The Bluegrass University

We are extremely excited to announce Jenny Brook's Bluegrass University: afternoon workshops for adults on Thursday and Friday, June 23rd and 24th. These classes will be held at the Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival in Tunbridge, VT (www.jennybrookfestival.com), and we have an excellent staff of talented teachers:

Roger Williams  -  Dobro
Chris Brashear  -  fiddle
Rich Stillman  -  banjo
Mary Maguire & Jeff Horton  -  lead & harmony singing
Tony Watt  -  guitar
Ben Pearce  -  mandolin
Steve Roy  -  bass

Visit the Jenny Brook Faculty page to learn more about the Bluegrass University staff at Jenny Brook.

Although each teacher will be addressing different topics (see below), most teachers' classes will be split up by level:

Thursday  -  geared towards beginner/intermediate musicians

Friday  -  geared towards beginners and/or a review of fundamentals for more advanced musicians

You are welcome to sign up for either day individually, or get a discount when you sign up for both. You can also sign up to work with different teachers on Thursday and Friday. Space is limited and there is a discount if you sign up before June 1st; here is the schedule and cost:

Below are the various topics each teacher will be covering on Thursday and Friday. If you have any questions, or if you'd like to register for the Jenny Brook Bluegrass University, please e-mail tony@thebluegrassuniversity.com

Thanks and hope to see you in June!

Thursday  -  Bluegrass Dobro Beyond the Basics
This class is geared towards advanced beginner to intermediate level musicians, and will therefore cover a wider range of topics than Friday's class. In addition to the fundamentals, we will cover topics such as improving your technique and finding your own voice on the instrument. However, like Friday's fundamentals class, we will be responsive to the needs and interests of the students. Students are encouraged to e-mail Roger beforehand (at rogerreso@yahoo.com) if they are interested in covering anything in particular.

Friday  -  Fundamentals of Bluegrass Dobro
This class is geared towards those who are relatively new to the Dobro, or who have been playing for a while, but would like to review some of the fundamentals, such as tone, timing and intonation. Unlike most of the other bluegrass instruments, mastering the fundamentals of the Dobro can be a life-long pursuit, and therefore is always worth practicing. In this class, we will focus on students' questions and interests. Students are encouraged to e-mail Roger beforehand (at rogerreso@yahoo.com) if they are interested in covering anything in particular.

Thursday  -  Tunes, Harmony and How To Jam
Thursday will be spent playing in a variety of contexts: duos, trios, etc., with guitar accompaniment or without, and playing behind a singer or another lead instrument. What everyone wants to be able to do is to feel like they can play with others. A bluegrass fiddler plays an important role in a traditional bluegrass band. Hopefully, we can generate some ideas about what and when to play and to eliminate the many fears often held by fiddlers just learning the craft.
 
Friday  -  Fundamentals of Bluegrass Fiddle
We will approach the fundamentals of bluegrass fiddling by carefully looking at timing, bowing, fingering and developing listening techniques. I want to emphasize that each day in the workshop will be spent trying to get students to play as much as possible. That is to say, we will talk less and play more. All of the things we look at on Friday will be used to expand our abilities to play though tunes and to play in a group.

Thursday  -  Bluegrass Banjo Clinic for Improving Players
This class, aimed at players at an advanced beginner to intermediate level, will cover methods for improving technique and getting more familiar with the instrument. Depending on the level and interests of the group, this class may include practice techniques, developing breaks and finding melodies, backup technique, a little chord theory, discussion of specific tunes, styles and licks, banjo setup and tone, or other topics of interest to the class - so bring your ideas and questions! If you don't have a banjo, let us know when you preregister at least a week in advance, and we'll try to get you a loaner for the day. Sorry, we can't do the same if you register later than that.
 
Friday  -  Starting to Play Bluegrass Banjo: a Fast Track for Novices
Indulge your dreams of being a bluegrass banjo player with this one-day course. The fast track is designed for total beginners or people who have struggled to learn from a book. The course will include four 45-minute group lessons and supervised practices. By the end you should have enough of a foundation in the bluegrass banjo style to play a simple tune or two and to continue learning on your own or with an instructor. If you don't have a banjo, let us know when you preregister at least a week in advance, and we'll try to get you a loaner for the day. Sorry, we can't do the same if you register later than that.

Thursday  -  Developing Bluegrass Lead & Harmony Vocals
This class is sure to boost your effectiveness as the song’s messenger.  We’ll try out different type of bluegrass harmonies and discuss where they fit well. Exploring ways to best compliment particular songs through vocal arrangements, harmony devices and timing ideas will have you expanding the effects you create. You’ll build upon your lead singing skills as we consider and try out effective tones, phrasing, the song’s meaning, song choices, and approaches of fine musicianship that pull the best out of all the band members. As bluegrass encourages instrumentalists to express themselves through improvisation, it also welcomes lead vocalists to use their own voice to deliver the message in distinctive and meaningful ways that bring listeners into the song. Mary Maguire and Jeff Horton plan on you coming away from this year's Jenny Brook excited to put these new ideas into your songs. Recording the class for your own practice needs is permitted.  We’ll have hand-outs for you to minimize note-taking.  Please bring drinking water to wet your whistle.
 
Friday  -  Fundamentals of Bluegrass Lead & Harmony Singing
Ever try to stick to your own harmony part and find someone else is on your note?  What’s up with THAT?  Mary Maguire and Jeff Horton will quickly show you how to solve that problem without the use of duct tape!  Our small-group class at Jenny Brook will give you a strong understanding of harmony and fun exercises guaranteed to expand your range and ability to find those ever important intervals which make harmony. We’ll ask you to bring your song ideas for us to work with as you sample new ways to deliver a convincing lead vocal. We’ll help you increase your comfort with lending your voice in a bluegrass jam or anywhere, as you build your knowledge of how to choose keys and make the most of the voices at hand. Most of all, we’ll have FUN!  Recording the class for your own practice needs is permitted.  We’ll have hand-outs for you to minimize note-taking.  Please bring drinking water to wet your whistle.

Thursday  -  Beginning Bluegrass Lead Guitar
Intended for those who can play some rhythm guitar, but are new to playing lead, or who have been frustrated trying to learn to play lead before. We'll learn how to read tablature (tab), how to play fiddle tunes, and how to take breaks on vocal tunes (including carter style, crosspicking, and single-string soloing). To take full advantage of this course, students should already have some ability to play basic bluegrass rhythm, however you don't need to have previous experience playing any style of lead guitar, or know how to read music. If you don't have a guitar and you let us know at least a week in advance, we'll try to get you a loaner for the workshop; unfortunately, we cannot get you a loaner guitar if you don't let us know at least a week beforehand.
 
Friday  -  Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar: Basics and Beyond
Intended for those who have played at least a little guitar before, and are able to switch between common open chords (such as G, C and D). In this class we'll learn basic bluegrass rhythm guitar such as bluegrass-specific chords, runs between chords, various G runs, and much more. The primary goal is to provide you with the skills needed to play solid bluegrass rhythm and participate in bluegrass jams. You don't need to have previous experience playing (or even listening to) bluegrass, or playing with a pick, and you don't need to be able to read music. If you don't have a guitar and you let us know at least a week in advance, we'll try to get you a loaner for the workshop; unfortunately, we cannot get you a loaner guitar if you don't let us know at least a week beforehand.

Thursday  -  Cracking the Mandolin Code: Chords and Melodies
This class is designed to for the beginning-intermediate or intermediate player and aims at clarifying the relationship between chords and the melodies we play over them.  We will take two tunes as a point of departure and systematically work through the chord and melody relationships.  This approach promises to uncover key concepts that run through all bluegrass and folk tunes and lay significant ground work for improvisation, jamming with other pickers, and playing in keys that may currently be troublesome for some pickers.  We will then apply these lessons on a tune to be determined the day of class and test their merits in a jam session.

Friday  -  Fundamentals of Mandolin and Jamming
This class is a primer in understanding the mandolin and puts its primary focus on learning to play along with others.  Beginning with how to properly hold a pick and the basic mechanics of mandolin playing, we will set out to build a firm foundation for improvement on the mandolin.  We will go through a learning chords for a a few tunes and learning a lead melody for at least one to get a good handle on "mandolin logic" and assist in playing by ear.  Though the class requires little to no experience in playing the mandolin to participate, it will be covering some fundamental aspects to understanding chord relationships on the mandolin that may be useful to players at many levels.

Thursday  -  Bluegrass Bass: Taking it to the Next Level
This class is intended for those who are already comfortable playing basic bluegrass bass, but want to expand their playing.  We will explore various types of bass lines and walks, as well as other techniques such as slapping and bowing.  We will also apply some music theory to the roadmap of the bass, using scales and arpeggios, as well as a myriad of other tricks to make bass playing more fun. If you don't have a bass and you let us know at least a week in advance, we'll try to get you a loaner for the workshop; unfortunately, we cannot get you a loaner bass if you don't let us know at least a week beforehand.
 
Friday  -  Bluegrass Bass: Basics and Beyond
This class is intended for beginner bass players as well as those who have plenty of experience.  We will talk about posture and basic playing technique, explore the roadmap of the fingerboard, and learn to play various types of bluegrass bass lines.  We'll also address the ABC's of playing with other people in a bluegrass band, and how to figure out chord changes to songs you don't know in the middle of a jam. If you don't have a bass and you let us know at least a week in advance, we'll try to get you a loaner for the workshop; unfortunately, we cannot get you a loaner bass if you don't let us know at least a week beforehand.