Coshocton Dulcimer Days Festival
Coshocton, OH
June 19-21, 2009
Workshops taught by Brett Ridgeway
Schedule will be available at www.dulcimerdays.com Each workshop is $15 and is an hour and fifteen minutes long. Workshop fees should be paid directly to Brett or Serenity Ridgeway prior to each workshop. If you are planning to attend please contact us to pre-register. This allows us to be better prepared with hand-outs and other materials for the classes. If we can clarify or answer any questions about our workshops, please feel free to email us at fbridgeway@juno.com or call us at 330-221-6404. Thank you!
Hammered Dulcimer:
"The Way-Laid Back Beginner's Hammered Dulcimer Workshop"
This is a no fuss, no fret, kick your shoes off, relax and have fun hands-on workshop covering the basics of hammered dulcimer from the correct way to hold your hammers to how your instrument is set up. We will learn chords, chord patterns, octaves, how to find harmony notes, and hammering techniques. We will also cover how to take care of your instrument and even learn a tune! I may have access to a hammered dulcimer to use free of charge for this workshop for anyone attending and wanting to try it out. Please conact me to reserve an instrument or with any questions regarding the workshops: fbridgeway@juno.com
Level: Beginner, No Stress, Fun, Workshop Saturday: 9:00 - 10:15 A.M.
"Embellishing with Chromatic Runs"
No chromatic bridges needed, we will teach a roller-coaster ride of a tune using the chromatic scales found on your standard instrument! This workshop will also open up new opportunities and ideas in using chromatic embellishments. We will teach both a standard version of a tune and a very cool chromatic version. This is a great embellishment tool that can be applied to other tunes you may know or will learn! No need to read standard notation!
Level: Adv. Beginner - Advanced Saturday: 2:15 - 3:30 P.M.
All Instruments: Dulcimers and More
"Diddling, Noodling, & Jigging-Learning to Play by Ear"
"Does anyone have the music for..." (cringe) FREE YOURSELF and your dependency of reading music, standard notation or tab to learn a tune! Using traditional Celtic techniques, almost anyone can learn to play any instrument by ear, they just don't know it, or know how to do it, and are often surprised at their ability to do so! Noodling and diddling, also called jigging, litlting, dowdling are excellent tools in learning to play the hammered dulcimer, Appalchian dulcimer, banjo, fiddle...or any instrument for that matter! This is a HANDS-ON workshop for all instruments. Using simple ear training exercises, playing a simple scale and you will be picking out tunes-by ear- by the end of this workshop! You will surprise yourself! I have used these techniques severeal times in my workshops and one-on-one teaching and the most often exclaimed phrase is, "I can't believe I can do this!!!" Whether you read music or not, learning to play by ear is a helpful skill and yes, can be learned in this workshop! Level: All Levels - All Instruments Saturday: 3:45 - 5:00 P.M.
Appalachian Dulcimer:
"Fools Rush In"
Learn this beautiful rendition of "Fools Rush In" (...I can't help, falling in love with you...) made popular by Elvis Presely. The entire tune will be taught note for note with special emphasis to chord progressions, cross picking, arpeggios and dynamics. You will walk away from this workshop with a beautifully arranged performance piece that is performance ready!
Level: Adv. Beginner - Advanced Saturday: 10:30 - 11:45 A.M.
Clawhammer Banjo:
"Solving the Mystery of Clawhammer Banjo"
This is a beginner workshop that will cover the fundamentals of playing clawhammer banjo. We will break down, step by step, the basics of the right hand movement and rhythm. This tends to be a mystery for many who want to learn this traditional style of playing. We will also cover chords, rhythm, and left hand techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides.This is a HANDS-ON class with personal attention and help to master the elusive clawhammer move. We will delve lightly into drop thumbing, providing exercises to help master the move. And of course, we will learn a few tunes. Mystery solved and a lot of fun!
Level: Beginner Saturday: 12:45-2:00 P..M.
Bluegrass Banjo
"Pickin' & Still Grinnin' " - Introduction to Bluegrass Banjo"
An introduction to the three-finger picking style of bluegrass banjo. We will cover right hand position, basic rolls along with some exercises to build right-hand proficiency and speed, the secret to playing "fast" . We will also explore left hand techniques such as slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and the proper way to make chords. And of course, we will learn at least one tune and maybe more. This workshop will head off or correct the many bad habits new players tend to develop. Level: Beginner Friday: 6:00 - 7:15 P.M.
Fiddle:
"Bunny Slope for Fiddle"
taught by Serenity Ridgeway
This is an absolute beginner fiddle workshop for those who may have an interest in playing but find learning to play dumbfounding or even scary! If you are not sure where to start or if you are on the right track then come learn everything from how to care for and tune your fiddle to how to begin playing real (recognizable) songs that you enjoy! This class will be informative and purposefully unintimidating…so come in your pajamas and fuzzy bunny slippers if you want, but just come and have some fun while learning how to "fiddle around” (pun intended)! (Attendees are encouraged to bring a fiddle (violin) if available but are also welcome to sit in even without an instrument. Extra instruments WILL NOT be provided.)
Level: Beginner Saturday: 2:15-3:30 P.M.
"Fancifying Fiddling"
taught by Serenity Ridgeway
No, it's not a real word so please don't look it up...but it is a wonderful idea! In this fiddle workshop you'll learn several different techniques to bring simple melodies to life and give them that old timey fiddle sound. Just to wet your appetite here are a few things we'll cover while using the song "Old Joe Clark": droning, double stops, rhythm, shuffles, triplets, harmony, back-up and more! Beginners and on will find that these tools will give you the ability and inspiration to take any song and really make it your own!
Level: Beginner - Intermediate Saturday: 3:45 -5:00 P.M.
Brett Ridgeway currently teaches private and group lessons on an almost daily basis. He is the longest standing instructor of traditional and Appalachian intruments at the GitterPicker String Factory in Twinsburg, Ohio. Brett is also on faculty at the Willoughby School of Fine Arts, in Willoughby, Ohio. He is founder of the Laurel Highlands Dulcimer Workshop in Farmington, Pennsylvania and also a standing contributor to performances and workshops at the Historic Roscoe Village, Coshocton, OH , the oldest dulcimer festival in the eastern United States. His dedicated love for traditional American music is why he works to educate others about this style of music. Brett's philosophy is simple yet far reaching: "anyone can make music, regardless of age, musical ability or knowledge...or any other excuse someone can come up with"! Brett Ridgeway has been teaching stringed instruments for 30 years and currently has over fifty students. He has produced several HD CD lessons and is consistently receiving requests for more. This is a good opportunity to have an intimate, personal, and fun workshop that will teach you to not just play tunes, but to play and understand your instrument! He has taught students from three years old to folks nearing their nineties!
