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ShredFest at The Music Shoppe
Join us at your local Music Shoppe for our biggest guitar sale of the year! Get the best prices on guitars and gear plus giveaways and free clinics with some of our area’s best guitar pros. Scroll to register for each event!
When is ShredFest?
Champaign: Wednesday, September 30th through Saturday, October 2nd
Springfield: Wednesday, October 15th through Saturday, October 17th
Normal: Wednesday, October 29th through Saturday, October 31st
Clinician Schedule
Date
10/1/2026
Time
6:30 PM
Location
Champaign
Clinician
Martin Atkins
Clinic
How to Make $100,000 in the Music Business Next Year
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About the Clinic
Using his book Band: Smart, Martin Atkins will offer tangible strategies and advice for independent artists that will translate into $100,000 in additional revenue over the next year. From changes in mindset and strategy to booking yourself, playing more than seven shows per week instead of five, merchandising ideas, growing and leveraging a fan base, and touring more efficiently, Atkins’ advice embraces the uphill battle that everyone in the industry faces.
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About Martin Atkins
Martin Atkins is a music industry powerhouse with 40-plus years of experience as a drummer for iconic bands like Public Image Ltd and Ministry, a Grammy contributor with Nine Inch Nails, and the author of the definitive DIY guide Tour:Smart. He has spent decades navigating and disrupting the music business from every possible angle, making his real-world insights invaluable for independent artists. Today, he channels that raw expertise into mentoring future talent as the Music Industries Coordinator at Millikin University and managing Chicago's Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music.
Date
10/2/2026
Time
5:00 PM
Location
Champaign
Clinician
Jay Thomason
Clinic
Right Hand Bootcamp
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About the Clinic
Join Jay for this 1 hour masterclass as he walks you through some fundamentals for good right hand technique that many guitarists and instructors miss. Jay will work through the techniques needed to develop a daily practice routine that will dramatically advance your right hand. Topics discussed include: Feeling Time In The Right Hand, The Pick Angle, and Pick Dynamics. Bring your unplugged electric guitar and enjoy this free class courtesy of The Music Shoppe during Shredfest 2026.
Register for This Clinic
About Jay Thomason
Jay Thomason has played professionally for 20+ years. He holds degrees in both Contemporary Performance and Contemporary Studio Guitar from Musicians Institute (GIT), as well as a degree in Music Education. As a "Certified Shredder," Jay has a long gigging, touring, and recording history. He has shared stages with a wide range of artists including B.B. King, Anderson .Paak (Breezy Lovejoy), Larry Carlton, and Kirk Fletcher, just to name a few.
Date
10/3/2026
Time
2:00 PM
Location
Champaign
Clinician
Derek Sederwall
Clinic
Pedalboard 101
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About the Clinic
Join guitar specialist Derek Sederwall as he discusses everything you need to know about pedalboards. We'll be talking about types of effects, type of power supplies, pedal order and much more.
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About Derek Sederwall
Derek has an extensive background selling guitars, having worked for Guitar Center, Sweetwater, and Sam Ash. He has a guitar based YouTube channel called "Sound & String" where he discusses guitar gear and has also spent time in the studio recording guitar, bass, and more for his project "O-Ring."
Date
10/15/2026
Time
6:30 PM
Location
Springfield
Clinician
Devin Williams
Clinic
Delta Blues Guitar
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About the Clinic
In this master class, we will be exploring the finger picking styles of prewar country blues guitar, including Delta, Piedmont, and Texas Blues. We will dive into the powerful and driving rhythms of Delta Blues, right-hand techniques, improvisation and developing a clean tone. We will also discuss Resophonic guitars, open and alternate tunings, string gauges, finger picks and how to choose a slide. In this class, Devin will also demonstrate and breakdown classic blues licks from players such as Son House, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Fred McDowell and more. Even if you're not a blues picker, there’s something here for guitarists of any style or skill level.
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About Devin Williams
Whose love for Delta Blues has earned him a respected place in today’s music scene. Known for his skill on the resonator guitar and his dynamic percussion style, Devin creates music that honors the roots of the blues while bringing his own unique voice to the genre. Deeply inspired by legends like Son House, Charlie Patton, and Robert Johnson, Devin blends powerful storytelling and emotion into every song. His lyrics reflect the soul of the blues, connecting with listeners on a personal and meaningful level.
Date
10/16/2026
Time
5:00 PM
Location
Springfield
Clinician
Jay Thomason
Clinic
Right Hand Bootcamp
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About the Clinic
Join Jay for this 1 hour masterclass as he walks you through some fundamentals for good right hand technique that many guitarists and instructors miss. Jay will work through the techniques needed to develop a daily practice routine that will dramatically advance your right hand. Topics discussed include: Feeling Time In The Right Hand, The Pick Angle, and Pick Dynamics. Bring your unplugged electric guitar and enjoy this free class courtesy of The Music Shoppe during Shredfest 2026.
Register for This Clinic
About Jay Thomason
Jay Thomason has played professionally for 20+ years. He holds degrees in both Contemporary Performance and Contemporary Studio Guitar from Musicians Institute (GIT), as well as a degree in Music Education. As a "Certified Shredder," Jay has a long gigging, touring, and recording history. He has shared stages with a wide range of artists including B.B. King, Anderson .Paak (Breezy Lovejoy), Larry Carlton, and Kirk Fletcher, just to name a few.
Date
10/17/2026
Time
2:00 PM
Location
Springfield
Clinician
Matt Stoddard
Clinic
All About Fuzz
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About the Clinic
We're going to spotlight the Big Muff, Big Muff 2, and the EQD "Special Cranker".
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About Matt Stoddard
Matt has been playing guitar for 13 years and works as the guitar tech for the Springfield store.
Date
10/29/2026
Time
6:30 PM
Location
Normal
Clinician
Kirk Ellis
Clinic
Guitar Improvisation 101
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About the Clinic
Join Kirk Ellis as he breaks down classic solos and walks you through using Pentatonic scales to create your own rocking solos.
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About Kirk Ellis
Kirk received his Bachelor's Degree from Illinois State University and studied under three different classical guitar instructors. Kirk has toured with various country/rock bands throughout the Midwest, opening for some of the biggest names in Country. He currently plays lead guitar, fiddle and sings harmony for the country/rock group, Brushville.
Date
10/30/2026
Time
5:00 PM
Location
Normal
Clinician
Jay Thomason
Clinic
Right Hand Bootcamp
+
About the Clinic
Join Jay for this 1 hour masterclass as he walks you through some fundamentals for good right hand technique that many guitarists and instructors miss. Jay will work through the techniques needed to develop a daily practice routine that will dramatically advance your right hand. Topics discussed include: Feeling Time In The Right Hand, The Pick Angle, and Pick Dynamics. Bring your unplugged electric guitar and enjoy this free class courtesy of The Music Shoppe during Shredfest 2026.
Register for This Clinic
About Jay Thomason
Jay Thomason has played professionally for 20+ years. He holds degrees in both Contemporary Performance and Contemporary Studio Guitar from Musicians Institute (GIT), as well as a degree in Music Education. As a "Certified Shredder," Jay has a long gigging, touring, and recording history. He has shared stages with a wide range of artists including B.B. King, Anderson .Paak (Breezy Lovejoy), Larry Carlton, and Kirk Fletcher, just to name a few.
Date
10/31/2026
Time
2:00 PM
Location
Normal
Clinician
Tony Williams
Clinic
The Guitar Setup Demystified
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About the Clinic
Join Tony as he covers the adjustments and treatments that can make your guitar play and sound better than ever. He will cover neck adjustment, intonation and other key procedures included in a proper setup, and why they are important.
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About Tony Williams
Has been breaking guitars for forty years, and fixing them for twenty-five. As fretted instrument technician at The Music Shoppe, Tony has setup over 10,000 customer guitars and inspected or adjusted somewhere near 20,000 store guitars.
The biggest guitar sale of the year!
- Over 350 guitars on sale
- Get a free gig bag with every guitar purchase
- Buy 3 strings, get 1 free (mix and match!)
- 40% off Rapco cables
- Giveaways and freebies all week long, including ShredFest t-shirts on Saturday