Welcome

Austin's coolest way for women to learn, share, and collaborate over a glass of wine is always kicking off new sessions of Guitar, Songwriting, and Band Classes! Girl Guitar focuses on a full music experience, encouraging women to take their inherent love of music and carry on with playing, writing, performing, collaborating, booking, and generally just having a great time!  Whether you're just getting started or taking your skills up a step, Girl Guitar is the most fun you'll have in your journey to the stage!

Check out our full schedule of classes, pickers circles, camps for guitar, songwriting, and yoga, and more!


All classes are for women 21 and up unless otherwise noted.

Voted 'Best Music Instruction' - Austin Chronicle Best of Austin Poll!

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Previous events

Guitarra de Chicas Workshop

Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Join us for a bilingual morning of learning songs and practicing conversational Spanish and English! Songs will cover a variety of skill levels. This workshop is taught by Juliette Buck with special help from Gala Arendell and is for women 21+.

This workshop will meet from 10am-12pm on Sunday, Mar. 24th at Girl Guitar at 2309 Thornton Studio C.

Cost: $50

50

First Aid Kit Intro to Fingerpicking Workshop

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

We're using songs from sister duo First Aid Kit to learn some basic fingerpicking patterns! In this first workshop, we'll focus on My Silver Lining, learning the foundational movements of Travis picking. But we'll also run through a series of exercises that you can do (every day?!) to strengthen the coordination of your thumb and first two fingers, so when you (hopefully!) return for Workshop II on April 20th you'll be ready to jump right in.

Saturday, March 23rd from 10-11:30am

First Aid Kit Intro to Fingerpicking Workshop meets on Saturday, Mar. 23 from 10-11:30am at Girl Guitar at 2309 Thornton Studio C in Austin, TX.

This Workshop is taught by Avery Stewart and is for women 21+.

Cost: $45

$45

How to Change Acoustic Guitar Strings Workshop

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Get self-sufficient and learn how to capably change the strings on your acoustic guitar*! Every player needs to know this, so don't wait!

*Please note that this workshop is for steel string guitars, not nylon

Includes Elixir Light or Medium Strings with Nanoweb coating.

This workshop is led by Girl Guitar founder Mandy Rowden and is for women 21+. You will meet at Girl Guitar at 2309 Thornton Studio C.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 24 Time: 10-11:30am

Cost includes strings

$60

Love Songs Guitar and Uke Workshop

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Celebrate Valentine's week with a workshop focused on the world's best love songs!

This workshop is for women 21+ and is taught by Heather Miller. Basic knowledge of tuning and campfire chords is necessary. This is for women 21+.

When: Sunday, Feb. 11 11am-1pm

Where: Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C

$50

Recording Your Own Demos Workshop

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Want to get your new song recorded in a more professional or creative manner than just a voice memo on your phone? We'll go step by step using a laptop and recording interface to record guitar, vocals, and add some midi keyboard sparkles to our creation. We will be working in Logic Pro (Garageband's cousin), but this will apply to any recording software you want to use.

Recording Your Own Demos Workshop meets at Girl Guitar from 11am-1pm on Saturday, February 10.

Girl Guitar is located at 2309 Thornton Studio C in Austin, TX.

This Workshop is taught by Jana Pochop and is for women 21+.

$50

Taylor Swift Guitar Workshop

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Workshop full! Email Mandy@GirlGuitarAustin.com for wait list

From the big pop hits to the folklore ballads to the country jams...gather some guitar techniques for your own playing by learning Taylor Swift songs! We'll talk about strumming techniques and patterns, fingerstyle form and patterns, capo theory, and how to make your playing more dynamic and interesting through the lens of some of the catchiest songs on the planet.

Please note that this will focus on entirely different songs than the November Taylor Swift Workshop did!

Prerequisites: Students should know basic guitar chord shapes like G, C, D, A, E, am, and em. This workshop is ideal for any students from the Beginner II level and up.

Taylor Swift Guitar Workshop meets at Girl Guitar from 11am-1pm on Saturday, February 3.

Girl Guitar is located at 2309 Thornton Studio C in Austin, TX.

This Workshop is taught by Jana Pochop and is for women 21+.

Lead Guitar Workshop: Pentatonic Scales

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Pentatonic Scales are a crucial part of the lead guitar puzzle, and often the easiest way to get a foot in the door. Learning Pentatonics will enhance your knowledge of the guitar neck while developing dexterity, pick control, and confidence.

Soloing is 100% within your reach, so join us for a fun morning of getting you closer to your goals! This workshop is excellent for all players, whether you're seeing Pentatonics for the first time or reinforcing concepts you've seen before.

BONUS: Join this workshop and stay for the Pickers Circle from 12-1:30 at no cost!

Lead Guitar: Pentatonic Scales Workshop meets on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 10-11:30am at Girl Guitar at 2309 Thornton Studio C in Austin, TX.

This Workshop is taught by Mandy Rowden and is for women 21+.

Cost: $40

Guitarra de Chicas Workshop

 —  —

Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Join us for a bilingual morning of learning songs and practicing conversational Spanish and English! Songs will cover a variety of skill levels. This workshop is taught by Mandy Rowden with special help from Gala Arendell and is for women 21+.

This workshop will meet from 10am-12pm on Sunday, Jan. 21st at Girl Guitar at 2309 Thornton Studio C.

$50

Alternate Tunings Workshop

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Alternate tunings RULE! Come find out why.

Through learning three different songs, we'll explore three different tunings and cover why they're so freaking cool. This will especially help out songwriters!

Songs include: Slow Burn (Kacey Musgraves) Coyote (Joni Mitchell) You and Me on The Rock (Brandi Carlile)

Come see what else your guitar can do!

This workshop is for women 21+ and is taught by Girl Guitar founder Mandy Rowden. Basic knowledge of tuning and campfire chords is necessary. This is geared towards acoustic guitars, but electrics are also welcome.

When: Sunday, Jan. 14 11am-1pm Where: Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C Cost: $50

$50

Taylor Swift Birthday Party and Hoot Night

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin

Join us at Girl Guitar for an evening of Taylor Swift covers! We're celebrating T Swift's birthday with trivia, costume contests, dancing, live music, and more! There will be a $5 cover for non-performers, and drinks and snacks will be available for donation. The more the merrier!

Want to perform? You can sign up to play using the button below!

Stay tuned for special acoustic Taylor Swift classes and workshops!

Cost: $25/performer

Intro to Recording and Beatmaking Workshop

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Let's dive into making bleep bloop sounds on your computer! We'll crack open your recording software and plug in a MIDI keyboard (Logic Pro/Garageband and Ableton Live will be demonstrated in the workshop) and discuss how to start making beats and layering sounds. We'll talk about how to make simple demos and create tracks to inspire your songwriting. Bring your laptop if you like or just come for a walk-through of all the possibilities.

Intro to Recording and Beatmaking Workshop meets at Girl Guitar from 10am-12pm on Sunday, November 19.

Girl Guitar is located at 2309 Thornton Studio C in Austin, TX.

This Workshop is taught by Jana Pochop and is for women 21+.

50

CAGED Guitar Workshop

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Girl Guitar's Collier House, 1401 Collier St. Apt A, Austin, TX

Is the guitar neck a mystery to you? Let's talk about it! The CAGED theory is a way of identifying patterns of notes and chord forms on the guitar fretboard. This is immensely helpful for finding new ways to play chords, find arpeggios, or being able to pick out a quick lead part in any key. We'll work through the 5 major CAGED chord forms and make the guitar neck more familiar to you. We will also talk about using this method to transpose keys using a capo. (This class will make you popular at parties and folk festivals, among other health benefits).

Prerequisites: Students should know basic guitar chord shapes like G, C, D, A, E, am, and em. This workshop is ideal for any students from the Beginner II level and up.

CAGED Guitar Workshop meets at Girl Guitar's Collier House from 2-4pm on Saturday, November 18.

Girl Guitar's Collier House is located at 1401 Collier St. Apt A in Austin, TX.

This Workshop is taught by Jana Pochop and is for women 21+.

50

Taylor Swift Guitar Workshop

 —  —

Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

From the big pop hits to the folklore ballads to the country jams...gather some guitar techniques for your own playing by learning Taylor Swift songs! We'll talk about strumming techniques and patterns, fingerstyle form and patterns, capo theory, and how to make your playing more dynamic and interesting through the lens of some of the catchiest songs on the planet. This workshop will prepare you for optional participation in the Taylor Swift Hoot Night at Girl Guitar on Friday, December 8!

Prerequisites: Students should know basic guitar chord shapes like G, C, D, A, E, am, and em. This workshop is ideal for any students from the Beginner II level and up.

Taylor Swift Guitar Workshop meets at Girl Guitar from 11am-1pm on Sunday, November 12.

Girl Guitar is located at 2309 Thornton Studio C in Austin, TX.

This Workshop is taught by Jana Pochop and is for women 21+.

50

Intro to Slide Guitar Workshop

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Girl Guitar, 2309 Thornton Studio C, Austin, TX

Geared to beginners but if you’re intermediate, you’ll learn something too. We’ll cover slide types, slide techniques, alternate tunings, and picking as it applies to sliding. We may get to learning a song, but the main goal will be to help you attain good tone and pitch and understand the various slide motifs so you can more easily learn any song you want to.

If you’ve never played guitar before this probably isn’t the best fit. We’ll be adding a new technique to your guitar arsenal, not introducing the instrument from scratch.

Perquisites: In order to get the most out of the class, you’ll need to arrive with a slide that is a good fit for the finger you intend to use to play. There are pro players out there using each of the 4 possible fingers. I use pinky because it’s the most flexible way to both slide and also build chords. If your pinky is not as well trained and dexterous as your other fingers, then you’ll probably be best off using your ring finger. It’s most common, but - like right handed vs left handed - no one can tell you what’s going to be the right one for you.

Look for a slide that is just long enough to comfortably span your guitar neck, and is snug enough that it isn’t flopping around and your finger doesn't have to be kinked to hold it on. But it mustn’t be so tight that you need soap and water to remove it either.

They come in steel, brass, glass, porcelain, and stone. None are wrong. The just make different tones. You may want to start with a cheap beginner model from Dunlop, but if you’re serious about continuing with slide, RockSlide and Rocky Mountain Slides are the best I’ve used and don’t cost a fortune..

Lastly, slide is a challenge to learn. If you’d like some training wheels to make it easier, pick up a “Nut Riser”. It elevates your strings off the fretboard to make it easier to get a tone out of. There is a good reason lap steel strings are high enough to put a your finger underneath. Risers cost less than $10.

Please arrive with nut risers installed, and tuned to Open G (DGDGBD) so we can get started quickly

Erica Moss has played guitar for many years, and picked up slide playing ten years ago with a focus on blues and rock.

Intro to Slide Guitar meets at Girl Guitar from 10am-12pm on Sunday, Nov. 5.

Girl Guitar is located at 2309 Thornton Studio C in Austin, TX.

This Workshop is taught by Erica Moss and is for women 21+.

50

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