Workshop Descriptions Friday February 5 & 6, 2021
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Workshop Descriptions Friday February 5 & 6, 2021 Organized Alphebetically by Instructor Abbreviations: HD=Hammered Dulcimer, MD=Mountain Dulcimer, BP=Bowed Psaltery, AH=Autoharp, PW=Penny Whistle, UK=Ukulele, MA=Mandolin, G= Guitar, CB+Clawhammer Banjo, FI=Fiddle Time is shown: Day (F=Friday, S=Saturday)-Session Number ex: Saturday Session 4 = S-4 Levels:1 = Absolute Beginner 2 = Novice 3 = Intermediate 4 = Upper Intermediate 5 = Advanced All = Non-Level Specific Title Inst. Lvl. Time Description Karen Alley As hammered dulcimer players, we often get wrapped up in notes and chords and tunes, and How to Hold Your forget about our hammers! The easiest time to start learning solid hammer technique is when you’re Hammers (and Use HD 1 F-3 first beginning. We’ll talk about different types of hammers, holding your hammers, and getting a Them, Too!) good sound out of your instrument. You’ll leave with exercises and concepts to help you build a solid foundation for your hammer technique. Someday soon we will be playing together again, and everyone will want to join in! Jam sessions Surviving a Jam can be intimidating if you’re new to the dulcimer (and even if you’re not!), but they don’t need to HD 2 F-4 Session be. We’ll talk about how jam sessions work, and work on simple melody and chord techniques you can use to join in even if you don’t know the tune. This class will help you move beyond playing single melody lines to building full solo arrangements on your dulcimer. We’ll make sure everyone understands the basics of chords and talk about tricks Using Chords to HD 3 F-8 for finding them on your instrument. Then we’ll add harmony notes step-by-step to a simple melody. Add Harmony You’ll leave with an approach you can apply to arranging many tunes as your skills and comfort level on your instrument grow. We’ve spent our whole lives training our hands to work together effectively, but a whole new world Putting Hand opens up on the dulcimer if you can make your hands work separately. We’ll work on some mind- HD 3 S-6 Separation Together bending exercises and learn some simple tunes that utilize hand separation, and discuss tips for making the process easier and more successful. Do you struggle to keep the beat steady? Or maybe you struggle to recognize whether the beat is steady? You’re not alone! The good news is that there are techniques and exercises we can work Improving Your HD 3 S-2 on to help you improve your rhythm. Even better, an online workshop is the ideal setup for learning Rhythm these techniques – you’ll be able to hear yourself and try some new things in the comfort of your own home. “Jock O’Hazeldean” is a traditional Scottish ballad with a lovely, soaring melody and a beautiful “Jock chord structure. We’ll work on an arrangement of this tune that will push your hand separation skills O’Hazeldean”: A HD 4 F-7 and use the whole range of your instrument. You’ll need a 15/14 instrument to make the most of this Beautiful Scottish arrangement, and there will be opportunities to use your super-bass bridge if you have one (but it is Melody not required!). “Road to Lisdoonvarna” is a lovely and popular Irish tune that lends itself well to the use of double “Road to strokes (two strokes in a row with the same hammer). We’ll use double strokes to help keep the Lisdoonvarna”: An HD 4 S-7 rhythm in the melody and harmony, as well as in drag and valley roll ornaments. We’ll practice Exploration of some exercises to help you hone your technique, and talk about how to apply these concepts to Double Strokes other tunes. Sometimes it’s fun to go beyond the simple backup patterns we tend to use in jam sessions, but it In the Groove: can be hard to know where to start. In this workshop, we’ll find some basic grooves that you can Diversifying Your HD 5 S-4 use for more unusual backup, complete with accents on unexpected beats. We’ll also practice Backup Patterns some exercises you can use for improving your technique. Laurie Alsobrook Try Two Finger Need a recipe for simple harmony? Just by simply adding one more finger to your playing, you’ll Chords: Fret Two MD 1 S-8 amazed at the difference it makes! In addition to learning the simple chords, we will also learn Strings at Once! several simple arrangements using them. Make It Your Own: Take a tune you already know, turn it into a waltz, and make it your own! This class will give you 3/4 Strum Patterns to MD 2 F-4 strumming techniques to put into your toolbox for playing waltzes beautifully. Make Tunes Dance! Your fingers will waltz on the strings as you apply a variety of fingerpicking patterns in 3/4 time. We’ll A-One and A-Two: MD 3 S-5 begin with an delightful original tune designed to practice these patterns. We will also look at other Arranging Waltzes charming waltzes that will make your fingers dance! With a change in tuning, an old familiar tune transforms into something hauntingly beautiful. Ears will New Tuning for Old MD 3 F-3 perk as you shake up these old chestnuts. “Whiskey Before Breakfast” in DAC? Just wait ‘til you hear Tunes: Try DAC! it! Have you ever sat in an old-time jam filled with fiddles? It’s a quick way to discover that tunes you Fun Fiddle Favorites have played comfortably in D, actually have another home. Let’s learn a few fiddle tunes and MD 4 S-1 in A discover why playing is A is addicting. Soon you’ll want to play everything at capo four! Please bring your capo, by the way! Using barred chords in your playing provides a true advantage when considering motion up and Play It from the down the fretboard. In this workshop, you will enjoy playing enchanting tunes from Wales and Barre: Emphasizing MD 4 F-6 Ireland, given the barre treatment. Also included is an original tune, created to practice barre and Economy of Motion back-fretting in your playing. Karen Ashbrook Crossing the Bridges Learn hammering for the dulcimer's basic scale and arpeggio patterns while playing a fun French with a French HD 1 F-8 bourrée. Bonus: ear training included! Bourrée Ireland did not escape the polka craze but they have their own version of them. Polkas are among Easy Irish Polkas HD 2 S-7 the easiest and happiest tunes in Irish repertoire–a must for every dulcimist! Song of the Celtic You will learn a simple arrangement with a descending bass line to this soothing song from the Isle Sea God, HD 2 F-6 of Man. It can be heard on Karen’s solo hammered dulcimer recording "Celtic Shores- Beautiful Airs Mannanan–a Manx & Lullabies for Dreaming." Lullaby Transforming Dance So you want to play for the labyrinth at your church, yoga class, or become a therapeutic musician, Tunes into HD 3 F-2 but all you know are fast dance tunes. No problem! Using "Soldier's Joy," I will show you how to Relaxation Music transform hoedowns into sonorous meditative airs. Fun With Time Taking a few standard dance tunes, we will look at how to alter the tune to become a flowing waltz Signatures–Reels & HD 3 F-4 - creating extra melodic twists and harmony options. Jigs into Waltzes "Woodchoppers This lively French-Canadian reel is mostly 2 octave arpeggios. You will learn a great dance tune Reel" and Diamond HD 3 S-1 while flying up and down your instrument with D and A7 arpeggios! Appropriate for Upper Arpeggios Intermediates too. Paris in Springtime With a Happy HD 3 S-3 "Valse à Bonnejoie" is a delightful but simple café-style waltz from France. French Waltz "Hard Times Will From the original harmonization by Stephen Foster to gorgeous contemporary progressions, we will Come No More" – a HD 4 S-4 take "Hard Times" and explore numerous harmony options. (If you play with a guitarist have them Timeless Anthem sign up for Paul Oorts's guitar class for this song!) Irish Jig With the Irish jig "Lark on the Strand," you will learn how to use long rolls, grace notes, jig triplets, and Ornamentation & HD 4 F-1 Irish-style variations, as well as various chord options. Variations Cascading Learn the strange pattern of chromatics on dulcimer and the whimsical schottische by John HD 5 S-6 Chromatics Kirkpatrick, "Puddleglum's Misery." Aubrey Atwater Aubrey will provide an arrangement for the traditional dance tune, “Spotted Pony" and give “Spotted Pony”: important tips on alternating the direction of the flatpick, fingering, timing, tempo, and feel. We will Flatpicking for the MD 2 S-6 also discuss the functionality of this type of tune, traditionally used for dancing, and the far reaches First Time of this framework in American music. A delightful repertoire workshop with songs Aubrey has learned through her long contact with Jean Songs of Jean Ritchie, the person largely responsible for introducing the dulcimer to the folk scene mid-20th MD 2 F-1 Ritchie century. We’ll cover four songs, talk about Jean’s life and work, address the traditional style of playing with the noter, and easily play in different tunings. Diving Deep with It is easy to spend an hour examining this beautiful 19th-century song.