Only 16 Rooms Remain for Fretboard Freedom
This retreat is capped at 20 total rooms. No overflow. No expansion.
FRETBOARD FREEDOM
A Luxury Guitar Retreat in the Scottish Highlands
4 Unforgettable Nights | Lodges at Loch Lomond | Beginner to Intermediate Players
[December 7, 2026 | Lodges at Loch Lomond |Extremely Limited Capacity]
Your Invitation to Fretboard Freedom
A rare opportunity to step into an immersive guitar experience designed for clarity, confidence, and real musical progress — set in one of Scotland’s most inspiring landscapes.
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Your Journey to Guitar Freedom Begins Here
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Escape to the Scottish Highlands for the Ultimate Guitar Retreat
This December, join us in the heart of Scotland for a rare, immersive guitar retreat set against the winter beauty of Loch Lomond.
From December 7–11, 2026, Fretboard Freedom brings together a small group of beginner to intermediate guitarists for a four-night experience designed to do what online lessons never quite can: help everything finally click.
This is not about learning more information. It’s about building confidence, fluency, and musical instinct — so you can stop hesitating, stop overthinking, and start playing with ease and expression.
If you’ve ever felt stuck repeating the same chords, unsure where to go next, or frustrated that your playing doesn’t yet sound the way it feels inside, this retreat was created for you.
Here, surrounded by inspiring scenery, great food, shared music, and expert guidance, you’ll reconnect with your instrument — and leave with clarity, momentum, and a renewed love for playing.
Real Stories. Real Breakthroughs.
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Hear from past Fretboard Freedom participants who experienced firsthand what happens when learning becomes personal, supportive, and truly immersive.
These are not scripted testimonials. They’re honest reflections from guitarists who arrived feeling stuck — and left with clarity, confidence, and renewed excitement for playing.
Watch and listen as they share what the retreat meant to them.
What have you enjoyed most about the retreat?
Hear the answer in their own words.
What have you learned that you didn’t know before?
Hear what finally clicked for them.
What makes this event different from anything you’ve experienced before?
Hear how they describe it.
What would you say to anyone on the fence about coming?
Hear their honest advice.
Past Fretboard Freedom retreats have sparked meaningful shifts — not only in technique, but in confidence, perspective, and musical identity. Participants consistently leave with renewed energy, clearer direction, and a deeper, more personal relationship with their instrument.
This Is More Than a Retreat
It’s a Defining Moment in Your Playing
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A Week of Breakthroughs & Aha Moments
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Surrounded by encouragement, inspiring scenery, and fellow musicians on a similar path, each guest experiences moments of genuine clarity — the quiet realization of “Oh… now I understand.”
Those moments don’t arrive through pressure or intensity, but through space, guidance, and shared experience. And for many, they become the foundation for lasting progress long after the retreat ends.
In just a few days, participants often find more ease, confidence, and direction than months of isolated practice ever provided — a reminder of what becomes possible in the right environment.
This is where confidence is built, creativity is unlocked, and real progress finally clicks into place.
What’s Included in Your Fretboard Freedom Experience
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When you join Fretboard Freedom 2026, you’re not simply attending a retreat — you’re stepping into a thoughtfully curated, all-inclusive experience designed around music, growth, and genuine enjoyment.
Everything is taken care of, so you can focus fully on playing, connecting, and rediscovering what brought you to the guitar in the first place.
Expert Guitar Workshops
Guided by Tony Cull and Lauren Bateman, these immersive workshops form the heart of the retreat. Through hands-on sessions and supportive group playing, you’ll develop a clearer understanding of the fretboard, learn to move more fluidly through scales, and begin expressing yourself with confidence and intention.
The focus is not speed or pressure — but clarity, musicality, and progress that feels natural.
Personalized Guitar Lessons
Each participant receives focused, individual attention tailored to their playing style, goals, and challenges. These one-to-one sessions provide space to refine technique, ask the questions that matter most to you, and unlock progress that’s difficult to achieve alone.
Luxury Lodging
Settle into the iconic Lodge on Loch Lomond, where winter mornings open onto sweeping loch views and evenings wind down with firelight, conversation, and music.
The setting is calm, warm, and quietly inspiring — the perfect backdrop for reflection and creativity.
All-Inclusive Meals
Enjoy a thoughtfully prepared culinary experience throughout your stay. Each day includes breakfast, lunch, and elegant evening meals crafted with fresh, locally sourced ingredients, showcasing the flavours of Scotland in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.
Whiskey Tasting Experience
Step aboard a private whisky tasting cruise on Loch Lomond — an unhurried afternoon of exceptional drams, stories, laughter, and unforgettable winter views. A highlight of the retreat and a favourite among past participants.
Late-Night Jams
As the days wind down, informal evening sessions invite connection and creativity. Whether you join in or simply listen, these moments often become the most memorable — relaxed, unstructured, and rooted in the simple joy of making music together.
Excursion & Scenic Experience
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Non-participating partners are warmly welcomed and very much part of the experience. While guitar sessions are underway, partners can relax at the lodge, explore the area, enjoy the meals and excursions, and share in the social atmosphere of the retreat.
Many past guests have remarked that the experience was just as special for those who came along — a true shared getaway.
A Retreat You Can Enjoy Together
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Non-participating partners are warmly welcomed to join the retreat and soak up the beauty of Loch Lomond alongside their loved one. While the musicians dive into lessons and jam sessions, partners can relax, recharge, and explore the stunning Scottish Highlands at their own pace.
Your Week at a Glance
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A Thoughtfully Curated Flow for Music, Clarity, and Connection
Fretboard Freedom is designed with intention.
Each day follows a clear theme, balancing guided musical sessions, rest, scenery, and shared experience — without pressure or intensity.
Monday — Day 1
Arrival & Welcome
Settle In · Ease Into the Experience
- Afternoon arrival and check-in (from 3:00pm)
- Time to settle into your loch-view accommodation
- Opening Welcome & First Playing Session
- Introductions and shared intentions
- Simple, accessible group playing
- Establishing comfort and confidence from the outset
- Welcome Dinner
- Optional evening fireside playing and conversation
Tuesday — Day 2
Songs, Rhythm & Confidence
Develop Feel · Build Trust in Your Playing
- Morning Session
- Musical, seasonal repertoire
- Relaxed strumming techniques
- Groove, dynamics, and rhythmic confidence
- Tasteful fills and transitions between chords
- Lunch together
- Free afternoon for rest and reflection
- Scenic walks along the loch
- Quiet time by the fire
- Informal, optional playing spaces
- Late Afternoon Group Session
- Playing together with steadiness and ease
- Staying in time as a group
- Removing hesitation and self-doubt
- Dinner
Wednesday — Day 3
Blues, Improvisation & Musical Freedom
Explore · Respond · Express
- Morning Session
- Blues foundations and fretboard clarity
- Call-and-response improvisation
- Simple lead approaches over chord progressions
- Lunch together
- Afternoon Excursion
- Private beach walk
- Visit to Luss village for coffee, photographs, and seasonal atmosphere
- Late Afternoon Session
- Blues and seasonal repertoire
- Supportive improvisation within the group
- Developing confidence through guided interaction
- Dinner
Thursday — Day 4
Whisky, Songwriting & Shared Expression
Connection · Creativity · Reflection
- Morning Session
- Group songwriting experience
- Turning simple musical ideas into complete songs
- Exploring lyrics, structure, groove, and emotional expression
- Lunch together
- Private Whisky Tasting Cruise (1:00–5:00pm)
- A four-hour cruise on Loch Lomond
- Premium whisky tastings, stories, and winter scenery
- Fireside Songwriting & Sharing Evening
- Group performances and collaborative pieces
- Seasonal and blues-inspired music
- A relaxed, supportive close to the week’s musical journey
Friday — Day 5
Departure
Carry the Experience Forward
- Breakfast
- Departures
- Final conversations, photographs, and farewells
Learn Alongside Tony Cull & Lauren Bateman
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Personal Guidance. Shared Music. Real Connection.
Tony Cull is the founder of Guitar Made Easy, a Scotland-based guitar education platform trusted by tens of thousands of players worldwide.
Tony is known for his calm, structured teaching style — helping everyday guitarists develop clarity, confidence, and genuine musical understanding without overwhelm. His approach is especially valued by players who want progress that feels logical, achievable, and sustainable.
A later-in-life guitarist himself, Tony built Guitar Made Easy around the exact challenges his students face: uncertainty on the fretboard, lack of confidence, and the feeling that things never quite “click.” Rather than chasing trends or viral content, Tony’s authority is rooted in years of hands-on teaching through one-to-one lessons, workshops, retreats, and a deeply engaged student community.
At Fretboard Freedom, Tony is not delivering lectures from the front of a room. He is present throughout the week — guiding sessions, playing alongside participants, offering personal insight, and helping each guest make sense of their own musical path.
This is teaching grounded in real experience, real conversation, and real progress.
Together at Fretboard Freedom
Together, Tony and Lauren create an environment that feels expert-led, personal, and genuinely welcoming.
This is not a performance-based experience.
It’s not about perfection or pressure.
It’s about learning in close proximity to teachers you already trust — sharing music, asking real questions, and receiving guidance that’s tailored to you.
Manuel Carril
Previous Fretboard Freedom Attendee
"You can imagine everything you want, but until you're here, playing with others, you won't experience what it really means to level up."
And the Experience Continues…
Full Access to Guitar Made Easy Premium Courses
Plus lifetime community access
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Your journey begins well before you arrive in Scotland.
You’ll receive full access to Tony’s Guitar Made Easy Premium Courses, giving you the opportunity to prepare at your own pace, revisit fundamentals, and arrive feeling confident and ready to make the most of the retreat.
After the experience, that access continues — allowing you to revisit key concepts, reinforce what you learned in person, and stay connected to a supportive community as your playing continues to evolve.
This ensures the progress you make during Fretboard Freedom doesn’t fade — it becomes part of how you play, long after you return home.
Rupert Gabriel
Previous Fretboard Freedom Attendee
"The retreat was fantastic, surreal but amazing to meet our teachers and fellow students in person. Tony and Andy ran some fantastic teaching sessions."
Fretboard Freedom
A Luxury Guitar Retreat in the Scottish Highlands
This intimate retreat brings together expert guitar guidance, refined accommodation, personalised instruction, and shared musical experiences — all set against the winter beauty of Loch Lomond.
Every element has been carefully considered to create an environment where progress feels natural, confidence grows, and the guitar becomes a source of genuine enjoyment again.
Fretboard Freedom
Pay in Full (Best Value)
£5,997
One Person · Private Room
£3,997 per person
Shared Room · Two Active Participants
Partner Add-On: £997
(Non-participating)
Flexible 3-Pay Option
£2,097 ×3
One Person · Private Room
£1,397 ×3 per person
Shared Room · Two Active Participants
Partner Add-On: £397 ×3
(Non-participating)
Who Is This Retreat For?
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This experience is designed for beginner to intermediate guitarists who have been playing for some time — yet feel they’ve reached a plateau.
It’s for players who want to move beyond simply strumming chords and begin understanding how music fits together, so their playing feels confident, expressive, and intentional.
It’s for those who value inspiration, structure, and expert guidance — without overwhelm — and who are ready to give themselves the space to truly focus.
And it’s for anyone who wants to pair meaningful musical growth with comfort, beauty, and shared experience in an unforgettable setting.
Prefer to Speak With Us First?
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Choosing an experience like Fretboard Freedom is a considered decision.
If you’d like to ask a few questions, confirm whether the retreat is right for you, or talk through any details before reserving your place, we’re happy to help.
A brief, no-pressure conversation can provide clarity and peace of mind.
Book a private call to discuss the retreat:
Click to Schedule a ConversationThis Is a One-of-a-Kind Retreat
Set among towering mountains, quiet lochs, and the stillness of the Scottish Highlands, Fretboard Freedom offers a rare balance of restoration and creative focus.
It’s a chance to step away from routine, reconnect with your instrument, and experience the kind of clarity that’s difficult to find anywhere else.
For many, it becomes more than a retreat — it marks a genuine turning point in how they play, hear, and experience music.
