Award-winning guitarists teach local musicians at Heartwood Soundstage

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - People in Gainesville brought their guitars to heartwood soundstage to strum and learn from some of the best in the world at the first ever guitar workshop.

The idea was presented to the owners at Heartwood by award-winning guitarist, Richard Smith.

One of the owners says when the idea was presented, he couldn’t say no.

“These are some of the best guitar players in the world,” said one of Heartwood’s owners, David Melosh, “and it’s a unique opportunity to get to actually sit down with them one-on-one and see their philosophies and their techniques in person and kind of have it explained to you.”

The event lasted all day and features numerous instructors.

Smith is one of the featured instructors, along with the legendary blues guitarist, Roy Book Binder.

Smith travels all around holding these workshops and teaching his unique fingerstyle guitar technique.

“The most satisfying thing to me--having taught--is seeing somebody do something and get something that they didn’t have just before you showed it to them and seeing that light bulb go off,” said Smith.

“You don’t want to teach them something that is too simple that they already know,” said Smith. “You don’t want to teach them something that they don’t understand because now you don’t know if they get it. But right in that sweet spot, when you show something to someone and they get it there and then in front of you, that is always really satisfying.”

Upcoming events at Heartwood include a two-day Grateful Dead Festival at the end of the month.

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