2021 Saturday Sep 25th
Workshops

Saturday Sep 25th 9:30 am to 10:45 am Pacific Time
 (Choose One of Six)

HAMMERED DULCIMER 1
Barbara Gershman 
"From the Very Beginning"

BEGINNERS
Get off to a great start by learning basic skills and gaining an understanding of the layout/ octaves/ and duplicate notes of your instrument. Learn a tune or two. Tips to start or restart your hammered dulcimer playing.

HAMMERED DULCIMER 1+
Patti Amelotte   
“Beginners and the Next Steps!”

ADVANCED BEGINNERS
In this workshop we will work on improving note reading and understanding of the layout of the instrument. We will have fun exercises and a tune or two to help strengthen your skills!

HAMMERED DULCIMER 2
Jody Marshall  
“Wonderful Waltzes”

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Sweet romantic waltzes are great additions to any repertoire. We’ll draw on Celtic melodies in three-quarter time and work on ideas for adding harmony, rolled chords, and other embellishments.


FRETTED/MOUNTAIN DULCIMER 1
Joellen Lapidus 
“Just the Basics: For the Absolute Beginner”

BEGINNERS
How to tune, read tablature, 2 kinds of strumming, fingerpicking and playing a song with chords.

FRETTED/MOUNTAIN DULCIMER 2
Aubrey Atwater 
“Funny Songs”

INTERMEDIATE
This repertoire workshop presents a variety of traditional humorous folk songs. Be prepared to slap strum, play in a couple of different tunings, and have some laughs!

OTHER WORKSHOPS
Bill Dempsey   
“Bill’s Uke" 

BEGINNERS
Getting started on the ukulele: Introduction to the uke; tuning; basic strumming;
basic chords; instruction on playing a few simple songs. Bill has a new CD,
“Bill’s Uke” including vocals and can share info. on his favorite songs. He
teaches two ongoing classes on Zoom to Beginners and Intermediates so can
help you far beyond this workshop. http://www.billdempseymusic.net This class
is designed for soprano, concert and tenor ukulele using g C E A (or re-entrant)
tuning. Tell Bill what kind of Uke you have at least a week before the workshop.
billdempsey@cox.net

Saturday Sep 25th 11:00 am to 12:15 pm Pacific Time
 (Choose One of Six)

HAMMERED DULCIMER 1
Jody Marshall 
"Easy Holiday Favorites"

BEGINNERS/ ADVANCED BEGINNERS
Christmas music sounds great on the hammered dulcimer! We’ll focus on some beautiful and simple melodies that are easy to learn and fun to play. Guaranteed to jump-start your holiday spirit!

HAMMERED DULCIMER 2
Patti Amelotte   
“When Droning On & On Is Good! – “Sheep May Safely Graze””

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Using this beautiful melody by J.S. Bach we will work on learning to keep one hand on a drone and listen to how consonance and dissonance work together to add tension and release to a piece.

FRETTED/MOUNTAIN DULCIMER 1
Joellen Lapidus 
“Do the Dulcimer Two-Step"

BEGINNERS
Quick and Easy Folksongs with just Two Chords.

FRETTED/MOUNTAIN DULCIMER 2
Aubrey Atwater 
“Demystifying the Slap Strum & Other Rhythms”

INTERMEDIATE
Participants will learn the percussive slap strum, a variety of rhythmic patterns and ways to mute strings, syncopation, and the “air” strum. Aubrey will present several lively and fun traditional songs to work with!

OTHER WORKSHOPS 1
Patty McCollom   
“Bodhran – Irish Frame Drum"

BEGINNERS
If you don’t have a drum or a tipper, you can use a pizza box and your hand instead.

OTHER WORKSHOPS 2
Terry Gucwa  
“Let's Make a Composite Music Video" 

All Instruments and Singers
The pandemic is a little more than a year old as I write this. During that year, a great many amateur groups learned to video themselves individually at home, and then combine their recordings into a single performance video. The practice emerged as a hugely important way for people to continue to make music together in safety.Maybe we’ll be back to normal soon, maybe not so soon. Either way, I suspect amateurs recording themselves separately, and then combining their contributions will continue – as a means to save transportation costs, to test ideas, and as an artistic option.

In this workshop, I will use the Zoom Screen Share option to show how I put together such composite videos using Audacity for audio, and Adobe Premiere Pro for video. For other software packages the details of how to execute each step will differ, but the concepts and the reasons for each step remain the same.

It would not be realistic to expect to absorb and remember how to perform the full process. There will be a handout describing each step, you will have seen every step performed at least once, and you may record the session. I will ask SCDH to also record the session and make that recording available.
 *If you register for the Festival BEFORE AUG 21st and ask to be included, I will send you instructions on how you can submit a video to be included in the project. terrygucwa@earthlink.net 


Saturday Sep 25th 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm Pacific Time
 (Choose One of Six)

HAMMERED DULCIMER 1
Karen Harvey 
"Wayfaring Stranger"

BEGINNERS/ADVANCED BEGINNERS/ EARLY INTERMEDIATE
In this session, you will learn the beautiful, haunting traditional Appalachian tune, Wayfaring Stranger. This class will incorporate information about minor keys and chords used in the tune, with a few alternative notes and chords. If time permits, you will also learn The Skye Boat Song, a fun and uplifting traditional Scottish tune, made popular recently as the theme song for the Outlander’s TV series. By the end of the class, students will have gone through the sheet music and will have opportunities to record both of these tunes for future practice.

HAMMERED DULCIMER 2
Jody Marshall 
“Twisted Tunes”

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Halloween is just around the corner—and in honor of the occasion, we’ll learn a spooky (but fun!) tune or two that will require the use of some of our poor neglected chromatic notes. The result will be simply boo-tiful!

FRETTED/MOUNTAIN DULCIMER 1
Aubrey Atwater
“Chording & Singing, GASP, at the Same Time!” 

BEGINNERS
Participants will learn basic chords in DAD and how to sing and play some verrrrry simple songs! We will also talk about the keys best for YOUR voice.

FRETTED/MOUNTAIN DULCIMER 2
Leo Kretzner
“Not Just the Same Old 12-Bar Blues!”

INTERMEDIATE (Experienced Beginners and up!)
Leo will introduce basic blues for lap dulcimer and give several examples of classic country blues chord patterns. DAD tuning. We’ll start in the key of D and then look at easy ways to play in the standard blues keys E and A –
with or without barre chords!! With many song examples – Sweet Home Chicago, Keys to the Highway, You Got To Move, and more fun.

OTHER WORKSHOPS 1
Patty McCollom   
“Tinwhistle"

BEGINNERS/INTERMEDIATE
Are you looking for an instrument that is fun, portable, and relatively easy to play? If yes, then the tinwhistle is for you. It’s has been around for hundreds of years and is often a featured instrument in Celtic bands. The tinwhistle offers something for every level of player, from simple, unadorned melodies to highly ornamented jigs and reels.

This workshop will be customized to fit the experience level of the players. If both beginners and more advanced players are in the class, the first half will focus on new players to cover breathing, fingering, methods for achieving a good tone, and a simple melody. The second half of class time will then include ornamentation, such as rolls, cuts, taps and slides and a tune using some of these ornaments to benefit the more advanced players. You will need a tinwhistle in the key of D.

OTHER WORKSHOPS 2
Bill Dempsey
“How to Plan and Lead Sing Alongs" 

All Levels
Learn how to plan sing-alongs for special groups, ages and themes. Get tips
from Bill as to how to lead participation music.
He accompanies himself and others on fretted dulcimer/ guitar/ ukulele/ 5 string
banjo/ harmonica/ trombone/ pocket trumpet/ cajon/ etc! Join in for all the fun!
http://www.billdempseymusic.net

Click Here For Explanation of Hammered Dulcimer Class Levels

 

Sample Tune:
"Keven's Coma”
Composed & Performed by Joellen Lapidus on Mountain Dulcimer,
Yvette Devereaux on Violin, Gordon Peeke on Spoons on her NEW CD 
 ‘Dulcimer Music for the Pelican Ballet’
www.lapidusmusic.com

 


 


 

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