Topic: Centrum's "Essentially Blues" Acoustic Guitar Intensive, October 16-20, 2013

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Centrum has just announced is taking enrollments for "Essentially Blues"/ Acoustic Guitar Intensive in Port Townsend, WA, which will run from Wednesday, October 16th (arrival day) to Sunday, October 20th (getaway day).  Instructors will be Mike Dowling and John Miller.  There will be morning and afternoon class sessions on Thursday through Saturday, a concert Saturday night and jamming in the evenings.  For more information or to enroll, go to:
http://centrum.org/essentially-blues-acoustic-guitar-intensive/ .  I hope to see you there, and by the way, enrollment is limited to 20 participants, so if you think you'd like to go, don't tarry about signing up.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Here are the course offerings for Centrum's Acoustic Guitar Intensive, October 16-20, 2013, for interested parties.  I hope to see some of you there.

Mike Dowling will be offering in-depth sessions on:
Bottleneck Blues and Beyond?Explorations in slide guitar for open D and G tunings. The emphasis will be on tone and technique as Mike teaches strategies for creating slide ideas based on time-honored songs from artists such as Mississippi Fred McDowell and Tampa Red. Students will learn how to use the slide to add expression to their playing, making even the simplest lines sound musical. Mike will teach fretted chord forms, turnarounds, and crisp right-hand techniques, as well as a tune or two from his own original repertoire that will demonstrate ways to create arrangements so that students will leave with a toolbox full of slide techniques. Students should be able to play a simple alternating bass fingerpicking pattern. Handouts will be provided and audio recorders are welcome. No video cameras please.
Syncopating the Blues?What does it mean when a player is said to have ?good time? (in addition to having a good time playing)? What?s the difference between a ?shuffle? and ?straight eights? or a ?two-beat bounce? and a ?four-to-the-bar? swing beat? What makes jump-blues ?jump? and more importantly, ?How can I get some of that myself?? Just take this class and Mike will show you. From the infectious boogies of the Delmore Brothers to the jump blues stylings of Louis Jordan or the smooth melancholy ballads of Leroy Carr there?s more than one way to play the blues and the field will be wide open in this class. Beginning with the 12 bar form as a template, Mike?s emphasis will be on syncopation and rhythm techniques such as playing on the ?ands? for that all important off-beat groove so crucial to swing, ragtime, bounce and jump rhythms. With the foundation under your fingers and new tunes percolating in your head, Mike will tie it all together, teaching strategies for improvisation, arranging, and adding vocals to the mix. Lots of playing in class. Suitable for both plectrum and fingerpickers. Handouts provided and audio recorders welcome. No video cameras please.
John Miller is offering six different classes over the three days:
Bo Carter in DGDBGE Tuning? Bo Carter?s playing in this tuning set a very high standard for bluesy sophistication and brilliant ideas. We?ll learn Bo?s language in this tuning and discover some new possibilities, too.
Play What You Hear? We?ll work on firming up the link between hearing ideas in your head and finding them on your guitar. Learn how to generate your own ideas. Lots of playing in class.
Accompanying Singing? Learn how to back up singing and ?play time?. We?ll work on grooving and providing a solid accompaniment that supports and does not distract from the singing.
Putting the Vocal with the Guitar Part? Almost everyone experiences some difficulties when first trying to sing and play simultaneously. We?ll work on strategies for keeping singing and playing both strong and finding where the vocal sits relative to its accompaniment.
Freeing up the Picking Hand? Working from the playing of people like Barbecue Bob and Big Joe Williams, we?ll strive to utilize the picking hand in more varied and dynamic ways, with strumming, thumb lead and string snapping. Make your playing more exciting and rhythmically emphatic.
EAEGBE Tuning? Working from the playing of Clifford Gibson and Ed Bell, we?ll explore this ?mystery tuning? and learn some of the possibilities that it makes available.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
When I saw Mary Hilts, the Program Director at Centrum, last Thursday, she said this event had nine participants the last time she checked, so it is approximately half full.  If you think you'd like to attend, it might be a good idea to get your enrollment sent in.
All best,
Johnm