A simple idea.
Get Calgary’s guitar community in the same room. Players, builders, techs, teachers and touring pros. Regular nights with useful learning, good hangs and real connections.
How it started.
Dan and Matty met through the Canadian Guitar Shows in 2023 and kept having the same conversation: Calgary has amazing players and industry folks, so why aren’t we in the same room more often. Out of the chats in bars and the late-night messages came the Calgary Guitar Collective. The first night was January 2026.
Dan Clayton
Guitarist, instructor and host of the Fret Success YouTube channel. He mixes hands-on teaching with a background in branding, marketing and video, and runs workshops, lessons and interviews. A career in acoustics gives him a practical ear. He has played original music and covers across genres, sings, and has shared stages with Ash and Jon Fratelli.
Why CGC: to give players from every background, industry folks included, a place to connect, support each other, trade ideas and learn.
Matty McKay
Calgary multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer and engineer with nearly two decades in the Canadian scene. Five-time CCMA Guitar Player of the Year and a member of the CCMA Musician Hall of Honour. Has toured and recorded extensively, including bandleader and musical director roles with Brett Kissel, with credits on multiple number one releases, and produces for rising Canadian artists.
Why CGC: to help Calgary’s players connect across experience levels and job titles, from weekend strummers to working pros, in a room that is welcoming, practical and industry-literate.
The vision.
Make a welcoming place to learn, share ideas and build relationships that last, as part of Calgary’s guitar-playing community.
Why we’re doing it
To bring players and the industry together more often. Working pros and weekend strummers. Builders, techs and educators. And to give younger players a way in: pathways into the industry, mentors to meet, advice that actually helps.
What you can expect
Practical sessions that make you better next time you plug in. Conversations with people who do the work. A relaxed room where you can meet collaborators, try gear and leave with something useful.
How we run the room
No ego. Be kind. Lift each other up. All ages, all levels, and half price for under 20s so the next generation can afford to be there.
The Collective and Fret Success.
Two brands, the same two people. The Collective runs the live nights in Calgary. Fret Success is Dan and Matty’s teaching and content side: the clinics, free lessons, the Fret Success Guitar Show on YouTube, and in May 2028, FSX, Canada’s Guitar Show and Expo. Both are part of Fret Success Inc.
Come to the next one.
The list hears about dates and tickets first. One email when there is something to say.
