Blues & Rock Improvisation Experience Day
Module 2
Continue your improvising journey by jamming in a relaxed, supportive environment.
Who Is This For?
This course is aimed at guitarists who already feel comfortable with basic blues and pentatonic improvisation but want to break out of “box playing” and start creating more musical, expressive solos.
It’s designed for players who can navigate minor pentatonic shapes and jam over standard 12-bar blues or blues-rock backing tracks, but feel like their lead playing is starting to sound repetitive or predictable.
If you’re ready to understand how to connect your scales to the underlying chords, add real melodic direction, and bring in the emotional colour of major/minor interplay, arpeggios, and chord tone targeting, this course will give you the next level of clarity and control in your improvisation.
What You Will Learn
✅ Move beyond pentatonic box patterns into fluid, connected lead playing
✅Use the Aeolian (natural minor) sound to add depth and colour
✅Build solos using arpeggios and chord tone targeting
✅Connect scales across the fretboard with confidence
✅Target Roots, 3rds and 5ths for stronger melodic phrasing
✅Blend major and minor pentatonics
✅Major and Minor 3rds for expressive Blues Soloing
✅Develop vocal-style phrasing instead of running scale shapes
✅Follow chord changes in real time while improvising
✅Apply everything directly to real blues-rock progressions
Whats Included?
Your place includes a full six-hour, hands-on workshop led By James focusing on practical improvisation skills, along with a printed workbook containing TAB, exercises, and a structured practice plan to take away.
Lunch is provided on the day, along with tea and coffee during scheduled breaks.
You’ll also take part in a relaxed group jam session to put everything into practice, as well as a short guided tour of Kirklees Guitar School, including the teaching spaces and the studio where lessons and content are created.
Places are limited to just six participants to ensure a focused, supportive learning environment.
What You Will Leave With
🔴 Greater confidence improvising over blues and rock backing tracks
🔴 A practical system for targeting chord tones instead of guessing
🔴 Better control of tension and release while improvising
🔴 Clear understanding of how to connect scales to chord changes in real time
🔴 Stronger more intentional solos
Che Polley
James created a relaxed, supportive atmosphere and gave really clear, practical feedback that I feel definitely improved my playing. I came away feeling inspired, motivated, and with a much better understanding of how to progress. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to push their playing forward.
Steve Oleary
I have no hesitation in recommending the school. I started on the beginner course and the amount of guitar songs and techniques we have covered is amazing. We move along at a good steady pace and always recap what we've learnt before moving on.
Chris Oldroyd
I had an absolutely fantastic day at the blues rock improvisation workshop with James Kuhnel at Kirklees Guitar School. The facilities were excellent and created the perfect environment to relax and really focus on playing.
Meet Your Tutor
James has been teaching guitar for over 15 years and is the head of Kirklees Guitar School, which delivers over 200 lessons each week from its studio in Denby Dale.
Alongside his in-person teaching, he helps guitarists around the world through his YouTube channel and the Kirklees Guitar School Academy, focusing on practical, real-world playing.
As well as teaching, James is an in-demand session guitarist, performing with a variety of artists across the UK and Europe.
Upcoming Class
Friday 14th August
Starts Aug 14
89 British poundsLoading availability...
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Where Is It Taking Place?
Address:
Unit 14
Springfield Mill
Norman Road
Denby Dale
HD8 8TH
Situated in the Springfield mill shopping complex, our studio benefits from good public transport links and a large free carpark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to have completed a beginner course first?
No, but you should already be comfortable with minor pentatonic shapes and basic blues improvisation.
How advanced is this course?
It’s aimed at intermediate players who can already improvise but want more musical control, phrasing, and fretboard understanding.
Will this help me stop sounding like I’m just running scales?
Yes, the course is specifically designed to move you away from box patterns into melodic, chord-based soloing.
Do I need to know music theory?
It will help but everything is explained in a practical, guitar-focused way.
What styles does this apply to?
Blues, blues-rock, classic rock, and Americana-style improvisation.
Will this help me improvise over backing tracks?
Yes, you’ll learn how to follow chord changes and make your solos respond to the progression in real time.
Do I need fast playing ability?
No, this course is about musicality, not speed. Simple ideas played well are the focus.
Join us for a full day of practical, hands on guitar playing
Starts Aug 14
89 British poundsLoading availability...
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