More Than Music: Chase Padgett's How To Play Guitar (Poorly) Hits All the Right Notes

by Scott Roos

photo by Deanna Roos

Padgett performing his 6 Guitars show in Prince Albert (2024)

Before 6 Guitars made him an international Fringe favourite, before audiences across North America knew his name, Chase Padgett was just another kid trying to make sense of life with a trumpet in one hand and, eventually, a guitar in the other.

On Sunday, August 9, Saskatoon audiences will have one final opportunity to celebrate the Fringe Festival with a special Encore fundraiser performance of How To Play Guitar (Poorly) at the Broadway Theatre. While the title promises laughs—and there are plenty—the show offers something far deeper than a comedy about learning an instrument.

Unlike 6 Guitars, which featured six distinct characters backed by a full band, How To Play Guitar (Poorly) strips everything down to its essentials. One performer. One acoustic guitar. One life story.

"It's just me," Padgett says. "I'm telling the story of my relationship to music, what it means to be a man, and how I became a guitarist in the first place. Along the way I give eight lessons that, if you follow them, will guarantee you'll play guitar poorly."

The lessons may be intentionally terrible, but the storytelling is anything but.Part stand-up comedy, part concert, and part deeply personal memoir, the production traces Padgett's journey from awkward teenage jazz band rehearsals to becoming one of the Fringe circuit's most celebrated performers. Along the way he explores family, failure, perseverance, and the transformative power of music education. For Padgett, it all began in the band room.

His first instrument wasn't the guitar at all—it was the trumpet. Learning jazz theory under his high school band director, Mr. Maxwell, gave him the musical framework that eventually unlocked the fretboard. Maxwell also encouraged Padgett to try guitar...

"I learned theory first because of trumpet," he explains. "Then I was able to apply that to guitar, and suddenly everything made sense."

That teacher would become one of the defining figures in his life. Years later, Padgett reconnected with Mr. Maxwell, whose influence forms the emotional heart of the show. Watching his former teacher be inducted into the Florida Bandmasters Hall of Fame, and hearing generations of former students speak about the impact he'd had on their lives, confirmed something Padgett already knew.

"Music teachers really can change lives," he says. "Mr. Maxwell changed mine."

That sentiment will likely resonate strongly with Saskatchewan audiences, where school music programs have shaped countless young musicians and community members. Padgett believes great teachers do much more than teach scales and chord progressions.

"They install character values that have nothing to do with a ii-V-I progression," he laughs. "They teach you how to become a good person."

The show also doesn't shy away from life's more difficult chapters. Padgett openly discusses growing up amid family addiction and instability, and how music became both refuge and direction.

"I had a troubled start to life," he says. "Music gave me a future, but it also gave me a present. It anchored me."

Yet despite those heavier themes, How To Play Guitar (Poorly) remains overwhelmingly hopeful. Rather than dwelling on hardship, it celebrates resilience, humour, and the unexpected people who help shape who we become.

"It's a really uplifting journey," Padgett says. "You leave thinking, 'Things can turn out pretty good.'"

The August 9 performance also serves a dual purpose. As a Fringe Encore fundraiser, half of every ticket sold supports Padgett as an independent artist, while the remaining proceeds help support the future of the Saskatoon Fringe Festival itself.

For audiences familiar with 6 Guitars, this is an opportunity to see an entirely different side of an acclaimed performer. For newcomers, it's an ideal introduction to the warmth, wit, and sincerity that have made Chase Padgett one of the most beloved names on the Fringe circuit.

And for anyone who has ever picked up an instrument, struggled through a lesson, or remembered the teacher who changed their life, Padgett offers one simple promise.

"This show will connect with everybody," he says. "But if you've ever had a teacher who really impacted your life... it'll especially hit you in the heart."