Summer 2009
- July 5-11, 2009: Common
Ground on the Hill, Westminster , Maryland
I'll be teaching:
Basic Slide Techniques: This is the introduction to slide guitar that I wish I’d had thirty-eight years ago. One of the dirty little secrets about playing slide guitar is that the sound you mute defines the sound you make. Hand and guitar posture, controlled slide movement, getting a decent tone and vibrato will all be covered as we proceed through slide in several major and modal open tunings and take a look at solo and ensemble slide playing in standard tuning as well. The music of Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt as well as my arrangements will be featured. You’ll need a slide that can remain on your little finger when you fall asleep in class!
Blues: Give Me Your Right Hand: Making music is a very physical activity: what your fingers, your thumb and your arm do impacts the sound you make. In this class, we will focus on developing a strong vocabulary for the right hand. Think of it as right hand calisthenics. Just like riding a bicycle, once these muscle patterns are established, they’ll be with you for the rest of your life. If it’s getting your thumb to play that missing bass note, or feeling like your arm is glued to the top of the guitar that’s been bugging you: this class is it! Scott will also look at "demystifying major open tunings" Open G, D, A, E, to aid you in your guitar journey with the blues.
- July 26 - August 1, 2009: Swannanoa
Gathering, North Carolina
I'll be teaching:
DEMYSTIFYING OPEN TUNINGS - Open-G, -D, -A, -E and -C tunings all share similar chord forms such that once you’ve learned one of them, you’ve sort of learned them all. We’ll have a look at these tunings while using the blues, among other styles to explore the fingerboard and harmony.
SLIDE TECHNIQUES FOR BLUES GUITAR - For intermediates, this is the slide class I wish I’d had thirty-eight years ago. One of the dirty little secrets about playing slide guitar is that the sound you mute defines the sound you make. Hand and guitar posture, controlled slide movement, getting a decent tone and vibrato will all be covered as we proceed through slide in several major and modal open tunings and take a look at solo and ensemble slide playing in standard tuning as well. The music of Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt as well as my arrangements will be featured. REQUIREMENTS: You’ll need a slide that can remain on your little finger when you fall asleep in class.
CLAWHAMMER BANJO What? Old-time banjo with a blues guitarist? You bet! We now know that the clawhammer technique is traditional among Ghanaian and Senegalese players of what is called in Ghana an akonting, an ancestor of the banjo. Playing claw-hammer transformed my-right hand guitar techniques by mobilizing the entire arm in making the sound. A picking technique and instrument directly out of Africa, claw-hammer banjo is unique in American music. This course will concentrate on teaching and solidifying the right-hand picking technique while learning different tunes and tunings. Bring a sound recording device and we’ll get clean, slow versions of each tune.
See Lessons & TAB for other teaching events this spring and summer.