Fiddling Ensemble

Richard Greene will be in charge of the Fiddling Ensembles for 2009.

Here is what can be expected in a Richard Greene workshop:
While deeply steeped in the roots of Bluegrass and Old Time fiddling Richard is also classically trained. When he teaches, he draws upon all of his skills.
Across the week, Richard will teach a number of fiddle tunes. This repertoire will be drawn from a vast body of American Old-Time, Bluegrass or Celtic fiddle music as well as some of Richard's original compositions in the genre. He will also deconstruct and analyze the sound and feeling of each tune in precise technical terms. Everything he teaches will be perfectly notated in final published form and all these materials will be supplied to you.
Richard will structure a program that starts with the simple basics and will progress throughout the week to whatever level you and your class can achieve. He will incorporate a great deal of group playing, showing many different concepts, like background support techniques as well as soloing. He will also share his specialized body of scales and etudes specifically designed to build skills in fiddling, and of course he will teach and explain the art of improvisation.
The class will become, in effect, a small string orchestra with a distinctly ‘non-classical’ sound, but playing with as good a technique as possible. The week will culminate in a performance of the class in the Friday night concert.

Jazz String Orchestras

Martin Norgaard and Robert Gardner lead these groups. Each ensemble will perform jazz string orchestra pieces with improvised solos at the final concert.

Level 1:

• No previous experience or theory background required.

• Improvisation using one scale in a variety of grooves.

• No theory background required

• Have fun with rhythms, registers and slides

• Learn jazz phrasing, rhythms and special listening skills needed to tune jazz harmonies.

Level 2:

• For people who have taken Level 1 previously, or who have a little theory background or jazz experience.

• Improvisation using several scales in a variety of grooves.

• Explore creative playing in the jazz tradition in the framework provided by the underlying chords. 

• The ensemble will play jazz orchestra pieces that require special attention to rhythm and phrasing in jazz

Level 3:

• For more experienced jazz players

• Improvisation on jazz standards.

• A full sequence for the development of chordal jazz improvisation is followed including the study of common chord structures such as cadences and turnarounds.

• The ensemble will play challenging jazz orchestra pieces that require special attention to rhythm and phrasing in jazz styles such as swing, bebop and latin.

Jazz Techniques:

• This class will cover jazz improvisational concepts in support of level 2 & 3 Jazz Ensembles.

• Analyze famous jazz solos

• Learn how to borrow licks from the jazz greats and incorporate those creatively into your own playing.

Blues From Around the World

Julie Lyonn Lieberman will lead daily sessions in this exciting new offering.

We normally use the term “the blues” to refer to music created here in America by African Americans. Yet, the essence of the music is an elevation of the soul by giving voice to life’s woes and a yearning for better times; through that expression, there is a vibrant, passionate connection with and affirmation of life. For instance, one of the three musical evocations required of Irish musicians historically, was “goltraighe,” Gaelic for “an arousal to valour or tears.”

This year, Julie will explore world music through how cultures from around the world have expressed the blues. We will start with American blues on Monday and move through Flamenco, Gypsy, Klezmer, Irish, Scandinavian, Greek — visiting as many corners of the world through this lens as possible via an exploration of the scales, rhythms, left-/right-hand techniques, and approaches to improvisation.

• World Blues Techniques -- modal improvisation practice techniques for speed

• American blues  -- Harmonic structure, improvisation techniques, repertoire

• World Blues Techniques -- Vertical technique and its subsequent package of effects

• Romany and Eastern European blues -- (Gypsy, Flamenco, and Klezmer) 
  Harmonic/rhythmic structures, improvisation techniques, repertoire

• World Blues Techniques -- Bow wizardry

• Scandinavian, French, and Celtic blues -- Harmonic structure, improvisation techniques, repertoire

• World Blues Techniques -- Dynamics, phrasing, emotive playing

• Latin blues

Rock String BANDs

Matt Turner and Robert Gardner will lead the rock ensembles.

Rock Music Ensemble Level 1 

• Perform beginning/intermediate level rock arrangements,

• learn tunes by ear and create rock riffs and bass lines. 

• Improvise successfully in various styles including hard rock, heavy metal, soul and pop using modes and pentatonic scales.

• Hands on experimentation with electric instruments.

Rock Music Ensemble Level 2/Level 3 

• Perform intermediate/advanced rock arrangements

• Learn tunes by ear

• Get experience with electric instruments

• Develop a rock guitar sound using your acoustic instrument.

• Learn to use half-finger technique to achieve a rock distortion sound as well as sliding vibrato, pitch bending, and other extended techniques.

• Learn to improvise in various styles of rock including heavy metal, funk, blues-rock, soul, and pop. 

Electronic Instrument Ensemble 

• Perform arrangements and improvise using electric string instruments.

• Experiment with effects pedals to create soundscapes. 

• Improvise in different styles of music including avant-garde, rock, jazz, taqasim and 20th century classical.