Rhythm Guitar - Week 2
Advanced Bluegrass: Steve Fisher
Intermediate Old Time Backup Guitar: Jere Canote

Steve Fisher has spent over 20 years playing clubs and festivals in Alberta and British Columbia with bluegrass and folk bands such as Rocky Road, the Hot House Bluegrass Band, and the Sheep River Rounders. His current band, Restless Lester, has performed at several top festivals including Wintergrass. Recognized as an "outstanding flatpicker" by Bluegrass Now magazine, and Steve's solo album River received outstanding reviews. Steve is top-notch rhythm guitar player, and knows how to convey the subtleties of various rhythm techniques that will advance your playing to the next level. Steve is a regular at the BCBW and we're happy to have him back to share his knowledge and enthusiasm in 2011!. Advanced Rhythm Guitar Description: This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of good bluegrass rhythm guitar: good timing, good dynamics and having a variety of rhythms, strum patterns, bass runs and other ornaments available to you so you can bring out the most in a song. We’ll look at each of these elements separately and then work with them together in the context of some well known bluegrass tunes. Along the way we’ll also look at classic rhythm guitar styles from Charlie Monroe, Lester Flatt, Jimmy Martin, Clarence White, Tony Rice and some of the modern variations played by contemporary bluegrass guitarists. A good knowlege of basic chords in the keys of G, C, D and A and the ability to strum with a flatpick are the only requirements. Come prepared to play (and to sing, if you’re so inclined).

Jere Canote is an expert guitar player, and we're happy that he'll be at the BCBW to lead our first ever workshop on Old Time Backup Guitar. The Canote Brothers are as renowned for their affable attitudes and humor as they are for their music. They are delightful performers, dance callers, and jamming instigators, and everyone’s bound to have a great time when they’re around! The twin brothers started singing soon after they were born and spent their early years in California's Sacramento Valley, inventing songs with their father at the piano and tagging along with their parents' folk and square dance group. They honed their skills performing in many bands and discovered old-time music in the mid 1970s. In 1978 they attended the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, WA, and eventually became frequent teachers there. After touring the country with dance caller and singer Sandy Bradley for 4 years, they returned to the Northwest for a 13-year stint on Seattle's National Public Radio show, "Sandy Bradley's Potluck.” Over the years, the Canote Brothers have played on Prairie Home Companion; performed at the Vancouver Folk Festival, the Carter Family Fold, Bumpershoot, and countless other venues; and led workshops at the Swannanoa Gathering, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, American Banjo Camp, Fiddle Tunes, and Lady of the Lake Family Week. Intermediate Old Time Backup Guitar Description: In this seminar we will survey the Hills and Hollows of Old Time Guitar. We'll start with the basic boom-chuck rhythm, then work on choosing bass notes , two and four note bass runs, timing, accent and tricks for making good chord choices. Well play in G&C, and in A&D without a capo for that Big Old Time Guitar Sound! We'll also cover song back-up and some Carter Family Style picking--all this while backing up Great old fiddle tunes and Classic old time songs. This seminar will be a great choice for old time guitarists who want to expand their knowledge of the style and improve their techniuqe, or for bluegrass guitarists interested in learning the role of guitar in old time music and the stylistic choices that help and old time group sound its best!

Guitar 101 (beginning rhythm & lead)- Week 2
Anne Louise Genest

Anne Louise Genest emerged several years ago from the Yukon’s fertile crop of songwriters with two solo CDs that showcase her critically acclaimed songwriting. Since then she has delved into the world of bluegrass, old time and country roots music, and is a songwriter, vocalist and guitar player with Yukon-based stringbands Annie Lou and The Done Gone Stringband. Annie Lou’s debut album received a 2010 Juno nomination as well as a 2010 Western Canadian Music Award nomination for Roots/Traditional album of the year, and Anne Louise was nominated as one of the songwriter finalists in CBC’s the Great Canadian Songquest. Anne Louise has toured nationally and internationally as a solo and ensemble performer and her music has been used in theatre and film. She's a great guitar player and one of our favourite musical friends. She's racked up a lot of workshop experience of late with plenty of great reviews from her students, so we're very happy to have Anne Louise here for our Guitar 101 workshop! Guitar 101 Description: We will work on building your skills as a guitar player for bluegrass and old time music. We’ll focus on strumming patterns and dynamics that will help you in a jam or band context, with some tips on how to play when the speed of the jam is a little faster than you are used to. We’ll work on bass runs, scale patterns, and the fundamentals of playing a melody based solo, how to work with a capo, and the Nashville numbering system. We will also work on self-accompaniment, so we’ll be doing a lot of playing and singing! If you already play a bit of guitar but would like to take a good look at the fundamental building blocks of bluegrass and old time guitar playing, this is the workshop for you! Though no experience is necessary, to get the most out of the week, try to come to camp with a few basic skills: be familiar with the G, C, and D chords and be able to change these chords slowly with some fluidity. It would also be helpful if you have some experience using a flatpick.

Banjo - Week 2
Advanced: Chris Quinn
Intermediate 2: Chris Stevens
Intermediate 1: Gene Bretecher
Beginning: Shanti Bremer

	Chris Quinn is the multi-award winning banjo player for The Foggy Hogtown Boys. He has performed on more than 125 recordings as a side-man or featured artist--including 5 projects with The Foggy Hogtown Boys. Chris has performed at festivals and concerts all over the U.S. and Canada as well as having toured internationally. With more than 25 years experience, he is also a highly acclaimed instructor who is equally comfortable working one on one or with larger groups; Chris even conducted a banjo workshop in a bomb shelter in the middle east once! Banjo Newsletter has published featured articles on Chris as well as tablature for a few of Chris' original tunes. During his career, Chris has performed with One Horse Town, Heartbreak Hill, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Vassar Clements, Kenny Baker, and Bill Monroe. Although Chris is best known for his work on banjo, he also plays guitar, mandolin, and acoustic bass. Advanced Bluegrass Banjo Description: I look forward to working with all of you! While I have a progression of interesting hands-on material planned for the week, I am also open to suggestions and will do my very best to address your interests and questions. We will look at: Earl Scruggs improving the drive of your picking hand improving those three T's: Taste, Tone, and Timing improving playing techniques, good capo technique, and refining individual playing habits how the banjo proceeds through a classic bluegrass song; the kick-off, supportive rhythm, fills, back-up licks, playing the melody, and a classic Scruggs ending. finding the melody to a song based on the chords and the vocal lead how to open up the 3 major and minor chord shapes how to open up the neck and play out of other positions and keys how to survive in a jam session the styles of some banjo greats: Scruggs, Crowe, Stanley, Keith, Fleck Though I will keep tablature to a minimum, I'll be recording video/audio summaries of our material as we proceed through the week. This way, you'll have a personalized series of lessons to work on when you return home from bluegrass camp. Please bring a flash drive (memory stick) of 4 gigs or more. I'll upload the video summaries of our lessons to your drive and you can put them on your own computer. If you are not familiar with flash drives, don't worry! I will bring some for sale (they're pretty cheap). My experience has been that the students really like this method. Feel free to bring any other recording devices you like. This is gonna be a blast!
	Chris Stevens is a fine bluegrass banjo player, guitarist, and singer, and he's a real student of classic bluegrass styles. He has recorded for some of the industry's most demanding and accomplished producers, artists, and jingle houses. Chris composed and recorded a tune ("Cowgirl Pride") with kd Lang that was featured in the soundtrack of "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," and his banjo can be heard in a Simpsons video game. He was a founding member of the highly successful group Tumbleweed, and performed for many years with Canadian Whitewater. His instrumental ability has earned Chris 5 nominations with the B.C. Country Music Association for Instrumentalist of the Year. Chris is also known as one of the funniest characters in bluegrass, and it's always a blast to have him around camp at the BCBW. Intermediate 2 Banjo Description: This workshop will involve a lot of right-hand technique as well as plenty of fretboard knowledge. We will be focusing on exercises that connect the right to left, smoothing out timing and speed to bring your playing to that next level. Tried and true techniques will be explained in detail, and I will only teach what I uses in the professional world of bluegrass. Get ready to put your ears to task, and right hand on autopilot!
	Gene Bretecher began playing bluegrass in the early 60's--he's an expert on banjo and guitar and a regular at the BCBW for good reason. He has appeared in numerous CBC television and radio specials, recorded countless studio sessions, (including soundtracks for "Sesame Street"), as well as his own project "Banjo Holiday." Gene was voted "Instrumentalist of the Year" by the Manitoba Association of Country Awards and has shared the stage in opening concerts for acts such as Flatt & Scruggs, Don Williams, and Roy Clark. Intermediate 1 Bluegrass Banjo Description: Take the next step in your banjo playing! This workshop will prepare you to become an active member of a bluegrass jam or band. We will analyze Scruggs-style solos and learn some of those instrumentals that you really want to play. We will learn about chord structure, transpositions, back-up techniques, and melodic-style playing. For this workshop, you should be able to read tablature, be familiar with basic banjo chords, and be able to pick basic right hand rolls comfortably at a slow to medium tempo.
	Shanti Bremer plays bluegrass and clawhammer styles of banjo with Victoria-based trio The Sweet Lowdown (with Miriam Sonstenes on fiddle and Amanda Blied on guitar). Shanti took up bluegrass banjo at age 12 and has been refining her skills ever since. These days, she might be the busiest banjo instructor in BC with 25 full-time students and a waiting list. Have a listen to her banjo technique on the song "Don't Walk Away" to get an idea of her style: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thesweetlowdown. Shanti is a great musician and an expert at helping new banjo players understand the fundamentals of bluegrass banjo, and we're pleased to welcome her to our 2011 workshop staff! Beginning Banjo Description: Designed for players who may be new to playing the banjo, but who have a wholehearted love for the instrument, this workshop will help build an understanding of the banjo--both as an exciting and delightful lead instrument and as it functions in a jam or band setting. The week will begin with an introduction to Scruggs-style three-finger picking, including right and left hand techniques, basic rolls, open chords, how to read tablature, and basic music theory (as it relates to bluegrass music and playing the banjo specifically). We will learn to play several bluegrass standards (mostly by ear, though tablature will be provided), and we will enjoy jamming these tunes with everyone getting some practice with both the melody and supportive backup. Other concepts covered will include using capos, practice ideas, chords up the neck, tone, and timing.

Mandolin - Week 2
Advanced: Andrew Collins
Intermediate 2: Mark Vaughan
Intermediate 1: Bob Hamilton
Beginning: not offered

	Andrew Collins of The Foggy Hogtown Boys and The Creaking Tree String Quartet is back at the BCBW for his 5th time. Andrew is renowned as a composer-arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. He studied bluegrass music at South Plains College in Texas and jazz music at Toronto's Humber College. Andrew's knowledge of music reaches into many other genres including, classical, old-time, swing, and Celtic. Both The Foggy Hogtown Boys and The Creaking Tree String Quartet have released 3 CDs, and The Creaking Tree String Quartet earned a Juno nomination for one of them. Among other projects, Andrew released "Little Widgets," an album of mostly original instrumental compositions showcasing his abilities on mandolin, guitar, mandola, mandocello and fiddle. Advanced Mandolin Description: This week, we will focus on improvisation and advanced techniques for mandolin. Some of the improvisation will include learning how to create variations on fiddle tunes, playing the blues, moving licks and ideas around the fingerboard, creating harmonies (twin mandos!!) and adding swing voicings to your chords. Everyone wants to learn how to play faster, so we will also focus on speed technique and how to turn the metronome up to 150 beats per minute and keep up! All of this will be applied to simple, standard bluegrass fiddle tunes, to ensure that the new techniques you learn can be easily applied to the music that you already play. The only prerequisite for this workshop is that you can play a handful of fiddle tunes and are interested in challenging yourself to learn how or improve on your ability improvise.
	Mark Vaughan has been playing mandolin in bands across Canada for the past fifteen years. Originally from Nova Scotia, Mark is now very much at home in Vancouver's bluegrass and old-time music scene. As a member of Viper Central, Mark has performed and led workshops throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. Additionally, Mark plays with the Vancouver-based band Whiskeyjar, and he is a frequent performer with old-time stringband Shout!WhiteDragon. Mark has also composed musical scores for several award-winning animated short films. Mark has been on our "wish list" for several years, and we're glad it finally worked out to have him join our BCBW staff! Int. 2 Mandolin Description: This workshop will focus on solidifying musicianship and developing improvisational skills. We’ll start with some work on the right hand, specifically focusing on tone, dynamics, and timing, along with increasing speed and developing solid tremolo technique. We will work on strategies for learning melodies by ear on the fly (i.e. in a jam session) and developing instrumental breaks. A primary goal of this workshop is to get you comfortable in playing up the neck in any key. We’ll do this by working through major and minor scale patterns in various positions, pentatonic scales, chords and arpeggios, and doublestops. The role of the mandolin in a bluegrass band will also be explored, and we’ll spend some time on rhythmic approaches, kickoffs, and fills. We will also explore the styles of some of the great classic players, including Bill Monroe, Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Frank Wakefield, and others. This workshop will emphasize learning by ear, but we will also do some work from tablature. Recommended prerequisites: You should be able to play standard bluegrass chop chords and be comfortable playing basic tunes and melodies. Please bring along a recording device if you can. Questions? Email me at mark.d.vaughan@gmail.com.
	Bob Hamilton is a multi-instrumentalist based in Whitehorse, Yukon. He has been honoured with four Juno nominations and one Juno award for albums he has produced. His love for traditional bluegrass and the mandolin brought him together with Mark Thibeault, Jenny Lester, Ross Nickerson, and Nadine Landry to play in Hungry Hill. He also plays with Sarah & Patrick Hamilton, Nadine Landry, and Anne Louise Genest in The Done Gone Stringband. Bob has toured extensively throughout Canada, the USA, and Europe playing music, from atmospheric guitar with Jerry Alfred and the Medicine Beat, to mandolin and upright bass in the Undertakin Daddies. He is also co-owner of Caribou Records, and owns Old Crow Recording, the Yukon's premier recording studio. Bob is extremely talented when it comes to organizing and sharing information about the mandolin, and we're excited to have him back at Sorrento! Int. 1 Mandolin Description: We will be covering Mandolin technique relating to both bluegrass and old time music. This will include playing melodies in double stops (and leaning the scale patterns/chord shapes that will make that easier), developing strong tremolo, and exploring both the bluegrass and old time repertoire. We will work on the physical technique involved in mandolin playing and developing good tone and timing. Also we will be exploring the blues influence in both bluegrass and old time music and the basic soloing tools needed when approaching a new song. I'll have plenty of new material for you in 2011 -- looking forward to it!

Bluegrass Fiddle - Week 2
Advanced Bluegrass Fiddle: John Showman
Intermediate Bluegrass Fiddle: Miriam Sonstenes
Beginning: NOT OFFERED

John Showman is quickly making his mark as one of the most exciting and innovative live musicians around. John brings a hard-earned, hard-edged professional understanding to the music he loves to play. He played over 1200 shows with the band Nobody You Know, and still plays regularly with Skraeling. But John is best known for his other two bands, The Foggy Hogtown Boys and The Creaking Tree String Quartet, both of which have released 3 acclaimed albums featuring John's soaring fiddle. John is a master of many styles, and he's one of the finest bluegrass fiddlers anywhere. He's back for his 5th time at the BCBW and he's always good for some amazing music and excellent fiddle workshops. Advanced Fiddle Description: Learn how to improvise in bluegrass! Using a mix of basic and advanced bowing techniques and double-stops, you'll learn classic breaks on tunes and songs from the Stanley Brothers and Bill Monroe era as well as some modern backup, rhythmic and chopping techniques. If you feel that you've progressed to the point where fiddle tunes are coming more and more easily and you want to take the next step to being a good bluegrass band player, this is the workshop for you! Most people are initially nervous about improvising on fiddle, but we will break it down into simple units and make it easy to grasp for everyone. If you took this seminar last year, I'll have plenty of new material for you this time around -- hope to see you there!

Miriam Sonstenes of Victoria BC plays bluegrass and old time fiddle with Victoria based bands The Sweet Lowdown, Flash In The Pan and Shearwater, and regularly leads workshops at fiddle camps on the west coast and in the North West Territories. Having started with classical training, she earned a music degree at the University of Victoria in 2006, and soon after immersed herself in a myriad of fiddle styles, including celtic, klezmer, swing, old time and bluegrass. Her diverse musical skills are apparent in recent performances at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, Victoria Fracophone Festival, the Sooke and Coombs Bluegrass Festivals and the Islands Folk Festival. Working with beginning and intermediate players is one of her true passions. With her patient and relaxed instructional style, she is in high demand and a joy to learn from. Miriam got top-notch reviews for her 2010 intermediate old time workshop, and she's just as adept at bluegrass fiddle! Intermediate Bluegrass Fiddle Description: Do you want to keep up with the fastest fiddler in the room? Want to know when to play those blue notes? This seminar will focus on the essentials of a great bluegrass fiddle sound! Through a collection of tunes and classic breaks we’ll get into melody ornamentation, kick-offs, ending licks, blues scales and how to improvise over chords. We will learn drills and practice methods for getting faster without losing tone or intonation. And let’s not forget that groovy chop, and the subtleties of backing up a singer in a band or jam. Most of all we will have a lot of fun building on the things you already know, and enjoy improved sound, technique, and confidence with your bluegrass fiddle playing.

Old Time Fiddle - Week 2
Intermediate Old Time Fiddle: Greg Canote

Greg Canote Greg Canote has been teased about his funny ears since he was born, but he got even by holding a violin for fifty years and playing the fiddle for almost forty of those. He has spent most of his musical life singing and playing with his twin brother Jere as The Canote Brothers (both looking forward to impending geezerhood.) He still remembers the first time he heard Old Time fiddling at the Berkeley Fiddler’s convention in 1970. “Sounds like a beehive on fire!” He has played hundreds of square dances with his brother and with dance icon Sandy Bradley (Small Wonder String Band). While his first love is Old-Time, over the years, he has also dipped his toes and fingers into Bluegrass (Curly Maple), 1920’s (Volunteer Park Conservatory Orchestra), Ragtime (Bing Bang Boys), Country (El Rancho Cowboys), Swing (Canote Brothers) and Honky Tonk (Honky Tonk Review). For thirteen years, Greg and Jere were the affable, musical side-kicks on National Public Radio’s “Sandy Bradley’s Potluck” out of Seattle, and the two have lead a successful, ongoing, stringband workshop since 1983. Greg has been on staff at many festivals and workshops in the states, including: The Swannanoa Gathering, Augusta Heritage Workshop, Pinewoods, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, and American Banjo Camp. Intermediate Old Time Fiddle Description: The Drone and the Pulse: Are you ready to push your Old Time fiddle sound up a notch? We’ll spend some quality time with a handful of beautiful old tunes--while we explore some of the easy left and right-hand techniques that really make it sound Old Time: including ornaments, open-string drones and double-stops. We’ll also work on becoming the bosses of our bows with phrasing, simple patterns, doodads, dips, and pulses. We’ll make good use of different keys and tunings, and take advantage of more relaxed tempos that will allow us to enjoy the internal rhythm and the magical order of notes. Be prepared to have some fun, and don’t forget your milking machines! (recording devices) Arcane and not so arcane secrets revealed!

Singing - Week 2
Bluegrass Singing (Lead and Harmony) - all levels: Pharis Romero

Pharis Romero has been a festival favourite since she was four years old. She is a seasoned stage personality, a noted songwriter, and a respected member of the B.C. music community. She was as a founding member of western Canadian roots band, Outlaw Social, and more recently she has been performing with her husband, noted banjo maker/player Jason Romero, and fiddler Erynn Marshall in The Haints Old Time Stringband. She's a phenomenal singer with extensive training who puts a lot of energy into creating fun and informative workshops. Pharis is a regular at the BCBW, and she's led workshops at Fiddletunes (WA), Daniel Lapp’s House of Music (BC), Dusty Strings (WA), and the Winnipeg Folk Festival (MB) among others. She directed The Old Time Vocal Choir just north of Victoria for several years and has a real passion for group workshops. Those of you who attended her "Old Time Mountain Gospel" workshop last year know that she's more than capable of working with a large group of various experience levels, and we're excited to have her back at the 2011 BCBW! Bluegrass Singing (Lead and Harmony) Description: Whether you're an aspiring 'shower' singer or a stage performer, you'll find plenty to keep you moving onward with your bluegrass vocals in this seminar. We'll be working on vocal production, breathing and range strengthening exercises that will help to develop your skills for either group or solo singing. Using the bluegrass classics and the great obscure songs to practice these skills, we'll expand our repertoire from single voice songs to the ever-exciting realm of bluegrass harmonies. Get ready for duet, trio and even quartet harmonies for bluegrass, with a safe and non-judgmental environment for you to learn and practice in. Whether you think you can sing or not (and I think you can!), after this workshop you'll know what to listen for in your favorite singers and have a broader understanding of bluegrass vocal traditions. I am really looking forward to it!