Guitar | Joan Fenton | Intermediate | Period 2 | Week 3 (July 20-25, 2025)
Unlock the mysteries of playing up the neck. Most guitarists only play in first position or need to use a capo if they want to play in another key. Participants in this workshop will learn how to take basic 3 and 4 finger chords ( NOT bar chords) and move them up and down the neck, pick out the melody and learn how to take a song and play it in any key. We will also explore how to find the chords in a song. It’s a “must-take” class for guitarists who feel they are stuck down the neck, or who, when they play up the neck don’t really know exactly what they are doing. Participants should be able to play first position chords A, B, C, D, E, F, and B7, and be able to switch chords easily.
About the Instructor
Joan Fenton has worked as a musician, folklorist, and business woman. She is the recipient of the WC Handy award for keeping the blues alive in education. She produced traditional music shows for 15 years for various radio stations and received two National Endowment for the Arts grants to record traditional musicians. Her field recordings can be found at the D&E Library and in the Joan Fenton collection at the University of NC at Chapel Hill library. Her work with nonprofits includes serving on the executive board of the Folk Alliance.