Meet the Star: Blues guitarist Kai Strauss shared tips with music students
Blues guitarist Kai Strauss demonstrated guitar tricks to music students before his concert
Neumarkt, Germany (March 7, 2026)
Photos & Text: Martin Herbaty
On Saturday afternoon, students from the Neumarkt Music School had their first opportunity to meet a blues guitarist before his concert at “Meet the Star” at G6, the Center for Youth, Education, and Culture. In addition to sharing technical details about his equipment, Kai Strauss offered inspiring tips for playing blues in an expressive and authentic way.
Heinz Kühnlein (K3 Cultural Association) had invited Kai Strauss and his band to Neumarkt. The goal of this joint initiative with Michael Weiss (guitar teacher at the Neumarkt Music School) and Andreas Huthansl (Schaller GmbH, Postbauer-Heng) was to introduce young musicians to the live music scene. The plan is to offer the “Meet the Star” format regularly in the future in a similar setting for students.
The participants ranged in age from 11 to 18. Some have been playing for ten years, while others only started this fall. Everyone was very curious about the visit. Kai Strauss from Lengerich near Osnabrück is one of the big names on the European blues scene and has been performing on stage for nearly 40 years.
He described to the students his journey to the guitar—from buying his first electric guitar at age 14 to his passion for the blues, which continues to captivate him to this day. In addition to practical tips on equipment and accessories, he demonstrated typical blues guitar riffs on his Fender Stratocaster and the 1973 Gibson ES-345. The young musicians were able to get up close as he used effects pedals like reverb, overdrive, and EQ to give the sounds that extra something for the blues.
In closing, he offered the students some valuable advice for their future: “Listen to a wide variety of musicians, because everyone does things a little differently. And try to play with a band as soon as you can. It’s more fun, and you’ll practice more intensively.” The young musicians were thrilled, as they were also able to attend the concert that evening.
Further information: