Plucky Plucky
Instructor: Joy Adams
All Levels; Cello
The cello can take on the role of any other instrument in a string band, be it guitar, mandolin, bass, banjo, or fiddle. Learn multiple picking patterns (including clawhammer cello!) that will serve you especially well for accompanying a singer.
Patterns for Improvising Specific to Cello
Instructor: Joy Adams
All Levels; Cello
Improvising can feel like trying to get through a locked door. As cellists, we find ourselves taking advice from fiddle players on this topic, only to be disappointed by how few of their techniques actually work on the cello. In this workshop, we will study cello-friendly patterns that will unlock the door to a satisfying improvised solo or bass line.
Adapting Fiddle Melodies to the Cello
Instructor: Joy Adams
All Levels; Cello
There are some inherent differences between what falls comfortably on the fiddle and what works well for the cello. Thankfully, when we learn a new fiddle tune on the cello, there are adaptations that will make a nearly impossible tune quite playable.
Chops and Bow Grooves for the Cello
Instructor: Joy Adams
All Levels; Cello
Each genre in the world of fiddle music comes alive with a different set of groove rhythms underneath it. In this workshop, explore the differences between backing up a bluegrass tune, a Celtic tune, an Old-Time tune, and a blues. You will learn specific groove patterns that can be mixed up and applied differently to each genre.
Arranging from the Bass Line Up
Instructor: Joy Adams
All Levels; Cello
Did you know that all arrangements start from the ground up? As one of the lowest voices in the band, a cellist has more power and responsibility than you might think. Learn how the voice of the cello can influence the tempo, dynamics, phrase shape, and arc of an arrangement, all from the humble bass line!
Fiddle Tune Form for Cellists
Instructor: Joy Adams
All Levels; Cello
As an accompanimental instrument, cellists frequently get asked to back up fiddle players on tunes they don’t know. This workshop will present a set of strategies to help you learn the chords and form of a fiddle tune on the fly.
Crawl Before You Walk: Learn the Bas(s)ics of a Walking Bass Line
Instructor: Rob Flax
All Levels; Bass players & All Instruments
Inspired by Tom Warrington’s fantastic method book, Rob outlines a simple strategy for creating powerful walking bass lines. Take the guess work out of the low end! While this course is primarily aimed at bassists, all instruments are encouraged to attend, both to practice bass lines of their own and also to better understand what their rhythm section is doing.
The Irish Tradition in America: An Interview with Seamus Connolly
Instructor: Seamus Connolly
All Levels; All Instruments
Interview
Join fiddle scholars Paul Wells and Sally Sommers Smith as they chat with National Heritage Fellow Seamus Connolly about the musicians and personalities that have made Irish traditional music so prominent in America today. Seamus is a storied player, performer, teacher, and collector of Irish music; he will share with us some of his rare recordings and reminiscences of his own musical heroes. Come listen, learn, and ask a question!
Participation: The Irish Session!
Instructor: Seamus Connolly
All Levels; All Instruments
Join Irish-American fiddle legend Seamus Connolly for informal tunes, tales, songs, and refreshment as Fiddle-icious Traditions invades DaVinci’s Restaurant in downtown Lewiston for an evening of music and fun! Saturday evening, April 18, 2020.
Practicum: The Irish Session
Instructor: Seamus Connolly
All Levels; All Instruments
Are you mystified by the unspoken rapport that develops in a good informal Irish traditional music session? Seamus Connolly will introduce you to some of the basics: tune types, combinations, etiquette, and some familiar tunes from his vast store of lovely Irish melodies. Learn what makes a tune sound “Irish” and techniques necessary to achieve that sound.
Idiomatic Improvisation
Instructor: Barry Saunders
Advanced Levels; All Instruments
We will explore idiomatic considerations when improvising, i.e. rhythmic and/or harmonic specific language of the idiom. We will also cover community improv and sharing the joy of music.
Playing in a key–using scales for improvisation
Instructor: Barry Saunders
All Levels; All Instruments
Here we will cover how to recognize a key to aid in developing your improvisation. We will also cover community improv and sharing the joy of music.
The Need For Speed
Instructor: Bonnie Black
We all want it: the ability to play FAST! Not just speedy, but clean, beautiful, steady, dancey, and easy-sounding all at the same time. It’s the gold standard for instrumentalists wanting to jam, play for dancers, or simply make those fast tunes sound like they’re meant to — and, weirdly, you can’t get there just by practicing slowly! In this workshop, Bonnie will show you the techniques and practice strategies you need to start playing fast tunes with ease and excellence. Come demystify the “secrets” of achieving those top tempos!
Ninja-Style Tune Learning
Instructor: Bonnie Black
All Levels; All Melody Instruments
“So many tunes, so little time” — and the faster you learn them, the more you can get to! Come learn some incredibly powerful techniques that can help you understand, digest, and master tunes in a fraction of the time you’re used to. No matter whether you are learning by ear or reading music, the skills are the same, and Bonnie will have you feeling like a tune- learning ninja by the end of the workshop! Open to any melody-playing instrument.
Conquering Your Fear of Treble Clef Territory: Thumb Position for Cellists
Instructor: Bonnie Black
All Levels; Cello
Us cello players can sound great on melodies….but sometimes those tunes are just so high up! How do you navigate all those treble clef tunes without shifting up and down endlessly? Enter Thumb Position, a great tool that opens up the treble clef range for cellists, without the need for tiresome shifting. Come explore some common “high tunes” and extend your range to be able to join those violinists on the melody with ease!
0-5 Songs in 60 Minutes: How to Give Total Beginners a Start in Your Fiddle Group
Instructor: Bonnie Black
Intermediate-Advanced Levels; All Instruments
This workshop will dive into the joy of helping new fiddlers get started from the very beginning — or more specifically, how to take folks who have never even held an instrument before and turn them into enthusiastic fiddlers for your local fiddle orchestra! Drawing on her decades of experience raising musicians of all ages, Bonnie will show you how to teach beginners of any age (yes, including “I’ve always wanted to play” adults!), starting from scratch and arriving as quickly as possible at a repertoire of classic fiddle tunes that any fiddle orchestra or band would be happy to play. Open to anyone with the desire to teach bowed string instruments (violin, viola, ‘cello, bass) — bring your instrument, your sense of playfulness, and your curiosity!
Everyone In: Build Your Own Multi-Level Fiddle Orchestra
Instructor: Bonnie Black
All Levels; All Instruments
Every good fiddle group has players of mixed levels …. but every GREAT fiddle group knows how to harness the skills of its less-experienced players and use them to help the whole group sound way better than it would without them! In this workshop, we’re going to throw out the idea of “easy” or “beginner” parts, and learn instead how to create simple, but clever and catchy parts designed for every level of player in your orchestra. We’ll work with classic tunes that any fiddle group would be proud to play, and explore how to create a multi-level arrangement that not only maximizes the skills of every player, but also uses them to build a rich, interesting, and fun arrangement that everyone will love! Open to all instruments — bring your “axe”, and be ready to play!
River of Suck Podcast – Live Recording with Andy Reiner & Barry Saunders
Host: Andy Reiner Special Guest: Barry Saunders
All Levels; All Instruments
Be part of a live recording of River of Suck Podcast – the evolution of Andy’s “Healthy Musical Attitudes” from a decade of fiddle camp workshops. “You have to suck at something before you can be good at it.” River of Suck is real-talk about struggles with confidence, self-doubt and becoming the youest you. Host Andy Reiner and Special Guest Barry Saunders will parse tough questions about maintaining a healthy attitude in the face of impossible obstacles.
Improvising with Fiddle Tunes
Instructor: Andy Reiner
All Levels; Bowed Stringed Instruments
Using ornaments, tune skeletons and smaller phrases, we’ll learn strategies for on-the-spot rhythmic and melodic variations. Keeping tunes fresh, alive, and 3-Dimensional. (Can you find the mysterious fourth dimension of fiddle tunes?) Game-changing for contra dance tunes as well as taking solos in bluegrass jams.
Tunewriting
Instructor: Andy Reiner
All Levels; All Instruments
Tunewriting is for players who want to explore the compositional side of traditional music. In this workshop, we’ll dissect fiddle tunes to find out what makes them tick, explore different compositional strategies, discuss how to use melodic development to turn a small phrase into a coherent fiddle tune, and learn how to open ourselves up to receive those magic bits of inspiration. As a group, we will collaborate on writing a new tune together, and attendees will leave with a new skill set and inspiration for writing new tunes into the future!