Workshops
Ready to take your guitar playing or songwriting to the next level?
“Your ideas were inspirational for all who attended. Accessible, fun, and pretty darn exciting things to do on acoustic guitar.”
—Chris Broadwell, Ithaca Guitar Works
Join a workshop with Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine and author of The Complete Singer-Songwriter, Beyond Strumming, and the video series Learn Seven Grateful Dead Classics for Acoustic Guitar. He’s been a staff instructor at Ashokan Guitar Camp and Lamb’s Retreat for Songwriters, and he teaches courses on songwriting and creative nonfiction writing at Syracuse University.
Learn more about private lessons.
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Ongoing events
Songwriter Circle
A community of writers of all levels that meets online monthly to share and discuss songs in progress.
Guitar Circle
Join the Guitar Circle on Patreon for monthly live workshops plus song/lyric charts, tab, bonus tracks, and more.
“Incredibly pleased with this workshop. Jeff’s love of music and creating single-guitar arrangements of songs comes through very clearly, and he explains things simply and concisely so anyone can follow along.”
—David Hodge, Guitar Noise (more)
“Jeffrey comes armed with tons of insider information and informed insights on a wide spectrum of the music world.”
—Dick Ward, Guitar League
“As a two-year guitar player at the beginner’s level, I found Jeffrey’s workshop to be most helpful. Jeffrey’s excellence in both teaching and performance made the method clear, comprehensible, and playable.”
—Dave Bollinger
More about the workshops
Songwriting Sessions
A meeting of the Songwriting Sessions course on Zoom, with guest artist Peter Mulvey.
Discover song ideas, learn new tools, and connect with a community of songwriters in this online course led by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers along with guest artists who are both masters of the craft and skilled instructors. Past Songwriting Sessions teachers include Peter Mulvey, Cliff Eberhardt, Vance Gilbert, Natalia Zukerman, and Adam Levy.
“Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, I'm convinced you’ll find Jeffrey’s songwriting workshop to be informative and highly inspirational—excellent for recharging your creative songwriting batteries!”
—Will M.
“Jeffrey is a patient, calm instructor with a wealth of knowledge and experience to impart. You walk out of his workshop with a definite reboot.”
—Bill “the Kid” Claiborne
Song Camps
Build your repertoire and develop your technique by learning classic songs.
Summer Song Camp
Play a mix of great songs by artists like Neil Young, James Taylor, John Prine, Lucinda Williams, and the Beatles.
Grateful Dead Song Camp
Learn special acoustic arrangements of Dead classics, using a variety of tunings and capo setups.
Beyond Strumming
When you’re playing guitar behind vocals, you can do so much more than simply strum the chords and keep the time. In this workshop based on Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers’ Acoustic Guitar book/video series Beyond Strumming, you’ll learn how to add variety and power to your accompaniment with such techniques as partial chords, chord embellishments, bass lines, muting, string percussion, and cross-picking. The workshop is oriented toward flatpick playing but applicable to fingerstyle too.
Beyond Strumming is offered as a single-session workshop and an extended online course.
“Jeffrey takes a practical approach to making rhythms much more interesting and fun to play. He goes at a pace that is great for advanced beginners and intermediate players. It’s so helpful to have the lesson video for practice after the live session. I recommend his Beyond Strumming book and this class for anyone who wants to take their playing to the next level.”
—Wendy D.
Grateful Dead for Acoustic Guitar
Bring the music of the Grateful Dead to life on your guitar in this workshop based on the best-selling Homespun video series Learn Seven Classic Grateful Dead Songs for Acoustic Guitar. Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers shows you not only how to play the chords and create powerful grooves behind your singing on songs like “Friend of the Devil,” “New Speedway Boogie,” “Althea,” and “Casey Jones,” but also how to add cool embellishments and lead breaks inspired by the Dead’s live and studio performances.
Jeffrey interviewed both Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir in depth about their guitar and songwriting styles, and draws on insights from those conversations to capture the soul of their timeless songs. The workshop is designed for intermediate players but is also accessible for beginners with knowledge of basic chords. The specific songs covered vary according to the interests of the group.
Read/watch a Boston Globe feature on JPR's Grateful Dead workshops.
“Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers sure can play the music—listen to his ‘Stella Blue’ and you’ll know what I mean. Better still, he can teach it.”
—Dennis McNally, author, A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead
“Jeffrey has breathed new life into some of my favorite songs with his creative arrangements for solo acoustic guitar. I really enjoyed learning some new tricks in alternate tunings.”
—D. Brett
Previous workshops
Turtle Hill Folk Festival, Rush, NY
Ithaca Guitar Works, Ithaca, NY
Howl Studios, Ithaca, NY
Bernunzio Uptown Music, Rochester, NY
Jake's Main Street Music, Beacon, NY
Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase, Woodstock, NY
Audio Classics, Binghamton, NY
Guitar League, Syracuse, NY
Chincoteague Island, VA
The Whammy Bar, Calais, VT
Advance Music, Burlington, VT
Gryphon Stringed Instruments, Palo Alto, CA
Marin Community Music School, San Anselmo, CA
George’s Music, Jacksonville, FL
Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA
The Music Emporium, Lexington, MA
Passim School of Music, Cambridge, MA
Parlor Room School of Music, Northampton, MA
Wood Bros. Music, Pittsfield, MA
House of Musical Traditions, Takoma Park, MD
Lamb's Retreat for Songwriters, Harbor Springs, MI
Ashokan Acoustic Guitar Camp, Olivebridge, NY
Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, Brooklyn, NY