Christopher Davis, who runs the Classical Guitar Blog and who is a graduate student at Austin Peay State University (APSU), let me know that APSU is hosting a Summer Guitar Workshop this summer from June 28-July 2. The workshop will offer classes in both classical and fingerstyle guitar styles.

The faculty of the workshop will be:

• Stanley Yates, Director
• Stephen Aron, Classical Guitar Workshop Co-director / Collegiate Competition Chair
• Mir Ali, Classical Guitar Workshop Co-Director / Pre-Collegiate Competition Chair
• Richard Smith, Fingerstyle Workshop Co-Director / Fingerstyle Competition Chair
• Roger Hudson, Fingerstyle Workshop Co-Director

In addition to the classes, the workshop will have competitions for collegiate/post-collegiate classical guitarists, pre-collegiate classical guitarists, and pre-collegiate fingerstyle guitarists. Additionally, there will be concerts each night.

The workshop sounds like a lot of fun. APSU is located about 45 minutes north of Nashville. Housing is available at the college, so if you’re not from this area you can still participate in the workshop.

The Allman Brothers recently performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. They played “Whipping Post” for the televised portion of the show. But, they also played a Web exclusive of “Black Hearted Woman”, which is embedded below. I love the way Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks play together in this version of the band.

This is an early video of Jimmy Page from 1957 where Page is playing skiffle music, which was popular in the UK in the 50s. I, for one, am glad that he got into blues music a little later!

For most of my guitar-playing life, I’ve been trying to find the secret to becoming a better guitarist. I’ve spent countless hours reading magazines and books, scouring the Internet, and searching for teachers. What I’ve learned is this: There is no secret.

Becoming a better guitarist takes hard work, dedication, and perseverance. There are no shortcuts. This is a lesson that has taken me many years to learn. Actually, I’m still learning this lesson. The way all the guitarists I admire got better was by playing, listening, and learning. That’s what it’ll take for me and you to get better, too.

File this under “I did not know that.” Derek Trucks is the great-nephew of  baseball pitcher Virgil Trucks, who pitched two no-hitters for the Detroit Tigers in the 1950s. Derek and his family are actually big baseball fans, and he even kept a Virgil Trucks baseball card on one of his guitars for years. MLB.com columnist Peter Gammons has written an article about a recent meeting between Derek and Virgil. It’s a pretty interesting read, so go check it out. Also, baseball season is right around the corner.

This is some video footage of Joe Bonamassa playing “The Ballad of John Henry” during the recording sessions of the album of the same name. Producer Kevin Shirley recorded a lot of the recording sessions, so I’m hoping more videos of the recordings become available at some point. In the meantime, enjoy: