Here
is the basic course of study for the novice player looking for a fresh start or
for the person who has just bought a banjo and needs to learn the basics. Bob Altschuler, the BCN Beginner Bluegrass
Track Coordinator, will provide his expert knowledge and teaching to get you up
and running. Bob will start with banjo
anatomy, use of picks, holding the banjo, tuning, hand positions, reading
tabulature, and some basic chords. You will also learn
basic rolls and a two-chord song.
Bob Altschuler (Novice-Beginner)
Review of Part I, plus new material that
includes additional basic rolls, another two-chord song and left-hand techniques featuring the use
of slides and hammer-ons.
Bob Altschuler, Bruce Stockwell (Novice-Beginner)
This
class will review Parts I and II in order to deepen students’ understanding of
the basics of bluegrass banjo playing.
Bob will invite class members to ask questions to be sure that all
students are comfortable with the material.
Bob Altschuler (Novice-Beginner)
Moveable Chords, Positions
and Licks for the
Moveable chords and other positions are essential and
very useful because the same positions can be played in many places on the
neck. Bob will teach basic chord theory
and how to find and use moveable chords and positions, including the three
major closed chords, as well as moveable minors and 7ths. Learn how to see the neck as a whole and
switch and connect the positions for vamping, back-up and leads. Bob will also demonstrate how to find other
moveable positions and licks to add variety and excitement to your playing.
Bob Altschuler
(Beginner-Advancing Beginner)
Basic
This class will provide and exploration of the most useful basic
bluegrass banjo rolls and left-hand techniques.
Learn to add slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs to your rolls to create
licks and patterns that form the basis of Scruggs-style playing. We’ll also play a basic song using these
rolls and licks. This is the essential
class for right-hand roll patterns and left-hand techniques for beginners.
Bob Altschuler (Beginner)
It’s All
in the Details: Adding Exciting Tags and Fill-in Licks to Your Playing
Tag and fill-in licks can really spice up your playing and provide
variety to your breaks and back-up. Learn what fill-in and tag licks are and
where to find them, how to use them in songs and how to think of licks as
modular units. Build your repertoire of
exciting licks and add the “wow” factor to your playing!
Bob Altschuler (Advancing beginner-Intermediate)
Road Maps and Signposts for
Ron Cody and Mike Kropp will share some unique and
practical ideas for exploring the fingerboard.
We’ll look at some basic music theory, unique ways to utilize common
rolls on inside strings, how to play chord fragments for ascending and
descending lines, and how to visualize the guideposts on the fingerboard. This class will help you use what you already
know and learn some new techniques to expand the way you think about playing
the banjo. Good nourishment for the
right and left hand!
Ron Cody, Mike Kropp (Intermediate-Advanced)
Single-String Techniques
for
Ron Cody, single string maestro, will teach students how to gain
speed and proficiency by applying single string techniques to their
playing. Ron will also demonstrate some
interesting patterns that will help unlock this essential style.
Ron Cody, Glenn Nelson (Intermediate-Advanced)
Intermediate and Advanced
Irish Five-String
Learn some Irish reels, jigs and hornpipes for the five-string,
using a variety of single-string techniques and other methods applicable to
this style. Get that authentic Irish
feel and sound!
Ron Cody (Intermediate-Advanced)
Combine F and D chord formation to create licks and fills up the
neck.
Janet Davis, Rich Stillman (Intermediate)
Scruggs-Style Playing in C
and D or any Key!
Once you have Scruggs style covered for playing in G, its time to
learn how to play in other keys. This
class will give you the tools to start navigating through the keys of C and
D. As a bonus, Janet will also show you
how to play in any key! Explore the
important tonalities of these great keys.
Janet Davis, Dave Kiphuth (Advancing
beginner-Intermediate)
The Great
The great signature licks used for fills and tags will be
presented. Learn the right way to play
them à la Earl, J.D., Sonny, et al.
Here’s your chance to learn the licks of the pros.
Janet Davis, Rich Stillman,
Bruce Stockwell (Intermediate)
Splitting the Licks: Improvise and Arrange Tunes in
Janet Davis’ popular class returns! After all, she wrote the book
(literally). This year, she’s joined by
Eric Weissberg, urban pioneer of Scruggs style in NYC in the 1950’s. Learn how to improvise and arrange songs for
the five-string banjo in Scruggs, melodic and chromatic styles. Selected songs are demonstrated step-by-step,
from basic tune to complete arrangements.
Janet Davis, Eric Weissberg (Advancing
beginner-Intermediate)
Playing the 5th through the 22nd frets. Roll patterns, licks for common chords, right
hand positions, chord progressions, up-the-neck licks, back-up, and more.
Janet Davis, Rich Stillman (Intermediate-Advanced)
Scruggs Classics
Learn a selection of Earl Scruggs’ most famous
tunes. Special attention will be given
to the actual fingerings and right hand patterns that set Earl’s playing apart
from that of the rest of us mortals.
Janet Davis, Eric Weissberg, (Intermediate)
Mapping Out a Song from
Kick-off to Ending
Bill Evans will use J.D. Crowe’s recording of Your Love is Like a Flower to take a look
at all the different techniques great bluegrass banjoists use in playing from
the beginning to the end of a song. This
session will provide you with a good inventory of what you already know and
what you need to work on!
Bill Evans (Intermediate-Advanced)
Right Hand Master Class
with Bill Evans
Tonemeister Bill Evans shares his knowledge of right hand
technique. This class will provide a
“picks on” examination of all aspects of right hand technique, from hand
position to fingerpick placement and striking the strings. Bill has designed this essential class to
maximize tone, volume and ease of playing by finding what works best for you.
Bill Evans (All levels)
Banjoisticus!- Classic Style Banjo
Classic
banjo style at the turn of the 20th century spawned several notable
player-composers. Paul Eno was one of
the highly acclaimed early pioneers of this elegant music. Bill will teach Eno’s “classic style”
composition, Banjoisticus for
intermediate-level finger-style players.
Steel strings welcome!
Bill Evans (Intermediate)
Moving Beyond “
Bill will demonstrate and explain the use of 6ths, 7ths,
9ths, and altered chords for lead and back-up playing. This session will broaden your musical
knowledge and enhance your playing!
Bill Evans (Intermediate-Advanced)
Learn Theme Time!: Increase Your Knowledge of Passing Chords
Try your hand at a great bluegrass standard and increase your
knowledge of passing chords at the same time!
Passing chords bridge the melodic spaces between the conventional chords
of a tune or song.
Bill Evans (Intermediate-Advanced)
Five-String Banjo
Duets: Clawhammer and
The place where clawhammer and bluegrass banjo meet
provides musical common ground and repertoire for a great time. The instructors will demonstrate and
improvise in this increasingly popular form mixing clawhammer, old-time
finger-picking and bluegrass style. The instructors will play old-time tunes in
bluegrass style and vice versa—the possibilities are endless. Players of all persuasions are invited to
join in!
Kropp, Alden, Hermann, Kiphuth (Workshop; all levels welcome)
Fiddle Favorites for the
Banjo
Alan Munde’s signature style covers a wide variety of
fiddle material, and he is known as one of the leading arrangers and performers
of fiddle tunes in three-finger style.
Alan will teach students how to find the key elements necessary to
arrange tunes commonly associated with fiddle.
Alan Munde (Advanced)
Roll Logic for
Alan Munde’s right hand is one of the great rhythm and tone
machines on the Banjo Planet. Alan will
demystify right-hand rolls and reveal how they work. All bluegrass players will benefit from this
unique class.
Alan Munde (All Levels)
Alan World: Signature Compositions
Alan Munde set the banjo universe on fire early in his career with
the notable albums Poor Richard’s Almanac
and Banjo Sandwich. For years, banjoists have learned Alan’s
tunes and added them to their repertoire. In this class, Alan will teach
original compositions including: Molly
Bloom, Peaches and Cream, Stymied, Uncle Clooney Played the Banjo, and
others.
Alan Munde (All Levels)
Tools and Techniques for
Alan will present some of the building blocks of bluegrass banjo
playing, with a dash of banjo-applicable music theory thrown in. This class will broaden your approach to
playing on all levels. Join Alan as he
delves into the commonly used intervals of 3rds and 6ths.
Alan Munde (All Levels)
Creating Solos to Songs,
Creating your own solos to songs is a challenge, but this
class will meet met it head-on. Using a
common bluegrass song as a model, we’ll look at the many musical ideas that are
available in order to create a variety of solo possibilities.
Alan Munde (All Levels)
The Great Divide Returns:
Melodic
It’s bluegrass! It’s
old-timey! It’s banjo! Who knew?
Using fiddle tunes as a common ground, two expert practitioners of these
styles demonstrate their similarities and differences.
Alan Munde, Howie Bursen (Presentation; all
levels welcome)
Banjo Set-up: Getting the Best Tone from Your Banjo
Glenn Nelson, master luthier and proprietor of Mockingbird Music,
will discuss and demonstrate the best ways to set up your banjo for killer
tone. We are talking all styles of
banjos here-openback and resonator style. Topics covered will include truss rod
adjustment, proper seating of the tone ring, optimum neck angle and dowel
placement, tailpiece height and tension, tuning the head,
optimum fret height, and action.
Glenn Nelson (Presentation; all
levels welcome)
This forum presents the spectrum of interaction between the fiddle
and banjo in a bluegrass setting.
Discover the role of banjo accompaniment and back-up for fiddle, as well
as unison playing and mixing styles.
Rich Stillman,
Dave Reiner, Mike Kropp, Dave Kiphuth (All levels)
Interpreting Music Notation
for the Five String Banjo
Rich Stillman will present his take on this exciting facet of
banjo repertoire. He will demonstrate this realm by using orchestral pieces
that he has interpreted. Now’s the time to get some “high brow” music into your
bag of tricks!
Rich Stillman (All)
Earl off the Record:
Scruggs’ Playing outside the Studio
An analysis of Earl Scruggs’ non-studio performances. We’ll listen to recordings from live radio
shows and performances that show aspects of Earl’s style that didn’t always
make it onto vinyl.
Rich Stillman (Intermediate-Advanced)
Melodies and Rolls: Creating a
Finding
the melody notes and “framing” them with rolls and chord forms: we’ll learn to
choose the correct rolls, quarter notes and phrasing. Using classic solos as models, we’ll examine
the possibilities phrase-by phrase and piece together our own original solos.
Bruce Stockwell (Advancing
beginner-Intermediate)
Music Fundamentals for the Advancing
Basic
information that will help the aspiring banjo player understand
the fundamentals of music theory and how it relates to the banjo.
Bruce Stockwell (Advancing
beginner-Intermediate)
What
to do when you’re not soloing or playing rhythm. We’ll get you started with rolls in the first
position, outlining chords and chord transitions, target tones, escapes, and
tag licks.
Bruce Stockwell (Advancing Beginner)
Composition Workshop for
the Banjo
In this new interactive class,
Tony Trischka proposes to compose four or five tunes in advance, based on
suggestions from BCN campers.
Suggestions can include different tunings, time signatures, specific
key, “in the style of”, or anything else that you can come up with. Tony will debut the compositions in class
(with one tune debuting at the Banjo Extravaganza the night before camp). He will discuss the process for creating each
tune and move into a general discussion and primer of composition for the
banjo. If you’ve always wanted to write a tune and haven’t been able to get the
creative juices flowing, or if you’ve wanted to find new ways to express your
musicality, this class is for you.
Bluegrass Music Director Mike Kropp will forward your suggestions
directly to Tony. Please send ideas to
<banjokropp@earthlink.net>.
Tony Trischka (Intermediate-Advanced)
TONY TRISCHKA'S COMPOSITION CLASS /WORKSHOP BCN 2007
Tony Trischka is requesting BCN participants to provide
suggestions for ideas to be used in his class Composition Workshop for the Banjo at BCN 2007.
Tony plans to write several tunes in advance of camp, to be
debuted in class. He will then discuss
the process he used for creating each of the tunes and move into a general
discussion of composition for banjo. He
asks that campers suggest tunings, different time signatures, a particular key,
"write in the style of," or anything else you can think of. Tony will pick four or
five out of the assortment to play in class, with one of the tunes to be
premiered at the BANJO EXTRAVAGANZA concert the night before camp.
So that Tony can start to
work on the project as soon as possible, please send your suggestions to the
BCN group forum or directly to
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Twin & Triple Banjo
Spectacular!!
What’s better than one banjo? Two banjos?
Three banjos!!! The greatest invention
of the 20th Century! Join
Tony, Alan and Bill in exploring and finding harmony parts for twinnin’ and
triplin’ the ol’ five string on old favorites and
original tunes.
Tony Trischka, Bill Evans,
Alan Munde (Intermediate-Advanced)
The History of the Melodic
Style for Five String Banjo
Tony will trace the evolution of melodic style banjo from
Minstrelsy to Parlor to Best to Thompson to Keith. An important overview of
the historical journey from early minstrel-style banjo to Bill Keith’s
revolutionary application of using melodic style in the modern era.
Tony Trischka (All)
Fresh Angles for
Tony explores and demonstrates
ideas that will get you thinking in new ways to spice up your style and
kick-start your creative juices. This
class is devoted to low breaks, low drones, low thumb (alternating), and things
up high, too, such as descending melodic-sounding lines, Shelton-style playing
and more.
Tony Trischka (Intermediate-Advanced)
Deep Earl: From Bridge to Nut
An in-depth look at Earl Scruggs’ music, covering many
subtle approaches: choking the bend,
going up on one’s nails, left hand positions for “Farewell Blues,”. playing syllables from the
vocals, back-up, and more.
Tony Trischka (Intermediate-Advanced)
Eric Weissberg’s New
Dimensions in
Eric’s contributions to the current popularity of the
five-string banjo are enormous. His New Dimensions in Bluegrass Banjo album
(later to become the “Deliverance” soundtrack) introduced many budding players
to new realms of playing. In this class,
Eric will explain several of his signature tunes, including Pony Express, No Title Yet Blues, and Eighth of January. Tony Trischka and Mike Kropp will be on hand
to assist Eric and join in a discussion about some of his landmark
contributions, from his tenure with The Tarriers to Duelin’ Banjos and beyond.
Eric Weissberg, Tony
Trischka, Mike Kropp (All)
Banjo Techniques for
Accompanying Vocals
Eric Weissberg has long been the banjo accompanist of choice for
many leading recording artists including Leon Bibb, Judy Collins, Billy Joel,
Art Garfunkel, and Peter, Paul and Mary.
Eric will describe the role of the banjo as an integral part of an
arrangement and demonstrate how to support the vocals without dominating.
Eric Weissberg, Dave
Kipputh, Linda Schrade (All levels)
Eric Weissberg and the gang team up to play a bunch of tunes and
demonstrate their personal styles of improvisation. The players will elaborate on the fingerboard
techniques and knowledge that allow them to stretch out beyond the norm. Instructors will demonstrate various
techniques for improvising, incorporating melodics, single string work, chord
and jazz styles, and beyond. Learn new
ways to think about the instrument and get some great tips on how to improvise
in the bluegrass style.
Weissberg, Nelson, Cody,
Stockwell, Kropp (Intermediate-Advanced)
In this two-session class we’ll join with other campers and
experienced instructors to form off-the-cuff combos and receive coaching on
playing in an ensemble. In the second
session our new bands will demonstrate what they’ve learned and receive a
constructive critique from their instructors and peers.
Eric Weissberg, Phil
Zimmerman, Rick Starkey, Alan Kaufmann (Intermediate-Advanced)
Intro to Clawhammer Banjo for
Learn
the basics of this fundamental old-time style, taught from a perspective
accessible to bluegrass banjo players.
Phil Zimmerman (All levels welcome)