Mission Statement
Guitar Wars Arkansas is the state’s only statewide amateur guitar competition, bringing players of all levels to the Ron Robinson Theater stage every year. Separately, our nonprofit arm awards annual scholarships to young Arkansas musicians in multiple counties, providing each recipient with music lessons and a guitar that’s theirs to keep for life.
QUALIFICATIONS
Must provide own guitar.
Open to guitar players of all styles and experience levels, such as international participants.
Must be an amateur player (no guitar teachers or professional musicians, please).
Must not make more than 20% of their annual income playing the guitar.
Must not be related to an event judge or sponsor.
DETAILS
There are two brackets to compete in: Youth (up to 17 years old) and Adult (18+ years old). There will be a Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced competition within each bracket.
$35 registration fee includes:
May 31: Pick Your Spot + Free T-shirt + One Pack Of Free Strings
June 30: Free T-shirt + One Pack Of Free Strings
August 1: One Pack Of Free Strings
ALL Skill Levels Receive Above Eligible Prizes.
Contact Dave Dunavant with any questions: (501) 291-1171 or david@guitarwarsinc.com.
WHAT TO EXPECT
*TIMES WILL BE UPDATED AUGUST 1, 2026*
9:00 AM Doors Open
10:00 AMYouth Beginner Division Performs
10:26 AM Youth Beginner Division Awards
10:31 AM Youth Intermediate Division Performs
11:00 AM Youth Intermediate Division Awards
11:05 AM Youth Advanced Division Performs
11:38 AM Youth Advanced Division Awards
11:43 AM Drum-Off
11:58 AM Drum-Off Awards
12:03 PM Intermission/Lunch
1:03 PM Adult Beginner Division Performs
1:43 PM Adult Beginners Division Awards
1:48 PM Adult Intermediate Division Performs
2:58 PM Adult Intermediate Division Awards
3:03 PM Adults Advanced Division Performs
4:09 PM Scholarship Students Announced
4:19 PM Staff Thank You
4:25 PM Adult Advanced Division Awards
*After Party At Vinos 2026*
APPROVED BACKING TRACKS
Due to legal/licensing restrictions, these are the only backing tracks that can be used for the Guitar Wars event.
Register
Register
Guitar Wars IV: Play It Forward
Contestant Registration 2026
Spots Left: 30
PERFORMANCE RULES
We will provide a Marshall half-stack amplifier. You will not be allowed to adjust the amplifier's settings other than switching between clean and distortion. For consistency, all competitors will play through the competition amp. If you have any questions regarding how to switch, the emcee will let you know.
You must bring your own tuner and be in tune before you enter the backstage area. Contestants must be in tune and ready to play BEFORE they are called to the stage (there will be a test amp backstage for competitors to test gear before taking the stage).
Competitors may bring their own pedal board or effects to plug into the competition amp. Your pedal board must be completely set up the way that you want it to be before you enter the backstage area. You must bring an extra cable for backup!
If a looper pedal is used, you will be judged in the backing track bracket. Links to backing tracks are above this section.
Remember that you will have five minutes once you walk on the stage to play your guitar and exit the stage. There will be a timer set, and you will be cut off if you exceed the time limit.
Competitors may play acoustic or electric 6-string, 7-string, or 12-string guitars (all other variations are NOT permitted).
Solo guitar performances may not exceed 5 minutes in length.
Competitors may choose to play in standard tuning or in any alternate tuning of their choice.
Competitors may only play fingerstyle, with a pick, or with a slide.
Contestants will be called in alphabetical order by the judges.
Any substantial delay (other than breaking a string) once on stage will result in points deducted at the discretion of the judges.
Late arrivals will be eliminated from the event at the discretion of the event organizers.
Any inappropriate behavior from a contestant will result in immediate disqualification at the discretion of the judges and/or event organizers.
We are here for two reasons: to support each other and have a good time! Please stick around after you finish for the rest of the contest, if possible, to support your fellow contestants.
JUDGING
All judges are established professional musicians/music educators in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area. If the judges determine a competitor has registered in the wrong division, they will recategorize the competitor in the appropriate category to reflect his or her skill level.
Competitors will be judged on the following criteria, worth 100 total points:
Technical Ability / Accuracy (25 points)
Musicality (Dynamics + Tone) (25 points)
Overall Difficulty (25 points)
Rhythmic Ability (25 points)
Michael Shipp
William Moore
Michael Shipp
Michael Carenbauer
Michael Shipp is a musician's musician whose unmistakable guitar style blends Southern rock, roots, blues, and outlaw country. A lifelong performer, he has traveled the world sharing his music and collaborating with some of the most respected names in American rock and country.
As Michael once said, "The guitar is not something for me to do—it is a place for me to go." That philosophy has defined a career spanning decades.
Performing professionally since the age of 16, Shipp has recorded in Memphis, Nashville, Los Angeles, Austin, and his home state of Arkansas. His acclaimed albums, Adventures of Roosterboy (2003) and SHIPP Crow Loudly (2012), showcase his signature guitar work and songwriting.
One of Michael's longest-running creative partnerships has been with fellow Arkansan Billy Bob Thornton. Friends since their early days in Arkansas, the two have written songs, produced albums together, and toured internationally. During the 1980s, after relocating to Houston, Texas, they performed together in a band signed by a subsidiary of Lonewolf Productions. Shipp later fronted Tres Hombres, one of the first ZZ Top tribute bands, while Thornton played drums. Alongside the tribute performances, they showcased original songs they co-wrote, later released on the album Gunslinger.
Released in 2012, SHIPP Crow Loudly featured an extraordinary lineup of guest musicians, including Dusty Hill, Stephen Bruton, Rickey Medlocke, Pat Travers, Les Dudek, and Billy Bob Thornton, who also produced the album while contributing drums and backing vocals.
Throughout his career, Shipp has shared the studio with legendary musicians, including Billy F. Gibbons. Yet among his greatest memories is recording with Johnny Cash in Encino, California.
"The time spent with Johnny and June, talking about both of us having roots in Mississippi County, Arkansas, and the inspiration he'd given me to perform is a treasured gem, indeed, that I'll never forget."
Today, Michael Shipp continues to write, record, and perform with the same passion that first inspired him as a teenager. The PRESLEY & MICHAEL SHIPP Show features Michael's daughter Presley. She was recently named 2026 Best Young Artist by the Arkansas Country Music Awards. They perform often in Arkansas.
William Moore
William Moore has been playing guitar since he was 8. He attended UALR and graduated in 2004 with a BA in Music with an Emphasis in Jazz Performance. He has taught guitar for over 20 years and currently teaches at Little Rock Music Academy. He currently performs for Mosaic Church in Little Rock, and plays guitar/keyboard for local band, Unraveled. They play clubs, private and corporate events all over Arkansas.
Michael Carenbauer
Tradition and technology happily coexist in the music of guitarist Michael Carenbauer. His repertoire ranges from Bach to contemporary American music. He began playing guitar at age 19 while attending Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He received a performance degree in Jazz Guitar from Berklee College in Boston, where he studied with jazz great Pat Metheny, and a Masters of Music in Classical Guitar from the University of South Florida. He was a Professor of Music and director of Guitar Studies at UALR. Michael has performed internationally in Italy, France, Austria, Mexico, Canada, and Hong Kong. His original compositions and arrangements for the guitar and guitar synthesizer were featured at the Chitarra 98 Festival in Montreal. He is the recipient of numerous grants and awards for music performance, composition, and education, including a Faculty Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Arkansas/Little Rock and a Fellowship for Music Composition from the Arkansas Arts Council.
2025/2026 SPONSORS
501st Legion
Arkansas Rocks
Central Arkansas Library System
Casks-N-Que
David Dunavant
Little Rock Music Academy
Stringjoy
American Plumbing
Edward Jones
Meridiem Psychological Services, Inc.
Arkansas Community Foundation
Hillcrest Ukulele Society
Jones & Son
KASU
Commerce Title
LAMAR
D’Addario
Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau
MouseWatcher
Quattlebaum Music
Renown Music
CenterRock Advertising
Saied Music Company
Starling Music Studio
Steven Reynolds
Vino’s
The Works
Target
David Dunavant, Founder and Executive Director, Guitar Wars Inc.
David Dunavant is Arkansas’s highest-rated private guitar instructor and the founder of Guitar Wars Inc., the state’s only statewide amateur guitar competition and nonprofit for youth music education. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and a Master of Music in Jazz Guitar from Bowling Green State University. For 19 years, David has taught hundreds of students at four universities. He is known for expert instruction and mentorship.
He currently teaches private guitar lessons to adults and teens at Little Rock Music Academy. As the founder of Guitar Wars, David is dedicated to expanding music access for Arkansas youth through free instruments, music scholarships, and live performance opportunities.