317 Main Street Music Center - Yarmouth, ME

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

So, What Does the Fiddler Do in a Jam Again? with Megan Lynch

Often, fiddlers are left out of bluegrass, folk, and singer/songwriter jams. They stand in the back, looking lonely and sad, mustering a measly long bow here and there, but otherwise barely contributing at all. National Champion and professional bluegrass fiddler Megan Lynch is ready to change all that.

The fiddle can be a great rhythm instrument, a fantastic accompaniment to a singer, and an all-around asset to any jam. Learn how to chop unique rhythms, play behind a singer, and kick off songs (some of which you may never have even heard!). Understand how chord changes actually matter in the life of the fiddle player and even better, what to do with that knowledge. Leave every jam feeling that you actually added something to the mix. This workshop is best for advanced beginners all the way to advanced players. Recording is encouraged.

BANJO WORKSHOP: Earl Scruggs Essentials: What Every Player Should Know! with Bill Evans

Knowing roll-based Scruggs style banjo is essential for playing bluegrass. In this "hands-on & let's play" workshop designed for all levels of players, Bill teaches a systematic approach to Scruggs-style playing. After a discussion of right and left hand mechanics and a quick review of roll patterns, Bill will move on to present many of Earl's favorite licks and techniques up and down the neck that you can use in both lead and backup. Bill will show how to combine roll patterns with left-hand techniques so you can create your own legitimate sounding Scruggs-style solos. You'll learn many of the things you've heard on recordings but perhaps had a difficult time figuring out for yourself. The class will also analyze together some of Earl's best known solos and learn to play them just like Earl! Tab examples are provided but it is not necessary to read tab well to learn a great deal from this session.

Both sessions are open to all levels of players but are ideal for those with one or more years of playing experience. Bill and Megan are "hands on" teachers - come with your instrument and be ready to have fun playing! Even advanced students will learn a great deal from these sessions.

Spanning a thirty-five year professional performing career, banjo player and Banjo For Dummies author Bill Evans has performed with Dry Branch Fire Squad, Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Hazel Dickens, Laurie Lewis, Jody Stecher, Kathy Kallick, Bluegrass Intentions and his own Bill Evans String Summit. His two CDs "Native and Fine" (Rounder Records) and "Bill Evans Plays Banjo" (Native and Fine Records) topped critics' lists and the Bluegrass Unlimited charts. As producer, he was nominated for the IBMA Recorded Event of the Year for his work on Suzanne Thomas' "Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts" (Rounder).

As a teacher, Bill holds a Master's Degree in Music with an emphasis in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Berkeley. He has served as a consultant to the National Endowment for the Arts and wrote a popular column for Banjo Newsletter magazine for over fifteen years. He has taught literally thousands of banjo players and has been featured at most every major bluegrass and banjo camp in the world. Among his students are Chris Pandolfi (The Infamous Stringdusters), Jayme Stone, Greg Liszt (Crooked Still and Bruce Springsteen's Seeger Sessions Band) and Wes Corbett The Bee Eaters and Joy Kills Sorrow). Bill hosts his own annual banjo camp, the NashCamp Banjo Camp, with Grand Ole Opry legend Sonny Osborne. He has also taught courses in American music and ethnomusicology at San Francisco State University, the University of Virginia and Duke University and has been an artist-in-residence at the University of Richmond and Fairfield College.

Folks know Nashville resident Megan Lynch from her National Championship fiddling credentials and from her performances with 3 Fox Drive, Due West, Dale Ann Bradley, Tony Trischka, Chris Jones, Roland White and Jim Hurst. A six-time Weiser National Champion fiddler, Megan now judges at many major fiddle contests, including Weiser and Nashville's Grand Masters. She host three annual Fiddlestar Fiddle and Jam Camps out of her Nashville-area home and when she is not touring with Bill, she performs internationally with Pam Tillis. Count among her students Tristan and Tashina Clarridge, Alex and Tatiana Hargreaves and Maddie Denton, the current National Junior Fiddle Champion.