mrs sev112 gave me a birthday present of a group blues workshop with John Ellis - ex Stranglers - yesterday
was a beginners blues class, there were 6 of us and John in a room above a trendy pub near Covent Garden.
bearing in mind I’ve been playing for years, I went in iwth an open mind, especially because I’ve never appreciated or really listened to blues before.
we had a wide range of capability, and whilst the exercises and riffs weren’t complex, I have a fab time
john is a great guy to listen to talking, and learn about the blues and some of the original history and backstories of the players.
i came away with some nice themes and tricks and ways to use stuff that I’d learned from theory and previous lessons.
I noticed on his website that he does evening acoustic house gigs in London for a really reasonable rate - i’d Recommend that, he’s great to listen to play and talk.
just goes to show you, open your mind, be prepared to listen and you have a great time
met a nice group of players too
Comments
[ my father is John Ellis, although he wasn’t in The Stranglers]
Nice gift, I had no idea he did any blues stuff.