The Blues Woodshed is a series of specialist deep dives into the players, techniques and styles that helped shape blues guitar.
Each Woodshed includes four private online sessions, accompanying tabs/charts and supporting material. Work through the programme at your own pace, arranging each session individually when you’re ready for the next.
Along the way, we’ll also dig into where these approaches came from, how they developed and how different players and traditions connect.
The R.L. Burnside Woodshed: Hill Country, Groove & Hypnosis
R.L. Burnside could take a riff, a groove and a handful of notes and seemingly keep them rolling forever without the music standing still. That hypnotic quality is at the heart of hill country blues – repetition is part of the trick, but it’s what happens inside the repetition that makes the music come alive.
We’ll work through selected Burnside pieces, digging into tunings, rhythmic approach, right-hand feel, phrasing and the subtle variations that keep the groove moving. The aim is not just to learn the riffs, but to get inside the pulse and understand what makes Burnside sound like Burnside.
The Slide Guitar Woodshed: Sliding From Mississippi to Chicago
We’ll work through pieces by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Elmore James – three critical figures in the development of slide guitar in the blues, tracing a line from pre-war Mississippi blues to its electrification in post-war Chicago.
Through their playing, we can explore open tunings, slide technique, phrasing, touch and the nuances that give bottleneck its unmistakable sound.
The Pre-War Fingerstyle Woodshed: Bass, Rhythm & Lead in One
We’ll look at pieces by Blind Boy Fuller, Little Hat Jones, Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Johnson – some legendary, some lesser known, but all part of a pre-war tradition in which players pushed the acoustic guitar remarkably hard, refusing to let the pianists have all the simultaneous bass/rhythm/lead action!
We’ll explore alternating and moving bass lines, keeping the rhythm alive beneath melody and developing the sleight of hand that makes it sound like one guitar has two or three things happening at once.
The John Lee Hooker Woodshed: Rhythm, Groove & Feel
This one’s all about feel and groove! There are a few areas to dive into to get close to the Boogie Man, and his open-tuned boogie is a great place to start. We’ll dig into pieces such as Boogie Chillen’ or Crawlin’ King Snake, and explore the hypnotic pulse and rhythmic variations that make ‘simple’ so difficult!
From there we’ll look at some of Hooker’s equally distinctive standard-tuned playing through pieces such as I’m in the Mood, Boom Boom or Dimples – getting inside the riffs to explore touch, dynamics and the subtle details that make that Hooker sound.
The Ragtime Blues Woodshed: Bass, Bounce & Syncopation
Closely related to the pre-war fingerstyle also offered in the Woodshed, this deep dive focuses on a particularly infectious branch of pre-war blues: the syncopated, ragtime-influenced style heard in pieces such as Robert Johnson’s They’re Red Hot, Blind Boy Fuller’s Weeping Willow, Tampa Red’s Duck’s Yas Yas and Big Bill Broonzy’s Glory of Love.
We’ll use selected pieces to explore alternating bass lines, syncopation, melody and that characteristic ragtime bounce – unpicking the rhythmic tricks that make this music sound so busy, lively and infectious.
How It Works
Each Woodshed costs £220 and includes four private one-hour online sessions, along with the accompanying tabs, charts and supporting material.
The Woodshed is designed to be flexible. There’s no fixed weekly slot: after each session, take the time you need to work through the material, then get in touch when you’re ready for the next one and we’ll arrange a mutually convenient time.
Your first session should be taken within six months of purchase, and all four sessions completed within four months of the first.
Once a session has been arranged, please give at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to reschedule. Sessions missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice will normally count as one of the four sessions.
What Blues Students Say
‘Alex has passed on his wide knowledge and understanding of blues and folk guitar and as a result I have learnt various styles from artists previously unknown to me. I think of it not just as a guitar lesson but a musical journey into blues and folk.’ – Brendon
‘Alex has been teaching me blues and bottleneck slide and I’ve come on leaps and bounds. He has equipped me to be able to pick apart some of my favourite songs and unlock their secrets. He tailors the lessons to suit, managing to pitch the lessons just ahead of your ability, which means you feel a real sense of achievement once you get there.’ – Joe
Booking
To book a Woodshed, or if you’re not sure which one is right for you, get in touch and we can have a chat first.