This four-session workshop is up on RonBlock.com, along with two bonus lessons (two more to be added soon). I've shared the elements of guitar playing that have made my lead guitar solos and rhythm a mainstay of Alison Krauss & Union Station for 29 years. Intermediate to advanced.

Topics: Roots and Inflluences - Bill Napier, Larry Sparks, and Clarence White to piano, Bill Monroe, and electric guitar players. We'll move on into some of my solos in a bonus lesson but at the front end we'll look into some of the players that helped create my style.

The Psychology of Playing Well (this is incredibly important)

Right and Left Hand Technique

Tone - Timing - Taste

Rhythm Playing

How I Learned and Continue to Learn the Neck

Make Solos More Moving with Expression

Make Solos More Engaging with Intervals ("doublestops")

Playing the Melody: The Many Ways to Vary a Solo.

Crosspicking

And I'll add more before the starting date.

Plus these freebies and more: Downloads Hogan's House of Music instrumental record (I took quite a few guitar breaks on it); a pdf of my Traditional Guitar Workbook with my personal tabs of George Shuffler, Larry Sparks, Bill Napier, Don Reno, Clarence White, and Junior Blankenship. These freebies alone are worth about $47.

When signing up, you'll get a download link for Hogan's House of Music, and you'll get an email with a Dropbox link and information for the rest of it.

Greetings, fellow banjo pickers!

Have you had moments where you've wanted your playing to move along more quickly? Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to go to the next level?

I've struggled with all those things. At nearly every level, I've plateaued and thought, "Is this it? Am I stuck here?" Since the age of thirteen I've been obsessed with learning how to play the banjo well, because going to the next level is always such a thrill.

As a result I've had to develop some tried-and-true ways of doing things through experimentation and study. I've used these ideas for my 26 years with Alison Krauss & Union Station, for the O Brother soundtrack, and for everything else I've ever played on - and I'd love to share them with you.

Just got this in an email: “I’ve just got to say, this workshop has been so much more than I expected….The effort you’ve put into this and the ground you’ve covered like a fog will keep me busy for years….Again, thanks so much. I call that a bargain, the best I ever had!” David W.

TOPICS: Just a few of the things I've covered:

Releasing tension (the thing that puts a lid on our dexterity).

How I work on timing and feel.

Dynamics.

Tone.

Backup.

The trick to learning the neck well.

String bending, vibrato, and working it all into rolls.

Single-string playing.

Slow playing.

Clinch Mountain Backstep.

Mollie Catherine Carter.

Man of Constant Sorrow.

Learning from recordings.

How to practice effectively.

EXTRAS: By signing up for the workshop you'll receive free downloads of my banjo-oriented bluegrass record Hogan's House of Music, and a pdf of my long out-of-print The Traditional Banjo Workbook.

I look forward to seeing you there.

LESSONS WITH A PRO: 29 Years With Alison Krauss & Union Station, banjoist on the O Brother Soundtrack’s “Man of Constant Sorrow,” and on sessions with Dolly Parton, Kate Rusby, Dan Tyminski, Vince Gill, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, and many more.

LEVEL: Broadly Intermediate - lots of material for not-so-beginners all through early advanced players.

SUBJECTS: Playing without tension, improving timing and feel, dynamics, tone, string bending, vibrato, scales, single-string playing, transcribing, and more.

BONUS MATERIALS: Each participant will receive a free download of Ron’s banjo-oriented bluegrass cd Hogan’s House of Music, and a free download of the long out-of-print Traditional Bluegrass Banjo Workbook – a total of $45 in free extras.

WORKSHOP REVIEWS: "As a guy who's been participating in this clinic I promise you the value you'll receive is worth FAR more than the price. I've done banjo camps, clinics, and lessons with the best in the business. The wisdom Ron imparts is second to none. You WILL be a better player, and you'll enjoy every second. You'll have a hard time putting your banjo down after the first session, and you'll be thinking about it all day at work after the second. And it only gets better from there."

"Great class. Ron knows how to communicate; he 'teaches ideas' and is well prepared. No wasted time. The overall class experience is like having a one on one lesson with good friend."

A 2 hour private lesson on banjo or guitar - this can be split into two separate lessons. I've been playing professionally since the early 1980s, and since 1991 with Alison Krauss and many others. I've also taught at bluegrass guitar and banjo camps, taught my own banjo course online, and have rarely given any private lessons.

I'm quite adept at diagnosing problems and advising solutions, since I'm always doing that with my own playing.

We can talk about anything you'd like, from getting a strong tone, developing steady timing, taste, how I study the neck, right hand workouts, transcribing, or whatever you'd like. We'll tailor it to you - the objective is to give you more tools to improve and expand your playing, and we'll give you enough to work on for a good long while. Available at the introductory price for a short time.

When you purchase, you'll get an email shortly after to set up a time for the lesson.