Get ready to collect two traditional tunes every week in the old time clawhammer style. Each melody will be spelled out in musical ABC, demonstrated slowly, then at natural tempo. A fiddle version of all material is also included to play along with for the sound of a live session.

Intended for those with basic clawhammer stroke experience; free introductory tutorial video available by request with registration.

This 8 session video course may be viewed at any time, and studied at your own pace. In addition to the weekly recorded video links, you will receive interactive emails with articles, chord charts, and diagrams. Since these videos are not a live stream service they will not conflict with your Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu evening  classes.

Whether you’re new to fiddle, or you’re ready to experiment with different genres such as Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Swing and more, this class will bring up your performance level and fine-tune your ear (no music reading is required). Beginners will learn to make confident bow strokes, keep time, and use basic scales in easy keys with simple tunes. If you’ve already mastered those skills, you’ll move on to harmony, double stops, playing in higher positions, and developing your own interests and personal style. If you’ve never picked up a fiddle, or any musical instrument, we’d recommend an “intro to fiddle setup and tuning” workshop that we will customize for new students. Please check the box you’ll see on the registration form to let us know that 1) you’ve never played fiddle before or 2) you’ve never played any instrument.

This 8 session video course may be viewed at any time, and studied at your own pace. In addition to the weekly recorded video links, you will receive interactive emails with articles, chord charts, and diagrams. Since these videos are not a live stream service they will not conflict with your Mon, Tue, Wed evening  classes.

Congratulations on your next move! This is a meetup to figure out this 6-stringed enigma. We start off with a 1-on-1 video call to explore the goals you may have on your guitar journey. Then you’ll receive some “lessons” to consider for our Group Video Meetup! (The meetup time can be flexible, depending on students’use schedules.) After our meetup, we do the second half Zoom Jam!

Each week you’ll get another “lesson” for our next week’s Meetup. We’ll study the Basics of Playing the guitar in a friendly and informative environment where I bet you will amaze yourself. Be patient persistent and present. I will be available through email, phone, video or telepathy to assist in the daily challenges! Let’s play it by ear.

From the footing of tradition the Foundations crew is pickin’ and a grinnin’ with boom-chucks and bass walks, slick licks that make that flat top box talk. We do what needs to be done to be the music and be the fun.

Build on what you learned in Guitar Foundations, or refresh skills you haven’t used in a while.

Pre-requisites: the ability to change chords with ease, knowledge of all basic chords, and some experience with fingerstyle guitar.

Here are the essentials to provide that solid rhythm for dance tempo fiddle tunes, bluegrass, and slow country songs. With close view videos at your own control, you will learn the secrets to having the best tone, steady time, and powerful bass notes. We’ll work on standard material you can put to use right away.

This 8 session video course may be viewed at any time, and studied at your own pace. Since these videos are not a live stream service they will not conflict with your Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu evening classes.

Swing guitar is basically used for keeping rhythm for dancers, although it’s melodic, tuneful, using the popular songs of the late Thirties and early Forties. As dance band guitarists became more known, the instrument was basically acoustic guitar. Players such as Eddie Lang, Django Reinhardt, Lonnie Johnson, Freddie Green, Allen Ruess, Dick McDonough and Carl Kress came into prominence. The lead style derived from Lang eventually found its way into the electric style of Charlie Christian. Swing guitar is different from earlier two-beat music but developed from the dance styles of the Lindy Hop to the Fox Trot and Jitter Bug. It went out of fashion when be bop replaced it. Many of the New York City Night Clubs on 52nd Street discouraged Swing dancing and playing in favor of a more complex modern jazz. It became a lost art but was found in the playing of later electric jazz guitar players. The rhythmic patterns were based on four-four time, unlike its predecessor, two-beat Dixie or New Orleans jazz. Songs that typified that era were “Satin Doll”, “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Out of Nowhere”, “At Sundown”; a branch of Swing Guitar known as Southwestern Swing, also made for dancing, was popularized by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, who highlighted that style of music with “San Antonio Rose”. Early Swing Guitar players reached a high level of expertise.

In this (primarily) discussion class, Frank will demonstrate everything that he teaches, so you can follow and play each step. As each example is played, Frank will go through the applied theory so you’ll have a firm grasp of the ideas presented. The theory will involve chord construction, chord progressions, and lead lines applied to each tune learned.

Whether you’re new to mandolin or already know the basic chords in the key of D, G and A, you will enjoy this mandolin class. We will learn strum patterns, cross-picking, and some simple melodies, all while learning in a group setting, in a fun and sharing environment.

Mini Class

This video course is designed for the absolute novice ukulele player. We will learn fundamental musical techniques and concepts including identifying parts of the ukulele, tuning, strumming, chording, and transposing.

This video course may be viewed at any time, and studied at your own pace. In addition to the weekly recorded video links (about 2 hours total), you will receive interactive emails with articles, chord charts, and diagrams. A short live session may be scheduled during the term. Registration includes attendance at our Second Half session (Mondays and Tuesdays) for the entire term.

This 4-week class will meet June 29, July 13, July 27, and Aug 10.

The Cajun tune “Jolie Blon” started Barbara on a quest that eventually led to learning from the late great Cajun fiddler, Dewey Balfa, at workshops and visits to Mr. Dewey’s home in Basile, LA. Cajun music is the music of immigrants from France who fled persecution and ultimately settled in South Louisiana by way of Canada. It’s filled with a powerful mixture of ancient old world melodies, elements of blues and Creole. The class will be focused on learning Cajun fiddle melodies, techniques that make Cajun music unique, and “seconding” on fiddle.

This class is geared mainly to fiddle but could accommodate mandolin and guitar.

Learn to play your ukulele in the style of the early country artists, such as Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, George Jones, and Willie Nelson.

• Comfort with the basic uke chords – C, D, G, A, E, and F
• Knowledge in building major and minor chords
• Knowledge of 7th chord construction

Join us and get a ukulele look at the music of the Grand Ol’ Opry!

You don’t need taps to learn how to clog–just a spot to dance and shoes that won’t scuff your floor. (Piece of plywood or a dance board optional). American (Appalachian) Clogging has evolved from a style of square dance to a broader form that includes line dancing (without partners) and using clogging steps that have names and are largely shared throughout the clogging community throughout the United States and beyond. You will learn basic clogging steps and we will string the steps together to learn choreography that can be done with music. Clogging is a great way to exercise, improve your daily step count, and even work on your rhythm and music listening skills.

Irish Session Tunes – Appreciation and Learning for Melody Instruments

You can certainly play Irish music by yourself (and you should, at least for practice!) but there’s nothing more enjoyable than a good Irish music session with folks who play at your skill level. In this class you’ll not only learn some starter tunes but you’ll learn the difference between simply playing the notes of a tune and playing a tune “Irish style,” how Irish sessions function, how to find or start the right session for your ability, session “etiquette” and more. Melody instruments only: fiddle, penny whistle, flute, concertina, accordion, mandolin, harp etc. Guitars and bouzoukis are fine if you want to learn to play melody lines – we won’t learn accompaniment in this class. Participants must have at least moderate abilities on their instruments.

Jazz manouche (often referred to as “gypsy jazz”), which was predominantly
pioneered by legendary Belgian Manouche guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt
in France in the 1930s, is heavily influenced by French, Belgian, and Romani
traditional music and can be considered the European counterpart to
American swing. Unlike in American jazz, a typical jazz manouche band
consists of string instruments with the violin as the lead melodic instrument.

This class is meant to serve as a beginner introduction to jazz manouche
violin, a “meet and greet” if you will. It is impossible to learn everything about
jazz manouche in 8 weeks or 8 months really—one might say that even the
greatest jazz musician is a student of jazz their entire life. We should not be
intimidated by this, though, because the study of jazz is as fulfilling as it is
demanding. Instead we should relish this opportunity for limitless growth
and the pursuit of self-expression, reveling in our achievements along the
way. If you take nothing else from this class, I hope you at least internalize this
philosophy.

There are a number of practical and specific skills we will be working on
during this class that will help you in your musical pursuits. These skills will be
geared toward jazz manouche, but they also apply to any genre of music:

• Practical music theory: scales, arpeggios, chord progressions, etc.
• Ear training: passive and active listening, picking out key and time
  signatures, hearing chord qualities and progressions, etc.
• Reading chord charts: understanding chord progressions and how
  chords function, finding key modulations, etc.
• Soloing: licks and improvisation, phrasing, musical ideas, creative
  problem solving, etc.

Welcome! Looking forward to swinging with you!

This class will build on the basics of music theory: the major keys and the related sharps or flats (key signature), the related minor keys, the circle of fifths, as well as basic rhythms. You will also learn how to construct chords and to transpose from one key to another—all very essential skills in really understanding how music works!

Do you love old-time dance tunes? Do you have the basics of your instrument down and are you looking for a class to help build up your repertoire? Look no further, because this is the class for you! This class will be based entirely on old-time instrumental tunes played for contra and square dances. Some examples of tunes we might cover are: “Shove that Pig’s Foot,” “Fortune,” “Take Me Back to Georgia,” “Sandy Boys,” “Flop-Eared Mule,” “Old Grey Eagle,” “Soldier’s Joy,” and “Big Sciota.” We will also cover a handful of waltzes if time allows. Although some of these tunes may have verses that we may include, the emphasis will be on learning the instrumentals, bringing them up to a rollicking dance tempo, and refining the group dynamics. You’ll end the term with several new old time tunes under your belt and be ready to go help everyone else kick up their heels!

Come sing all manner of songs, from Southern Appalachian mountain tunes to  country to early rock. We’ll start with a strong feel for the main melody, timing, and phrasing, and add harmonies where they fit in a supportive and friendly group setting. No need for extensive vocal experience or ability to read music. It is helpful for participants to be able to match basic pitch, which we will practice.

You can register for both Sunday sessions, or just one, on the registration form.

Details:
What: Open Tuned Fiddle Workshop; Mick Kinney, instructor
Who: All fiddlers who would like to expand their tune knowledge and discover alternative tunings
When: July 18 and July 25, 2:00-5:00 (with time for a break)
Where: Gillespie Building at Decatur’s Legacy Park – 500 South Columbia Dr, Decatur (click here for directions)
Cost: ONE session $50 ($45 for FHS members);
BOTH sessions $90 ($80 for FHS members)
Note: This is an in-person class. Please plan to wear a mask if you are not fully vaccinated.

Many traditional fiddle tunes have a special sound that can only be made using non-standard tunings. These alternate tunings allow open strings to be bowed for a sustained resonant effect similar to bagpipe drones. Fingering is often the same as normal classical tuning, or may use the open tuning to an advantage in the melody such as in old time banjo.

We will introduce tunes in alternative tunings such as Citico, Calico, High Bass, Cross, and Open D (Bonaparte’s Retreat).

This two weekend sessions workshop spans one week. The first session is Sunday, July 18, the next the following Sunday, July 25. This is an in-person class!

So that you can keep your own fiddle tuned in standard EADG, fiddles are available for rental through registration (handled on a case-to-case basis).