Workshops and Lessons
Workshops
Dulcimer Clubs or Small Groups - It doesn’t matter how big or what level your group is. If you’re in a group or circle of friends that plays dulcimer and interested in having a day or several days of instruction I’d love to come for a visit.
Pricing - Workshop lengths and rates are not set in stone. Every group is different and I’m very happy to try to accommodate the needs and requests of groups as best I can. Typically, what I would charge per person for a day of 75 minute workshops is something like this...
$25 - 1 workshop
$45 - 2 workshops
$60 - 3 workshops
$10 for each additional workshop
Subjects - Below is a sampling of some of the topics I’ve enjoyed teaching at different festivals and dulcimer clubs the last few years. However, I’m always happy to do a custom lesson plan if your group has a certain direction in mind or has something specific you’d like to improve on as a group.
***Important!*** - While these are listed in order from beginner to more advanced, there’s room in most of these classes to be geared towards whatever level is appropriate for the group. In other words, if a certain class sounds intriguing but is listed at a higher level than you would place your group, don’t be discouraged. It’s very likely that we can make it work.
Workshop Titles and Descriptions
Dulcimer 101 - You’ve got to start somewhere. This workshop is a safe place for that. We’ll cover everything you need to start making music on the dulcimer. Beginner
A contemporary approach to Mountain Dulcimer from the ground up - For absolute beginners or players looking for a solid foundation in a style that lends itself chord-melody, flatpicking, and use of the entire fretboard. Emphasis will be on ergonomics and how to move forward with your playing. Beginner
Exercises - This workshop will get your hands working in sync with a focus on improving dexterity and speed without hurting yourself in the process. For all levels
Tunes that don’t get played enough - In this class, we’ll work through a pile of simple tunes that work great for jamming but haven’t quite reached the level of popularity that they deserve. Bring a capo. Advanced Beginner - Intermediate
Playing with drive - This class covers right and left hand phrasing tricks to help add forward momentum and pulse to your playing. Novice and up
Beyond Basic Accompaniment - This class will explore different approaches to enhancing the sound of any musical situation by playing back up. We’ll discuss ideas for choosing the appropriate chords for a melody and how to vary them to create interesting contrast as well as techniques used to rhythmically organize your chordal ideas. Very basic and fundamental music theory will be covered as it applies to chords and chord substitutions. Bring a capo. DAD tuning. Novice and up
Fundamentals of Flatpicking - We’ll work slowly and concentrate on articulation, flow, and pulling good tone. We’ll also learn a few tunes in the process. Novice/Intermediate
Decomposing Fast Tunes - When getting your feet wet with jamming, it can be a little baffling watching advanced players learn tunes on the fly. In this workshop we’ll talk about finding the skeleton of the tune and then how to flesh it out with other notes. Novice/Intermediate and up
Licks and Improvisation - Learn how to improvise over a chord progression and how incorporate "blue notes" into your solos. We’ll also talk about what a "lick" is and how to create your own. Bring a capo. DAD tuning. Intermediate and up
Irish Session Tunes - Learn how to flatpick tunes that get played frequently at Irish sessions. We’ll also discuss ornamentation and how to accompany these tunes on the dulcimer. Intermediate - Advanced
Mastering Variations - This workshop uses fiddle tunes as a way to show how to add variation to tunes you already know. Variations will be split into rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic variations and then put together into a fiddle tuney collage of awesomeness. Intermediate - Advanced.
No Limits - Arrangements that are made to stretch the way you think of the dulcimer fretboard. The material covered is designed to greatly increase your technical abilities, understanding of the entire fretboard, sense of flow and subtle nuance, and broaden your means of expression through the dulcimer. Advanced
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Weeklong or multi-day workshops (contact me for rates)
Not All Who Wander Are Lost - We’ll work on being mentally and physically prepared to let our music take us where it wants to go. Topics covered will include improvisation, variation, phrasing tricks, and tapping into a mindset conducive to playing with spontaneity. DAD. Bring Capo. Intermediate-Advanced
Chord Substitutions - The mood of any tune or song is greatly influenced by the chords that are played with it. In this class, we’ll have short doses of theory and apply what we’ve covered to make some “outside the box” chord melody arrangements. Nov./Int. and up
The Hard Stuff - Learning one pretty hard piece of music can be one of the best investments in your playing ability. In this class we’ll work through the tune “Hi Mom.” 1.5 and 8.5 fret required. Advanced.
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Lessons
While I’m at home in Tallahassee, FL or on the road I’m always glad to fit lessons in when possible.
$30 - 30 minute lesson
$40 - 1 hour lesson
$50 - Lesson goes until you feel dulcified
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