2010 dates announced: June 20 - June 26, 2010 (below information is about the 2009 edition of Bluegrass in the Blue Ridge)
Improve your skills and play with more confidence... This affordable week of personal instruction, jamming, and playing with nationally known bluegrass instructors and musicians is certain to improve your skills and help you play with more confidence! Whether beginner or expert, this is a great opportunity for players of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to learn more about the music they love! Learn from friendly, available instructors... Experienced instructors who are invested in your growth are the hallmark of this exciting program. In addition to nearly three hours of instruction each morning, instructors are available outside the classroom to teach master classes and workshops, answer your questions, help you with problems, and jam with you informally.
Come to the mountains to see old friends and make new... The beauty of this rich music tradition and the friendships it creates are best experienced in its Western North Carolina mountain home! These are challenging ecomonic times, so we have gone to great lengths to make this an affordable opportunity for all music lovers and friends to take a break and join us for this amazing week of great bluegrass music.   Classes and More... Classes are scheduled each morning before lunch. Plus: Master Classes, Topical Workshops, and Ensemble Workshops. Concerts each evening will showcase the tremendous faculty talent and music and give you an opportunity to see these world class musicians performing their arts. Select a Class. . . . Beginning Banjo with Bobby Anderson Intermediate Banjo with George Buckner Advanced Banjo with Dave Talbot Beginning Fiddle with Roger Howell Intermediate Fiddle with Adam Masters Advanced Fiddle with Lew Gelfond Beginning Guitar with Chris Sharp Intermediate Guitar with Steve Kilby Advanced Guitar with Jack Lawrence Beginning Mandolin with Rhonda Gouge Intermediate Mandolin with Wayne Erbsen Advanced Mandolin with Darin Aldridge
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Beginning Banjo / Bobby Anderson
This class is designed for beginners who have never even held a banjo. You will learn to tune the banjo, play simple chords and melodies, and learn some right hand picking techniques. You will learn to “pick out” the melody while keeping the rhythm intact. By the end of the week, you’ll be a banjo player.

Bobby Anderson is a seasoned bluegrass banjo player who has played many professional venues during his career.  He currently performs with his own band and operates Blue Ridge Music in Asheville, where he has a full teaching load and years of experience teaching beginners.

Intermediate Banjo / George Buckner
This class will enable students to take three approaches to tunes; a typical three-finger Scruggs style arrangement, a melodic style, and a single string style.   Students will create an arrangement based on each of these styles.  We will also stress playing in tune and in time.  Students may find a metronome helpful. 

George Buckner is a great local banjo player who is also well known in Japan, through his many tours there with Chris Sharp.   He has performed and recorded from Asheville to Nashville and has a powerful bluegrass style. George and his wife, Brooke, perform together at many area locations and he performs with the bluegrass band Tipton Hill Boys.

Advanced Banjo / Dave Talbot
Students will learn fundamentals of Scruggs style banjo picking and how it relates to playing in band contexts, as well as advanced level tricks and techniques.  Class will also address banjo set-up, maintenance, and hardware.

Dave Talbot is one of the most respected banjo players in the music business.  He contributed to Lonesome Standard Time’s Grammy-nominated “Murder On Music Row” with Larry Cordle; was a founding member of IBMA’s Entertainer of the Year “The Grascals”, recording two Grammy nominated albums for Rounder; and appears on 2007 Grammy-nominated recordings by Dolly Parton and Jim Lauderdale. He played on the classic “Bluegrass Fiddle Album”, winner of IBMA’s Instrumental Album of the Year. His recordings have included albums with Reba McEntire, Tony Rice, Larry Cordle, Sam Bush, Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Bryan Sutton, Aubrey Haynie, Marty Raybon and others.  David has performed on Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien’s network television shows with Dolly Parton; Dolly invited him to be a full-time member of her “Mighty Fine Band.” He records and tours with her extensively playing both the five-string banjo and acoustic guitar.  He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Beginning Fiddle / Roger Howell
As beginners, students will learn the different parts of the fiddle, importance of proper tuning, how to set up their instrument, and the proper way to hold their fiddle and bow. Students will learn simple tunes in standard tuning.  They will learn some history of regional Bluegrass music, including demonstrations of influential fiddle styles such as Fiddlin’ Authur Smith and Tommy Hunter.  Bowing techniques, such as shuffles and double-stops, will be demonstrated.  Please bring a digital tuner, a recording device, an extra set of strings, rosin, and a note pad.

Roger Howell’s influences range from the late Tommy Hunter and Woodrow Boone, to regional artists like Arvil Freeman.  His skill on many different instruments is a testament to 45 plus years of music-making.  He was asked to join the great Carroll Best String Band in the early 1990s.  He worked closely with Ernest Smith, son of Grand Ol’ Opry’s legendary artist Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith.  He learned many tunes from Ernest’s collection of the early Opry greats and some of his old friends like Benny Sims.  Roger’s bow style has been described as “a thing of beauty” by his peers.  He has dozens of top awards from contests such as the Georgia Mountain Fair and Fiddler’s Grove Festival and his music has also appeared in movies like “Songcatcher,” “Rank Strangers”, and “Why Old-Time?” 

Intermediate Fiddle / Adam Masters
This class is for violinists/fiddlers who can play the instrument and know some tunes but want to get better at improvising, playing over chord changes, learning how to use doublestops, and creating harmony for twin fiddling.  We’ll take several standard bluegrass tunes in different keys and analyze the melody over the chord changes, increasing your knowledge of the fret board and making you more comfortable improvising in a variety of settings.  This class will give you the tools to become a better player, teaching you why something works so that you can apply it in different situations. You will learn how the lead line fits in with the rest of the band and thus have the knowledge to add harmony notes and doublestops, thickening up the fiddle playing.  Elements of tone, timing, and intonation will be practiced. We will also discuss how the fiddle fits into a band and backing up other instruments.

Adam Masters is a long time student of the fiddle, starting with Suzuki and classical music as a child and playing bluegrass for the last seven years.  Adam has studied extensively with Bobby Hicks and Arvil Freeman and can play a wide variety of tunes.  Adam specializes in harmony fiddle playing and plays with the contra dance band Chicken Tractor.  Adam is a patient, knowledgeable communicator capable of meeting students on their level and communicating concepts in a clear, concise and understandable way.  

Advanced Fiddle / Lew Gelfond
Students should know a variety of core bluegrass tunes and be familiar with a variety of keys. We’ll look at how the tunes fit the keys, both major and minor, and how the key makes tunes work. We will play some crossover tunes from old time, Celtic, Ragtime and Western Swing. We‘ll look at waltzes by Bill Monroe and others. We’ll work on putting together a good break, understanding and applying chord use, improving chord melody, fingering tips for facility in different keys and emulating the vocabulary of well-known fiddlers. We will cover fiddle back-up and bow rhythm practice to control your bow.  We’ll listen to cuts from some fiddle greats. The class will be taught primarily by ear, but some sheet music will be available.

Lew Gelfond is an accomplished teacher and performer in a variety of fiddle styles.  He began his musical career in New Jersey as fiddler in the country rock/bluegrass band Freewheelin’ and later joined the Rural Rhythm String Band in Pennsylvania, Go for Broke in Colorado, and Hotfootin’ Bluegrass in New Jersey. Lew has been a teacher at the Bluegrass Academy for Kids at Greyfox Bluegrass Festival in New York for the last 7 years. He is currently a member of two Asheville bands, Screech Owl Serenade and The Dancing Bears.

Beginning Guitar / Chris Sharp
True beginners are welcome as we start from the basics and simply try to be ready to join jam sessions by the end of the week. We’ll cover changing strings, tuning, how to hold the pick, basic chords, basic rhythm, and some basic leads. Please bring a playable guitar, a medium to heavy flatpick, and an extra set of strings.

Chris Sharp is best known for his Grammy Award winning work on the “O Brother Where Art Thou?” sound track and his appearance in the Grammy Award winning film and soundtrack “Down From The Mountain.”  He has recorded with Alison Krauss and Earl Scruggs and toured with the late John Hartford for the last four years of John’s life. With three of his own recordings out on Red Clay Records and one independent release with mandolinist David Long, Chris is now operating a recording studio, traveling and playing his own music, and is an active member of Western North Carolina based mountain music band The Tipton Hill Boys.

Intermediate Guitar / Steve Kilby
Learn rhythm styles of some of the bluegrass greats, such as Lester Flatt, Jimmy Martin, and Tony Rice, concentrating on the better fiddle tune leads played in bluegrass music and some solos in the more popular bluegrass songs. We’ll work on the slide, hammer-on and pull-off techniques, and my “formula” to make your solo’s more interesting. We will discuss the illusive improvisation technique. We’ll look at the old time influences which Norman Blake and Doc Watson have in their playing styles and the jazz influences which Tony Rice introduced to bluegrass lead guitar.   You should be able to play rhythm, do most chords and play some simple leads on a number of songs.  You will need flatpicks, extra strings, a capo, a tuner, and maybe a music stand. Audio recording will be permitted but not video. Tablature will be provided but does not necessarily have to be followed.

Steve Kilby is a well-known guitar player who brings many years of playing and teaching to his students.  In addition to performing and recording with several high-profile regional bands, he has taught at many music camps including Augusta Heritage Center, John C. Campbell Folk School, Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Camp, and the Mars Hill College Old Time Music Week.

Advanced Guitar / Jack Lawrence
Jack will demonstrate his fluid approach to the fretboard.  Students will learn how to be a better rhythm player, right and left hand techniques, and how to create melodic solos.  Class will also discuss posture and guitar set-up.  You should have a firm grasp on chord structure and have a repertoire of fiddle tunes and bluegrass standards. Bring plenty of picks, strings, and capos. This will be an interactive class so be prepared to ask questions, play lots of tunes and most of all, have fun!

Jack Lawrence was Doc Watson’s partner for over twenty-five years, and has earned a place among the top flatpickers on tour today.  He performs throughout the United States and overseas, and has influenced a generation of guitarists with his stylings. 

Beginning Mandolin / Rhonda Gouge
This class will help beginning students learn to put basic chords together and to play simple tunes.  We will focus on learning good rhythm as well as how to get the dry woody chopping sound of the mandolin in its percussive role in a typical bluegrass band.  I will demonstrate how to play lead lines in some simple bluegrass songs.  We will discuss tuning issues, differences in set up, and how these differences affect the tone and playability of mandolins. Questions and discussion will be welcome. We will have fun as we learn to play together.  Recording devices are encouraged.

Rhonda Gouge has over 25 plus years of teaching experience in both workshop and classroom settings, including teaching an Appalachian Strings class at Appalachian State University and ten years as a teacher at the Mars Hill College Blue Ridge Old Time Music Week.  She has a M.A. in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State University.  

Intermediate Mandolin / Wayne Erbsen
This class is for players who know some basic chords and melodies, but are not quite advanced players.   We’ll learn to pick out some standard bluegrass songs and tunes, both by ear and by using some simple tablature.  Class will focus on learning secrets of improvising,  accomplished by adding numerous rhythms to enhance the melody.  This will help students who feel “trapped” playing a tune the same over and over.  By the end of the week, you hardly ever play a tune the same way!

Wayne Erbsen has been involved with traditional American Music for over forty years as a performer, author, recording artist, teacher, publisher, and public radio host. He is considered a master on banjo, fiddle, mandolin and guitar, and has taught workshops across America, Canada, and in Europe. He has recorded eighteen solo CDs and has authored twenty-seven books. He has taught Appalachian music classes at Warren Wilson College for twenty-five years. Wayne is the owner of Native Ground Books and Music, which produces instructional and historic books and recordings. Wayne has written and published three books on playing the mandolin: Painless Mandolin Melodies, Southern Mountain Mandolin, and Bluegrass Mandolin for the Complete Ignoramus. 

Advanced Mandolin / Darin Aldridge
This class will provide you with the techniques to play the different mandolin styles of leading bluegrass mandolinists fluidly and with excellent tone. We will spend some time on reading tab, scales, and chords, but work mainly on improvisation.  We will concentrate on the five T’s (Tone, Timing, Tuning, Taste, and Technique).  Students will be encouraged to play   within a band setting and we’ll discuss jam etiquette.

Master Classes

Each student will play a tune and then discuss it with the instructor, who will offer constructive hints for improvement.  Each session will be limited to four students.

Topical Workshops

Instructors will demonstrate various aspects of bluegrass playing in a question and answer format.  For example, a banjo instructor may demonstrate use of Scruggs tuners; a guitar instructor may demonstrate crosspicking techniques; a fiddle instructor may compare fiddle stylings; and another instructor, vocal arrangements.   Topics will be posted and workshops will be open to students of all skill levels.  

Ensemble Workshops

Bluegrass music is a performance art; therefore, students are encouraged to form a group during the week, perhaps a duo, trio, or a full string band, with the aim of performing in the student concert.  Students will experience the fun of developing song arrangements, which ultimately can be performed for a live audience, under the helpful guidance of a seasoned instructor.

Prices

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