
where one would do.
PACING: Classes usually pace themselves to match the participants'
abilities. Classes designated level 1 proceed at the pace of the slowest
student in the class -- no one gets left behind. Classes designated level
4, on the other hand, move at the pace of the most capable student in the
class -- no one gets bored. Level 2 and 3 classes try to follow the pace of
the majority of students in the class.
About Tuition, Registration, and the Small Print
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All the nitty-gritty details of signing up for PSGW
(Tuition cost, refunds, scholarships, ages, deposits, mailing address)
are on the "SMALL PRINT" page that accompanies the registration form.
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This link will get you directly to the registration form:
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This link will get you directly to the Small Print:
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PSGW Brochures - Past & Present
PSGW Online Products Department
Click here
for online T-Shirts, Mugs, etc.
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The recent visitor count stands at
174450
This page was last modified
Sunday, 07-Feb-2010 15:05:56 PST.
Add your (postal) address to the brochure mailing list (Mail@psgw.org)
Send mail to the camp coordinators (Info@psgw.org)
Send a question or comments about registration (Registration@psgw.org)
Send comments about the web page (psl@acm.org)
View information about this summer's camp sessions.
