Workshops

Jim offers a variety of workshops at several levels for the following instruments:

Hammered Dulcimer

• Care and Feeding of a Hammered Dulcimer

     Covers care and maintenance of the hammered dulcimer. Common problems such as bridge placement, changing strings, cleaning, and tuning are discussed.

• Hammered Dulcimer Road Map

     B/I - Covers major/minor scales and major/minor chords. Includes hammer patterns for practicing both scales and chords.

• String Side Up Hammered Dulcimer

     B - Intro to the hammered dulcimer including scales, chords, and hammer patterns. Several simple tunes are taught.

• Chords and Embellishments for Hammered Dulcimer

     I/A - Covers chords and how they relate to melodies. Takes several familiar tunes and adds embellishments to make them more interesting.

• Old Time Hammered Dulcimer

     B/I - Covers hammered patterns that lend themselves to the "Old Time" style of playing. Includes techniques to make your playing more rhythmic and danceable.

• Fiddle Tunes for Hammered Dulcimer

   All levels - Common and not so common fiddle tunes taught with basic melody and embellishments.

• Hymns for Hammered Dulcimer

  All levels - Covers hymns whose melodies are in the public domain. Basic melodies and embellishments are taught.

Mountain Dulcimer

• Fiddle Tunes for Mountain Dulcimer

     Same as above but for MT. Dulcimer.

• Hymns for Mountain Dulcimer

     All levels - Same as above for Mountain dulcimer

• Playing with a capo - Beyond D

    I/A - Covers several common jam tunes that are traditionally played in A and G

• Playing in two keys without a capo

    I/A - Changing keys to play in A and G without using a capo

• Carter Family Tunes for Mountain Dulcimer

    B/I - Covers several tunes in the public domain that were recorded by the Carter Family

 Mandolin

• Beginning Mandolin

    Covers chords, scales, pick technique, and several simple melodies.

• Old Time Mandolin

     B/I - Covers techniques and tunes found in Old Time music.

•  Carter Family Tunes for Mandolin

     B/I - Covers several tunes in the public domain that were recorded by the Carter Family

•  Celtic  Mandolin

     I/A - Covers pick technique, rhythms, and melody for several common jigs, reels, and  hornpipes. 

Guitar     

•  Beginning Guitar

     Covers tuning, scales, and chords. Discusses strums, bass runs, and pick technique.

• Flat Picking Guitar

  I/A - Covers pick technique, scales, and chords. Several common fiddle tunes are taught.

• Swing Guitar

  I/A - Covers chord comping, altered chords, and picking technique. Several standard swing tunes are taught.

 Banjo

•  Beginning Claw hammer Banjo

     Covers the claw hammer lick , chords, and several simple melodies.

Uke

•  Beginning Uke

     Covers tuning, chords, and strums. Several tunes are taught

• Fun with the Uke

     B/I - Covers tuning, chords and several standard uke tunes in the public domain.

• Folk Tunes for Uke

     B/I - Common folk tunes we all know and love. Includes words, chords and tab

Autoharp

• Beginning Autoharp

     Covers tuning, chords, scales, and several simple melodies

Bass

• Bass Dulcimer

     I/A - Play the bass dulcimer like a bass guitar. Covers alternating bass, bass runs, walking bass, blues, and boogie woogie.

•  Dog House Bass

     B/I - Covers basic upright bass techniques including alternating bass, bass runs, boogie woogie, blues and bowing

Bowed Dulcimer

• Bowed Dulcimer

     B/I - Covers bowing techniques, proper tone production, and harmonization. Several simple tunes are taught.

 

Percussion

• Fiddle Tunes Go South

     Mountain or Hammered Dulcimer - I/A -Rhythmic and melodic liberties are taken on several common fiddle tunes. Rhythm patterns are tabbed out as well as alternate melodies. Rhythm instruments are provided or bring your own.

• World Rhythms

     All levels and instruments - Covers Latin, African and Indian rhythms. Instruments are provided or bring your own.

Ear Training 

• Intro to Ear Training (Aural Skills)

  All levels and instruments - Covers intervals, scales and chords. Designed to help you hear melodies in order to become better at playing by ear.

• Ear Training for Mountain Dulcimer

  All levels-Same as above but for mountain dulcimer players exclusively.

• Ear Training for Hammered Dulcimer

  All levels-See above

Music Theory

•  Music Theory for the Traditional Musician

     All levels and instruments - Covers scales, chords, modes, intervals, and chord progressions. Helps explain why we do what we do when we play.

• Music Theory for Mountain / Hammered Dulcimer

     Same as above but specifically for mountain or hammered dulcimer.

• How to Jam

  All levels and instruments - Covers the ins and outs of jamming. Why we do what we do when we jam. Includes tips on getting the most out of jam time as well as jam etiquette

•  Reading Musical Notation

     All levels and instruments - Covers note names on treble and bass clefs, note values, timing, and key signatures.