I’m happy to announce that I’ll be part of two Fingerstyle Guitar Summit shows featuring myself, Eric Skye and Adam Miller. We’ll be at the Sebastopol Community Center Annex in Sebastopol, California, on Friday, May 10th, and at The Back Room in Berkeley, California on Saturday, May 11th.

Details:

Friday, May 10th, 8PM
Sebastopol Community Center Annex at 425 Morris St. (immediately adjacent to the main community center), Sebastopol, California.
Tickets: $22 Adv, $25 Door
Ticket purchase/reservations: Kevin @ 707-824-1858 or krussellmft@aol.com

Saturday, May 1qth, 8PM
The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley, California
Tickets: $18 Adv, $20 Door. Info www.backroommusic.com, (510) 654-3808

Teja will join Grammy-nominated world music pioneer Jai Uttal, as well as multi-instrumentalists Ben Lenbach and Charley Paul for an afternoon concert at the Dance Palace in Point Reyes Station, California on Sunday, March 31st. 

Info and tickets at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cascade-canyon-school-benefit-concert-featuring-jai-uttal-ben-leinbach-teja-gerken-and-charley-paul-tickets-52634257481

 

Teja will return to Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto to teach an workshop on alternate tunings on Saturday, March 23rd. Here the info:

Whether you’re completely new to playing in alternate tunings or want to expand on the tunings you already use, in this workshop, fingerstyle guitarist and Peghead Nation co-founder Teja Gerken will help you see beyond EADGBE.

Teja will begin by showing musical examples in common tunings such as Drop D, Open D, DADGAD, Open G, etc., and will discuss why you might choose one tuning over another. He will then use his arrangements of the Irish traditional The South Wind (in DADGAD) and the Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps (in CGDGCD tuning) to provide a musical context and to get students playing (music in TAB and standard notation will be provided).

Throughout the workshop, Teja will emphasize ways to understand the common territory between various tunings, as well as their relationships to standard tuning, which will help you navigate the rearranged fretboard. Teja will also demonstrate how alternate tunings facilitate contemporary fingerstyle techniques, how they can be useful in the context of playing with others, and how to use them in multiple keys.

Teja Gerken (www.tejagerken.com) has been deeply involved with the contemporary fingerstyle guitar scene for more than 20 years, and his two CDs of solo fingerstyle tunes, On My Way and Postcards have received international acclaim. Teja is a co-founder of the music instruction website Peghead Nation (www.pegheadnation.com), and he has written extensively about guitars and guitarists during his 15 years tenure as an editor for Acoustic Guitar magazine, and as a contributor to Fretboard Journal, Guitar Player, Premier Guitar, and other publications. In addition, he is the author of The Taylor Guitar Book.

https://www.gryphonstrings.com/events

I’m very much looking forward to being a guest instructor at Tony McManus’ 2018 Guitar Weekend in Healdsburg, California, from December 7 – 9. Tony and have worked together on a few occasions, including a handful of shows and by way of his Celtic Guitar course on Peghead Nation. Here’s how he describes the weekend:

Announcing the second Healdsburg Guitar Retreat. December 7.8.9

If you’ve had a busy year what better way to wind down in December than to come to warm and beautiful Healdsburg, California for some guitar time with Tony and Teja Gerken.

This is built on the model of the now oversubscribed Elora Guitar Weekend now in its 12th edition. Three days of music, world class instruction, beautiful boutique accommodation, great food, wonderful camaraderie and a public concert with Teja and Tony.

By December Tony will have taught in Glasgow, University of Ulster, La Conner, Washington, Boston, Elora, Ontario, Big Indian NY with Richard Thompson, Arlanzon Spain with Alasdair Fraser and for the 8th time at The Swannanoa Guitar Week…..and that’s just 2018.

Teja is a highly respected player, teacher, writer and publisher in the guitar world. A former editor of Acoustic Guitar Magazine he founded Peghead Nation online academy attracting many thousands of students. His versatility and approachable style make him the perfect instructor.

Also attending will be legendary luthier Jeff Traugott, one of the world’s most respected guitar builders.

No level of ability is required, just a desire to dive into some great music, expand your ideas on the instrument, ask all the questions you wanted to ask….and all in an intimate and beautiful setting.

Send any enquiries to info@tonymcmanus.com and we’ll get back to you immediately.

Acclaimed poster artist Carolyn Ferris has created a wonderful new Teja Gerken poster! Look for it announcing shows in the near future!

3 GUITARS: ELECTRIC, STEEL, AND NYLON – featuring Florante Aguilar, Teja Gerken, and Nate Lopez

Teja and Doug Young had a great time at the recent Winters Guitarfest in Winters, California. Here’s a video of Doug’s tune “Autumn Roads,” played the beautiful Palms Playhouse.

I had a lot of fun playing Steve Baughman’s “Planxty Bongwater” during the “American Fingerstyle Guitar Night” (with Tracy Moore, Steve Davison, and Peter Janson) at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, California, on May 24th, 2018. I’m playing my 2004 Martin Custom Shop OM (Indian rosewood/Adirondack spruce), tuned to D G D G C D, capo 2.

“Darjeeling” was the final tune I wrote for the “On My Way” album, and I’ve recently rediscovered playing it, this time on the baritone guitar. Here’s a brand-new video of the piece: