Our Story

This archive is a snapshot of the official Guitar Workshop Website taken in March 2023 - you'll find photos, concert programmes, soundsclips and more

Workshop's Founder

I'm Derek Hasted - Workshop's Founder - come and read the story of Workshop from 1988 to 2023

I founded Workshop in 1998 and ran it for 35 years

Workshop's Current Leader

I moved out of the area in early 2023 to be closer to family - Workshop's leader from 2023 onwards is Peter Rogers, a talented local guitarist

Pictured - Workshop December 1999

Workshop's Birth

I founded the Guitar Workshop in 1988 to complement my Adult Education classes and to give guitarists the opportunities for music making and friendship that orchestral and band players enjoy

Workshop's Music

I arranged and printed The Workshop Collection. By 2023 it had grown to 170 accessible trios, quartets and quintets - a musically interesting and varied mix of easy and intermediate lines that Workshop usually played at sight, plus 57 Christmas pieces. I reckon 7500 sheets of paper used to come to our get-togethers!

Quite a few of these pieces are now published - visit my shop to read more ...

Workshop's Concerts

Starting in 1989, Workshop has put on an informal Concert every Christmas, and when Workshop was ten years old, in 1988, Workshop had grown to such a strength that we added a summer Concert too, which included a Souvenir Programme, containing some of the history of Workshop's first 10 years. All Workshop's Concerts gave their entire proceeds to local charities, and over the years we raised £80,910 for good causes.

Workshop's Sound

Even new visitors to Workshop - and Workshop continues to welcome many each year - find their efforts contribute to a sound which far exceeds what a solo guitar can manage.

Workshop's Birthdays

Click on the menu above and see some of our special anniversaries!

And so it continues...

Our story continues year on year, and this website came live on 19th September 2004 to record the history of the first 35 years of Workshop : 1988-2023

The current website takes Workshop's story into the future.

Come and try Workshop!

Be part of one of Hampshire's largest, friendliest and longest-established Guitar Groups.

Come for a taster session and see if you like it!