Group Guitar+ Songwriting 202

This is a class for people who write songs, want to write songs, or just want to understand how songs are put together musically (this class will not cover lyric writing).

The Friendly class is for intermediate level guitar players as well as other musicians (keyboards, bass, singers etc.). Students should be able to play songs on their instrument, and have a basic understanding of musical notes and basic chords.

The class will cover the basic building blocks of songs, and use examples of songs from American composers over the last 100 years, from early blues, jazz of the great American Songbook, Rock & Pop from the mid-1950s to 21st century 

The class will explore the understanding of 

• Basic musical rules, chord structure, understanding of scales, harmony

• Understanding musical progressions, forms, patterns

• Melody

• Rhythm

• Writing / Collaboration

 Kevin Rush Bio: Kevin Rush is a guitarist and native Chicagoan living in the south suburbs. Kevin currently plays with the Gypsy Jazz group The New Deal, and with the original rock group The Stray Toasters. Kevin is featured on The Stray Toasters 4th and 5th records, Let Go My Ego and 5 Things as well as on LePercolateur’s debut record Pop Manouche.

Kevin began playing guitar at the age of 13. Influenced originally by rock and roll guitar greats, Beck, Page and Hendrix at an early age, he quickly became aware of other styles: classical with Andres Segovia, blues via the 3 Kings, and ultimately jazz with Django Reinhardt and Les Paul. Kevin played in various bands throughout High School and College and studied Classical Guitar and Music Theory at Roosevelt University in Chicago.