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MLAG is pleased to once again present three Pre-Gathering workshops in 2012. Though the Gathering proper does not begin until Wednesday, June 20th, these Pre-MLAG workshops will provide some wonderful options for early arrivals. Karen Daniels (beginners), Les Gustafson-Zook (intermediate) and Will Smith (Intermediate/Advanced) will each present nine hours of small group instruction on Tuesday and Wednesday. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to study with a world-class player in a "lots of individual attention" environment.
The workshops will cost $100 per person, payable to the instructor. You will be not be able to register on-line for these workshops but will have to use the form which you can download in PDF format here. Please send your check (remember, ) and registration form to MLAG, c/o Neal and Coleen Walters, 12228 Hollowell Church Road, Greencastle, PA 17225. We will be limiting the maximum number of students in each workshop to twenty so, if you're considering taking one of these workshops, you should register as soon as you can.
The workshops will be conducted in three 3-hour sessions beginning at 9 am on Tuesday, June 19th, locations to be determined at this point. Of course, the campground will be open but no support is available for meals or snacks until Wednesday evening. In the past, workshop attendees have made their own arrangements to go out for meals or to prepare something in the campgound. MLAG will not assist with these arrangements; however, we will provide a listing of local restaurants.
These workshops provide a great opportunity for some hands-on training with three of the best autoharp players and teachers in the world.
So you have an autoharp or would like to play one. Now what? As a rank beginner, I had monumental questions such as: was this the instrument for me, could I get a tune out of it, could I play something that people would recognize and tons more. If this describes you or you have just recently wanted to play the autoharp then come and let me show you that the answer to all of those questions is a resounding "YES!" I jokingly but seriously tell people, "If you can count to three and four, you can play the autoharp." Can you count to three / four? Well, come on then!
Look forward to having a fun and learning experience. We will start simply, at the beginning, and cover the very basics of autoharp playing -- picks and even how to custom fit them, straps, how to tune (there's a quick and easy way), holding the autoharp and where your chord bars are. We will learn various strums then progress to melody playing, techniques beyond melody playing, how to jam with other musicians, accompanying yourself as a singer and answer any questions any time. The music will be tunes that most of you will know.
Loaner autoharps will be available. You will need a thumb pick and two finger picks for the index and middle fingers. While there will be good, definitive handouts, a pencil or pen for note taking might be handy as I tend to throw in extra information. Recording the workshop is ok with me if you wish to do so.
One other thing … I sometimes attend Beginner Workshops myself and people ask why. Several reasons: 1.) One never stops learning and I might learn something that I missed previously or new techniques; 2.) I like to see how teachers teach; AND 3.) It's a good way to review if I've gotten sloppy in my playing. So, even if you know basics and are of that mind set, join us.
Are you looking for a way to clean up your melody playing and add style and musicality to your playing? This intermediate class will be focused on precise melody picking, encouraging even the most hesitant strummer into the world of picking tunes. Beginning with the basics of pinch pluck, scales and picking individual strings, we’ll cover a variety of melody techniques. We’ll also explore tasteful phrasing, rhythmic diversity, arpeggio backup, damping, and beginning improvisation on several styles of music. Some songs will have printed scores and others will be played by ear, so we’ll work on strategies for picking out tunes by ear at those jam sessions. We’ll also introduce some diatonic playing techniques to give you an idea of advantages and challenges of diatonic instruments. Since we’ll be we’ll be playing in a variety of keys, bring your chromatic autoharp.
Intermediate/Advanced (Will Smith)
Celtic music (for these purposes that of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) lends itself quite readily to the autoharp, probably because much of it descends from the ancient harpers. Over the centuries it has been adapted to all sorts of instruments, transformed into a tradition of fiddle music, which then migrated to the New World and became part of the melting pot of styles in 19th Century Appalachia, in early 20th Century Tin Pan Alley, in the 1960s folk boom, and in revivals to this day. So while the autoharp is not thought of as a traditional Irish instrument, it *is* closely associated with the previously mentioned musical eras. And even a quick perusal of autoharp songbooks, from Meg Peterson and others, will find an abundance of examples: "Sweet Rosie O'Grady", "Little Beggarman", "Cockles and Mussels", "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms", "Danny Boy", etc.
One can arrange all sorts of music from this tradition for the autoharp: sprightly jigs and slow airs, turn-of-the-century ballads and lullabyes and rousing singalongs. We'll learn examples of each, as well as how to approach some of the more advanced techniques of other instruments, such as grace notes and triplets. Since the usual keys for fiddle music - D, G, and A - are not "standard" autoharp keys, we can learn to work around this through a discussion of transposition, modes, and chord bar modification. There will also be a demonstration of the drone effect, playing a melody while bass notes continue to ring, like bagpipes.
And, though many will be familiar with the genius of Turlough O'Carolan, or, as the purists would have it, Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin, we'll cover how one adapts his intricate melodies to our instrument - how to work in optional minor chords and "open-noting". His songs, which originally had lyrics as well, form a large part of the standard repertoire of the Celtic folk harp, so there are many arrangements out there from which to learn. We'll even explore how to use the internet, with "abc notation" and such sites as thesession.org, as learning tools for further research.
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