Mandolin Cafe Message Board

Bluegrass Master's Weekend w/Rob Ickes & Mike Compton

Calendar: Mandolin Cafe Event/Gig Calendar

11-13-2009 to 11-14-2009 04:00 PM to 09:00 AM

*The times shown may change, depending on DST settings

Bluegrass Master's Weekend at Lutsen Resort

Lutsen Resort 1-800-258-8736 Lutsen, MN.
(18 miles south of Grand Marais on Hwy. 61) lutsenresort.com
When making your reservation, be sure to mention you're there for the bluegrass master's weekend, for a special package deal!

 NOVEMBER 13-14, 2009

  Concert Saturday Night:  Tickets: $15 for Lutsen Resort Guests or
$20 for non-guests, $8 for kids 12 and under Workshops:
$30 for the full day or $7 per hour

Featured Performers & Activities 

Rob Ickes- dobro (resonator guitar)
will be the featured "master"

Mike Compton will accompany him
on guitar and mandolin.

FRIDAY  Check-in; sign up for workshops; jam; and socialize

SATURDAY  DOBRO WORKSHOPS

9:00-12:00 The Basics 
9:00 Basic playing techniques/examining the right and left hands 
10:00 Scales and exercise for each hand (rolls, slants, different types of scales and when to use them)
 11:00 Your specific questions answered
12:00-1:30- Lunch Break
1:30-5:00- Applying the Techniques 
1:30 Backing up a vocalist, Jamming and improvising 
2:30 Creating good solos, Finding the melody 
3:15 Break
 3:30 Performing with a band, Rhythm techniques 
4:30 Putting it all together

Alan Epstein Mandolin Workshop - Saratoga Springs, NY

Calendar: Mandolin Cafe Event/Gig Calendar

NewsFetcher

11-14-2009

*The times shown may change, depending on DST settings

So You Want to Play the Mandolin?

Instructor: Alan Epstein

Saturday November 14 Location: Saratoga Guitar, Saratoga Springs , NY

So you want to play the mandolin? If you have been asking yourself this question look no further. This 2-hour workshop is specifically designed for those who've never played this eight-stringed instrument but who are ready to give it a try. By the end of class, you'll be playing your first tune on the mandolin!

The first part of the workshop will cover an introduction to the mandolin. A general overview of the instrument, examples of various types of mandolins, and a survey of various playing styles with both live and recorded examples will enable you to hear the mandolin's diversity...jazz, blues, classical, folk, ethnic, and bluegrass. Then the second part of the class starts, and the real fun begins. With Alan as your skilled and patient coach, you'll learn some playing basics, including how to hold the instrument, how to use the pick, your first chords and then your first tune!

So you say you currently don't have a mandolin? Not a problem. Just let Saratoga Guitar know when you sign up and they will provide a loaner for you to use during the class. Class size is limited so sign up early.

Alan Epstein has been playing the mandolin since the 1970's. He is the founder and former director of the Pittsburgh Mandolin Orchestra and has been a contributing writer for Mandolin Magazine. In 2004, he was a recipient of the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts Apprenticeship in Traditional Arts, studying mandolin with world-renowned Gypsy mandolinist Charley Rappaport. Alan has been a member of various bluegrass bands across the country, always sharing his love of the mandolin through teaching.