Schedule
March 12th 9-7 pm CST
Proposed Schedule (in Central Time)
9-10 am Forum: Introduction, Welcome and Teacher's Roundtable
10:15-11:15 am Workshop 1: Bing--Intro to Resonator Mountain Dulcimer with lower nut 3 and 4 strings, fingers & slide
This workshop covers all the basics of playing resonator from gear selection and usage to exercises and tunes for developing a new set of skills. Slides of various shapes and materials are demonstrated alongside a discussion on tuning and string set-up. Through repetition of scale patterns, and using simple chord progressions and tunes, we get a hands-on introduction to playing slide and making it sing. DAD and DADF# are the two focal tunings for this study.
11:30-12:30 Workshop 2: Steve Intro to DulciBro Resonator Dulcimer playing with raised nut, 4 strings and slide in D-F#-A-d tuning (1-3-5-8)
This workshop will require a raised nut for best results. (Contact Steve by Sunday, March 6th to order a Nut Lifter that sits over your dulcimer's nut and raises the strings off of the fretboard. $5 plus postage.) We'll focus a lot on both left hand patterns: where to find the notes and chords in D-F#-A-d tuning; how to play minor chords; and right hand patterns: fan, pinch-pluck, utility and MacReynolds roll, using two familar songs as ways to utilize and demonstrate the versatility of this style of playing.
12:30-2 pm Builder's Round Table
Student Sharing/ Open Mic
2:00- 3 pm Workshop 3: Chris: Tone is in the Hands
A discussion of techniques for playing instruments “Hawaiian Style” with a tone bar. In the early 1930s there were two widely recognized methods of playing guitar - Spanish Style, which is the most common, or Hawaiian Style. Playing normal style guitar was ‘Spanish’, and if you played flat on your lap - it was ‘Hawaiian’. The term Steel Guitar is derived from the use of a metal (steel) bar used to fret the strings and create the characteristic glissando heard with steel guitars. A steel guitar can be used in ANY genre and only limited by your skill and imagination. This style of playing was developed in the 1880s in Hawaii. Any instrument played ‘Hawaiian’ style is a Steel Guitar. Dobro’s, acoustic guitars, Weissenborns, Lap steels, Pedal steels, and the Dulcimer are considered steel guitars if played in the Hawaiian style. This technique is not to be confused with bottle-neck style playing - aka, ’slide guitar’ which won’t be discussed. Topics will included a brief history of the development of the style, types of bars (steels), finger picks (or no picks), pitch, vibrato, tunings, hammer on and pull off ideas, and blocking (aka muting).
3:15 - 4:15 pm Workshop 4: Bing--Fingerpicking Styles of Mississippi
Learn to fingerpick in a variety of styles found throughout the state of Mississippi. Through tune demonstrations, attendees will learn a Delta blues approach as well as a less-syncopated Piedmont style and a north hill country style made popular by Mississippi Fred McDowell. Fingerpicks of various styles are covered as well. DAD and DADF# are the two focal tunings for this study.
4:30 - 5:30 pm Workshop 5: Steve--Playing in DGBd Tuning (5-1-3-5)
After spending the day tuned to an open D tuning, we'll explore a new tuning that is particularly helpful for playing those songs that start below Do in the key of G. This tuning bears some resemblance to DAA (1-5-5) tuning on standard dulcimers. We'll learn the scale patterns and chords by playing two familiar tunes in G.
6 pm Faculty Concert-Round Robin (live-streamed on the DulcimerCrossing Facebook page)