Workshops

[Mando Medic]

If you can recall the festivals that you have been to and the workshops that were presented during the festivals, what is the most memorable one? What is it that you walked away with from that one workshop that turned it all around for you? Kenc

[keymandoguy]

I think workshops are a gamble at best . I have been to 3 so far. one was expensive and we didnt do much more than learn some songs off of tab sheets. One was free and the guy was hungup on himself how he changed strings reall often so he sounded good on stage.etc. the other one was $10 for 4 hours and I really learned a lot at that one. So like I said its a hit and miss thing. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[jlb]

I agree with Ken. Workshops can be a crapshoot. Sometimes an excuse for a super-talented musician to make some bucks by showing off his/her stuff without imparting any real knowledge. A good player doesn't always equal a good teacher.

Having said that, I'm sure there are some really great workshops out there!

[Tom C]

When I first started playing I knew diddly. The first important (and basic) is knowing I can go to a flatted 7th when leading into the 4 chord.
The least I got out of one was at Steve Kaufmans camp where Mike Compton showed us how he loosens up his fingers for 45 minutes. -What a waste of good learning time. We could have talked about that in 5 minutes over a beer.

[craigtoo]

The best festival i've been to is Zoukfest. #In Taos NM. #(next one is planned for July 2005 wooo hooo).

The magic lesson i walked away with came from Roger Landes. #It was posture. #Probably a 30 sec. part of the lesson, but one that really let me improve..

How to hold the instrument, hand placements...etc. #Before that lesson I was tied in Knots.

enjoy,
craig

[John Flynn]

The least I got out of one was at Steve Kaufmans camp where Mike Compton showed us how he loosens up his fingers for 45 minutes. -What a waste of good learning time. We could have talked about that in 5 minutes over a beer.
Interesting, that was one of the best things I ever got out of a workshop. I have had significant hand problems and if your hands hurt, you can't play as well and you can't enjoy it as much. Mike's exercises help. Another thing that was valuable that I got from Mike was his lesson on holding the pick and "brushing" the strings.

I agree with others that workshops are a crapshoot. My pet peeve in workshops is that there is always a couple of participants that don't follow good workshop ettiquite and noodle when the instructor is talking, etc. and spoil it for the others.

[Brain]

I've been to a few mandolin workshops.
I go to see/hear my favorite players up close,
to watch their movements and maybe ask
a few questions. I once asked Mike Compton
how to inject more of Monroe's attitude into my
playing. He told me with a sharp look to "go to the
dark side". Mike's a funny and very easy-going
guy so it took me a while to realize how much
Monroe mojo was hidden in that answer. I'll
never forget that.

[KYGirl]

One of the best workshops I ever attended was in Louisville at Guitar Emporium. #It was Dan Crary and Beppe Gambetta. #Not only did they give some great advice and answer all kinds of questions, they put on one heck of a show! #I had never seen either one of these guys live, although I have CD's by each, and I was absolutely blown away. #One piece of advice that Dan gave was you could practice all the time, even if you don't have your instruments. #Practice while you are driving, work on tunes in your head, listen to the music you intend to play. #Another thing he said was practice a song at a slower pace and play it with metronome, get it exactly right, then pick up the pace a notch. #Play it and play it, until you pretty much play it perfect, then kick it up another notch. #And the best part, it was free!

[mandofiddle]

Best thing I got from a workshop was from John Moore. When improvising, always know where you are in the melody, and be able to go back to the melody at any given point in the song without having to really think about it.

[GTison]

a craig smith banjo workshop. he said to practice playing all kinds of melodys not just bluegrass. like "happy birthday" or what ever came to mind. and to learn the chord positions there are only a very few for the banjo 2 or 3 basic chord forms that are moveable... that applys to the mandolin as well. then to learn where the melody notes were at near those chord positions. I felt like standing up and shouting AMEN preach on.
I thought that was all great advice for a 60 min workshop. there was a workshop with the del Mc band were i didn't learn anything. they just played their songs people asked for. it was very cool to be so close 6 inches from Jason Carters fiddle, but I didn't learn much...

[Mandobar]

i have gone to the mandolin festival in new hampshire at the concord community music school with david surette and john mcgann. the first year i went i really was floudering. but i inspired me to learn four or five fiddle tunes by heart so that i would feel accomplished enough to continue playing. this year when i went we had a slow jam which has thus inspired me to play more in a group setting.

i have to say that i learned a lot from watching david surette play as well as john. they have very different playing styles and their individual playing really complements the other's style.

[250sc]

I've been to workshops for guitar, pedal steel guitar and mando and the one thing that I learned from each of them was that it is the player and not the instrument that makes the music.

A good player sounds good on any instrument in the room and it is not necessarally do to specific hot licks or music theory that few others know. It seems to come from the hands and mental attitude of the player. (The musical delivery)

Just my opinion.

[Bill James]

Good teachers are hard to come by, but you really know when you find one. Steve Kaufman doesn't lose sight of the fact that it is so much different for beginners and "lesser" players.

I heard Niles Hokanen saying he spends time playing left handed so he can "feel" what beginners are feeling. I'm writing him in for president this election.

[peterleyenaar]

Good mucisians are not always good teachers,
seek out the ones that can really teach, convey concepts, and
give you someting useful for you to work on.
All the flash in the world doesn't mean a thing if they can't
show you how to improve at your particular level of playing.

[Pete Martin]

The least I got out of one was at Steve Kaufmans camp where Mike Compton showed us how he loosens up his fingers for 45 minutes.

I've probably been to at least a hundred workshops, and have gotten something out of most, even ones where there player wasn't that good, but knew how to teach. The most I've learned recently was from Mike Compton about the mental approach to Monroe style playing. Mike's an excellent teacher and I'd go to any workshop he gives. Wish I lived close enough to get some private lessons from him.