PLAYING LEVELS
WORKSHOPS
FRIDAY WORKSHOPS # 1 EASY TUNES IN DAA - George Haggerty will have songs that are fun and easy to play. You will learn how different strums, harmonies, and a few simple chords can enhance a tune. You will gain a better understanding of the simplicity of this instrument. Come tuned to DAA. BEGINNER # 2 EXPRESSING YOURSELF THROUGH YOUR PLAYING - How notes get turned into music. Jeff Furman will explore some concepts and techniques that will allow you to put your own expression into your music. You will hear some examples of musical expression and also practice putting some of the conceps and techniques reviewed into several tunes. (There will be something for everyone). Come tuned to DAD and bring a capo. GENERAL # 3 CAJUN & ZYDECO MUSIC FOR MOUNTAIN DULCIMER - The waltzes and two-steps of Louisiana's French-speaking Cajuns have lively energy but are easier to play than old-time or Celtic music. They have simple melodies and chords, but are famous for their exciting rhythm "grooves." Lois Hornbostel will teach some favorite Cajun two-steps and waltzes. Zydeco music is related to Cajun dance tunes and comes from the Creole people in Southwest Louisiana. It has strong African-American, blues and Caribbean influence. We'll learn a rockin' Zydeco dance tune. More advanced players in the class will get advice on ornamentation, playing in different keys, and nuances of the styles. Come tuned to DAD. ADVANCED BEGINNERS & UP
SATURDAY WORKSHOPS # 4 LET’S GET STARTED - New to the dulcimer? George Haggerty will show you the basics - tuning, fretting, strumming. You will learn a few simple tunes. Come tuned to DAA. BEGINNER # 5 LET’S GET STARTED - PART II - Bonnie Leigh will help you learn a few beginner songs with easy simple chords, and practice strumming techniques. Come tuned to DAD. BEGINNER # 6 I’M BEGINNING TO PLAY - Bonnie Leigh will have you practice basic chords that can be put to melodies and practice strumming while learning 3 Stephen Foster songs from the 1800’s. Come tuned to DAA. BEGINNER # 7 HOW TO READ DULCIMER TAB - Does dulcimer tab have you just slightly confused? Lori Keddell will have you look at different ways that music is written for dulcimer, and de-mystify all those numbers, letters, strum markings, etc., and then use what you learn to play a few simple tunes in DAA tuning. BEGINNER # 8 LET’S WALTZ - A waltz can be played simply and beautifully on the dulcimer. With Beth Lassi, you will learn to play some easy waltz’s and talk about what makes a waltz a waltz. Come tuned to DAD. NOVICE # 9 CHRISTMAS TUNES FROM NEAR AND FAR - Lori Keddell will help you expand your holiday repertoire with some beautiful Christmas songs and carols from around the world. Easy arrangements will include both melody only and melody and chord versions, as well as accompaniment chords for those who just want to accompany themselves while singing. Come tuned to DAA. NOVICE # 10 DGD Key of G - In this tuning, George Haggerty will show you how to play tunes in the key of G - it’s fun and easy. You’ll learn some familiar tunes and discover how to add a few simple chords. Come tuned to DAD. NOVICE # 11 HAMMER ONS, PULL OFFS, & SLIDES - Bonnie Leigh will have you practice the things that help take a song from plain to fancy. You will go over the techniques and add them to a song. NOVICE # 12 SMOOTHING OUT YOUR PLAYING - This workshop will review some concepts and techniques to help smooth out your playing. Jeff Furman will cover right and left hand techniques, offer many practice exercises to improve your skill with these, and discuss getting the right and left hand to work together to make your playing more fluid. An excellent review for players of higher skill (who, in my opinion, often forget or neglect to pay attention to their technique in favor of playing tunes!). Come tuned to DAD. AFTER NOVICE # 13 ORGANIC FINGERPICKING - Yes, exercises are helpful to increase dexterity but picking patterns don’t work in so many situations. Sandy Lafleur will show you there is a better way to learn to finger pick. Rather than learn a finger picked arrangement of a tune, learn an approach that will let you pick any tune. Come tuned to DAD. AFTER NOVICE # 14 READ TAB WITH NO WRITTEN TIMING - Many computer tab sheets these days have no timing on them. It’s like having no heart-beat! Many people are not able to read music or the timing on a music score, and if you are, it’s so tricky looking UP and DOWN. Dallas Cline will show you how to fill in the timing for yourself and find out quickly how the tune REALLY sounds. You will have simple diagrams to add the timing yourself and several tunes to set it up right in class. Let’s go...it’s fun! Come tuned to DAD. AFTER NOVICE # 15 DISCOVER THE WONDERFUL DGD TUNING - Sandy Lafleur will show you that in some ways, this tuning offers the best of both worlds; the ability to play the melody on the bass string as well as having 3 notes below the tonic on the melody string! Listen to those drones. Come tuned to DGD. AFTER NOVICE # 16 GALAX, VIRGINIA STYLE PLAYING & REPERTOIRE - Galax style is perhaps our most traditional way of playing the mountain dulcimer. It employs the use of a noter and four equidistant high D strings (We'll use DAD for student convenience). In Galax dulcimers were traditionally used for dance tunes and played in string bands. Lois Hornbostel has won the dulcimer competition at the Galax Fiddle convention, has learned tunes from some of those traditional dulcimer players. Some tunes taught will be "Fortune," "Big Liza Jane" and "Walkin' in My Sleep." Lois will give advice on tempos, different keys and nuances of the style. Come tuned to DAD bring a noter if you have one. INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # 17 SONGS OF ROBERT BURNS - Robert Burns, the great Scottish poet, wrote poems set to lovely old traditional tunes. Nina Zanetti will help you learn gentle finger-picking arrangements of the tunes for some of his songs, including “The Lea Rig” and “Old Lang Syne”. Come tuned to DAD. INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # 18 HOW TO BACK UP ANOTHER PLAYER - Beth Lassi will focus on what you can do to enhance the sound of your duo if your playing partner is playing the melody. The type of back up you will provide often depends on the type of music you are playing. You will talk about the options you have and try some of them out. Come tuned DAD. INTERMEDIATE # 19 MUSIC OF TURLOUGH O’CAROLAN - With Nina Zanetti , you will learn a little about the life and times and music of the great Irish harper. His music sounds wonderful on mountain dulcimer. You will learn several examples of his tunes. Come tuned to DAD. INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
SUNDAY WORKSHOPS # 20 EASY TUNES FOR BEGINNERS - Lori Keddell will help you expand your repertoire with several new tunes that are fun and easy to play. You may even add some simple 2 finger chords to enhance the basic melody and drone. Come tuned to DAA. BEGINNER # 21 BEGINNING DAD - George Haggerty will have you try a new tuning. DAD mixolydian. Participants will learn how to change quickly and easily from DAA ionian to DAD mixolydian, and play some easy tunes in this mode. Come tuned to DAA. BEGINNER # 22 FOLK HYMNS FROM AMERICA’S PAST - Favorite hymns from early in American history often have simple harmonies and captivating tunes that sound great on mountain dulcimer. Nina Zanetti will help you learn hymns from a variety of historical traditions, including selections from Sacred Harp (shape note) tradition, early American hymn writers, spirituals, and/or Shaker music. Come tuned to DAD. NOVICE # 23 EASY FIDDLE TUNES FOR MOUNTAIN DULCIMER - The mountain dulcimer is a wonderful instrument for strumming different tunes with engaging and varied rhythms. We'll learn some attractive tunes not commonly played on mountain dulcimer but "sit well" on the dulcimer's fretboard for ease of playing. Lois Hornbostel will give tips on strum patterns, playing steady rhythms, phrasing, and variations on the simple melodies. Come tuned to DAD. NOVICE # 24 RELATIVE MINORS - WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY DO THEY MATTER? - Using relative minor chords makes your music sound interesting and beautiful. Beth Lassi will talk about what relative minor chords are. Tab with and without relative minor chords will be provided. Come and learn about this type of chord and learn to listen for it. Come tuned to DAD AFTER NOVICE # 25 ORGANIC TUNE ARRANGEMENT - Why are so many beautiful arrangements nearly impossible to play? Harmonizing every $%@#*&^ note? Sandy Lafleur will show you there is another way! Come tuned to DAD. AFTER NOVICE # 26 LET’S GET WITH A CALYPSO BEAT - Dallas Cline will have you strumming calypso and a finger-picking (or flat-picking) calypso with two familiar tunes for each. Tunes such as Mary Ann, Jamaica farewell, Four Strong Winds, etc. It will give you a fine variety to add to your repertoire, and it is fun! Come tuned to DGD. INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED # 27 FIDDLE TUNES IN G (DAD capo 3) - Jeff Furman will cover several traditional fiddle tunes in the key of G. These will be played out of DAD tuning with a capo on third fret. The goals are to: learn some are tunes in the key that fiddlers usually play them in , learn more about playing with a capo; and learn more about playing higher up the fretboard (you paid for the whole dulcimer, you might as well use it!). Hints and suggestions about techniques will also be offered. Come tuned to DAD and bring a capo. INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED |