Ax wielders take note: Guitar Wars is returning to Little Rock and registration is now open.
The second-annual event, in which amateur guitar players compete for prizes, is scheduled for Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock’s River Market District. Seventy-six spots are available to compete in the 2024 event in youth and adult (18 and older) categories. Registration is open at CALS.org/guitar-wars.
The cost to register is $35 and participants receive a T-shirt and a pack of guitar strings. Each category will include three skill levels — beginners, intermediate and advanced — for which prizes will be awarded. The competition is open to amateur musicians only. To qualify, a contestant must:
- Be an Arkansas resident.
- Provide own guitar.
- Be an amateur player (no guitar teachers or professional musicians, please).
- Not be related to an event judge or sponsor.
- Not make more than 20 percent of annual income playing the guitar.
- Provide signed parental consent if under 18.
Contestants will be judged by Little Rock music instructors Jason Truby, William Moore and Michael Carenbauer on the following criteria:
- Technical ability/accuracy — 25 points
- Musicality (dynamics/tone) — 25 points
- Overall difficulty — 25 points
- Rhythmic ability — 25 points.
Contest rules are available at the website. Guitar Wars is a nonprofit founded by Little Rock music instructor David Dunavant. Proceeds from the event help fund youth music scholarships. For more information, contact Dunavant at 501-291-1171 or davedunavant@gmail.com.
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