BELLOWS FALLS — Fingerstyle guitarist Hiroya Tsukamoto will lead a comfortable, informal masterclass for players of all levels of ability and accomplishment on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 11 a.m., at Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge St., in advance of his 2 p.m. concert.
Wisdom on scales, thumb placement, tunings, improvisation, and more will be presented "with kindness and patience and easy laughter by one of the best fingerstyle players in the world," say organizers. Tsukamoto will demonstrate fingerstyle techniques, including chords and basic theory, breaking down elements such as tone and rhythm and explaining how to apply them to a practice routine. Questions "will be warmly received."
Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Hiroya Tsukamoto received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and relocated to the U.S. Since then, he has been performing internationally, including at the United Nations, the Blue Note in New York, and on Japanese National Television. He has released seven albums. In 2022, he won second place in the Walnut Valley Festival's International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship.
According to concert organizers, he is a "dizzyingly agile fingerpicker who always chooses beauty over bombast." His concert performances are an "eclectic, immersive, and mesmerizing impressionistic journey filled with earthy, organic soundscapes rich in subtle detail."
Stage 33 Live is a casual and intimate industrial-rustic listening room in a former factory hosting local, regional, and national performances and presentations of original material, say promoters.
The cost of the workshop is $30. Participants should bring their instrument as well as a lunch, or those attending can choose from several local restaurants before the concert.
This workshop is strictly limited to 10 participants. Walk-ups will only be accepted if there's still room. Registration and more information can be found at stage33live.com.
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