Martin Grosswendt to replace Kenny Sultan

For personal reasons, Kenny Sultan will not be teaching at Blues Week this year. We are pleased to announce that Martin Grosswendt will be his replacement. Martin taught at Blues Week for 3 years (2015/2016/2017) and some of you will be familiar with Martin’s amazing knowledge of southern traditional American music. For Blues Week 2022, Martin will be teaching two advanced finger-style blues guitar classes and an intermediate/advanced bottleneck slide guitar class.

East Coast Blues (intermediate/advanced)
Blind Blake, Willie McTell, Reverend Gary Davis, and Blind Boy Fuller are just a few of the iconic names associated with the intricate, Ragtime-influenced genre known as East Coast guitar. In the context of classic tunes, Martin will work with students to help them develop, as Gary Davis called it, “a sporty thumb.”

Country Blues Guitar (intermediate/advanced)
Martin will help students develop the left- and right-hand techniques essential to achieving the sound of blues masters from the deep south. The class will pay specific attention to creating a seamless, rhythmic style.

Intermediate / Advanced Bottleneck Slide Guitar
Martin’s class will spend the week taking a deep, hands-on look at the subject. He will focus on tone, intonation, vibrato, right and left-hand damping techniques, single string and chord work, as well as other sometimes over-looked fundamentals. He will also examine different types of bottlenecks, tunings, repertoire, and resources.