11:00AM Gary Mortensen: Making Progress on the Dobro This workshop is all about the process of becoming a better Dobro player. I’ll address practice strategies, backing up a singer, structuring a Dobro instrumental break, and observations specific to Dobro playing
A hands~on workshop where we will look at honing boom chuck skills, bass run inventory, ergonomics, the aesthetics of chord choice, and more!
Vanessa Gordon:Beginner Jam Session This workshop is designed for instrumentalists who know at least one or two traditional fiddle tunes, but have not had much experience playing with others. We will not be teaching tunes at this workshop. Please bring a tune that you already know and like playing, to play with the group. Beginners of all ages are welcome. Slower tempos are ok. (Standard tuning is recommended for Fiddlers.)
Slängpolska is a traditional couple dance from Sweden that is commonly done at music festivals and at dance evenings in Sweden today. This workshop is for dancers of all levels. Everyone is welcome, you need not have a partner to join in the fun. The workshop includes live music by lydia ievins who studied nyckelharpa and fiddle at the Eric Sahlström Institute in Sweden
Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer will give a presentation of early Texas fiddle tunes, the kind that were around before contest and swing became the dominant styles in the Lone Star state. Cross-tuned, crooked, and just plain weird. Texas fiddling re-defined. Howard and Tricia will present several tunes and teach a tune during the workshop. Tricia will also teach her patented fiddle chording method. Everything is learned by ear so a recording device is encouraged.
Join local Sacred Harp singers for a workshop on the tradition of shape-note singing. Developed during the time of the American Colonies, shape note singing was a way to teach people to not just sight read notes but to sing in multi-part harmony. No singing experience necessary, possibly preferred! (11:00 -12:30)
Anna & Elizabeth offer an up-close look at their intricate “crankies” of cloth and cut-paper. They will share their process in making these illustrations of songs and oral histories, and give a brief history of the old “Scrolling Panoramas” that inspired the modern crankie movement.
Elizabeth LaPrelle will provide lyrics and teach a few ballads from the mountains, as well as talk about the singers she learned from. (This will follow immediately after the Crankie Show & Tell)
The autoharp is a beautiful instrument with a 125 year long tradition as everything from a music teaching tool to a concert performance instrument. This workshop will be a beginning to intermediate level workshop for everyone who plays the autoharp or might be interested in learning to play it. We'll briefly cover such basic skills as keeping an autoharp in tune, holding it properly and the use of picks. We'll move on to strumming styles, playing melodies on an autoharp, and skills needed for playing solo and for playing with other people as an accompanist. We'll allow ample time for discussion and for questions and answers.
In this workshop, we'll explore a handful of fiddle tunes from East Tennessee. We'll draw from the repertoires of better fiddlers like Charlie Acuff, Blaine Smith, and Newt Payne. We'll touch on the stylistic, technical elements, and flavors of some key fiddlers from the region. The workshop will introduce participants to a region with a rich musical tradition that was largely overlooked by the old time music revival. In our short time, we will attempt to strike a balance between repertoire, hands-on fiddling, and stories about the musicians.
Alan Munde will cover aspects of the bluegrass banjo style including how the rolls work, the phonetics of bluegrass banjo style, creating solos, and answering questions from participants.
Friday Evening,October 16th