Tap along with Warr

A seminar this weekend by one of the continent’s most respected Warr Guitar players will show how to apply the distinctive string-tapping technique to guitars and bass guitars.

PAUL EDWARDS shows off a Warr Guitar.

PAUL EDWARDS shows off a Warr Guitar.

A seminar this weekend by one of the continent’s most respected Warr Guitar players will show how to apply the distinctive string-tapping technique to guitars and bass guitars.

Paul Edwards, famed for his work with the progressive-rock band Kittyhawk and for nearly four decades of playing and composing on Chapman Stick and Warr Guitar, will host the workshop, beginning at 3 p.m. this Saturday at Studio Live in Cumberland. Guitarists and bass players of all ages and ability levels are welcome to attend.

The teaching time will follow Edwards’ performance Friday night at Joe’s Garage, at the foot of Fifth Street in Courtenay. Chapman Stick player Oscar Robles will also be performing at the concert along with special guests Roger Baird, Tony Morrison and Britt Bowman of the Fractal Quartet in varied and colourful collaborations with the Stick.

“Tapping my electric guitar was how I started, long before I ever tried a Chapman Stick,” says Robles. “It’s a really fun technique that expands the horizons for guitar and bass players. Check out bass legends Victor Wooten or Michael Manring to see what I’m talking about.

“The cool thing is that players who are beginning or advanced their musical development can quickly learn to tap their instrument with a bit of instruction followed with dedicated practice.”

Although now concentrating on his solo musical journey, Edwards said another CD with Kittyhawk is also in the works.

The band, which he co-founded in the late 1970s with fellow Stick player Daniel Bortz, was named for his great-great uncles, Wilbur and Orville Wright, credited for making the first human flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

“Neither of them had any kids, so I am their closest relative in my generation,” Edwards said. “When we were choosing the name, the idea was to suggest ‘innovation’ and ‘taking to the air.’ It spoke of the music we were creating.”

Cost of the seminar is $10. Studio Live is in a former school building at 2679 Beaufort Ave. in Cumberland, across First Street from Cumberland United Church.

For more information on the seminar, call 250-339-2279.

 

Comox Valley Record