Sharrie George - Workshops
Beginning Ukulele
Never played the uke before but always wanted to give it a try? Do it here! No worries - just fun; we have the uke for you to try, and we’ll have you playing some fun uke tunes in an hour! Also a good refresher if it’s been a while - or come in at the end and play a few tunes to warm up for the weekend!
Ukulele Manatee Orchestra
Learn to play a few tunes from beginning to end with melody, harmony, and strum patterns - take them home to play with your group - Ukes or other instruments! Learn to strum and play parts for the Manatee performance on Saturday with all instruments!
Ukulele Standards! - Intermediate
Learn chords and strums for some of the great all time "Ukulele Classics!" Use the skills you've learned to add to your repertoire - for more advanced players, some of the tunes will have melody, harmony, and some “licks” tabbed out for you!
Reggae Ukulele! Beyond Beginner/Intermediate
Learn how to play in “Reggae” style - Strumming and rhythms, how “NOT to play on 1!” We’ll learn some fun tunes, some easy reggae fills! Good information that will cross over to other styles of playing as well!
Guy George - Workshops
Jamming on the Whistle! - Intermediate Pennywhistle
We’ll learn some new and lesser known jam tunes, and then take a few to the next level, improvising, playing over chords, and some tips for playing in a jam situation. Bring your favorite tunes; I’ll bring mine!
Get Friendly with the Hammered Dulcimer - Beginning HD
Learn or review the basics, learning what you need to become a hammered dulcimer player! Have fun learning easy ways to play chords and a few melodies. Some hammered dulcimers are available to LOAN - a great way to try the dulcimer and see if this is the instrument for you!
Hammered Dulcimer, Pennywhistle, Steel Drum Manatee Orchestra! - All levels
Learn and practice parts for our Manatee tunes for this year’s extravaganza! Get melody, harmony and extra parts for these great tunes!
Jamming Hammers! - Intermediate Hammered Dulcimer
Learn some great jam tunes with parts, and how to get around the melody and general jam survival tips! Great ear training for chords too!
Beginning Pennywhistle
Learn how to play the easiest instrument to carry, tune, and set up! We’ll have you playing a few easy melodies in 2 keys in one workshop. “D” whistle needed - we’ll have some for sale before the workshop.
Hammered Technique Fun! - Intermediate HD
Improve your playing with some new techniques, new tunes, and how to apply techniques to these and other tunes.
Bing Futch - Workshops
Beginning Mountain Dulcimer
You've got to start somewhere and we'll do just that, beginning with the basics of strumming, picking, playing melody against the drone and how to read tablature. You'll learn a few tunes and get to know your instrument a little bit better as we cover subjects like putting on strings, tuning, how to practice and learning the fretboard. Ask about loaner instruments! (Beginners - Novice)
Mountain Dulcimer - The Wonderful World Of Disney
If you're a big Disney fan, what would be more fun than picking some Disney tunes on the mountain dulcimer? We'll have a good time with classics as well as recent hits from films like "Mary Poppins", “The Lion King” and “Alice In Wonderland.” Along the way, we'll learn techniques to help you play these tunes "in a most delightful way!" (Beginner - Intermediate)
The Manatee Orchestra - Mountain Dulcimers
Come learn three fun, easy songs and then thrill to a dress rehearsal before performing in the Saturday night concert with The Manatee Orchestra! All skill levels are welcome and I've written a nice little arrangement for each of the tunes we'll be playing. If you've done it before, you know what a BLAST this is! (All Skill Levels)
How To Play Native American Flute
This beautiful, haunting and expressive instrument dates back 4000 years on the North American continent. Originally used in courtship and later in ceremonies and, more recently, ensemble performance, the Native American flute now enjoys great popularity in all types of music. You'll be surprised at just how easy it is to play! In this workshop, you'll learn basics: flute anatomy, how to hold it, breath control, major and minor scales, ornamentation techniques and how to discover your very own spirit song. If you don't have a flute, I will have a limited supply of loaners that are also available for purchase. Key does not matter if you wish to bring your own. (All Skill Levels)
Playing In The Basement - Learn To Play Bass Mountain Dulcimer
Every jam group would love to have a bass player to hold down the bottom end and keep time for everyone. With a bass mountain dulcimer, you can do that without having to learn another instrument! I’ll teach you the secret to playing perfect bass accompaniment for fiddle tunes, ballads and more, plus, I’ll show you how to create unique bass lines using simple elements of music theory. There will be some bass dulcimers available for loaners (and purchase!) from Folkcraft Instruments. (Intermediate - Advanced)
The Last of the Mohicans - Mountain Dulcimer
Many of you have heard me play "Promentory" from "The Last of the Mohicans"; well now, you can learn that exact arrangement! It's a mixture of "The Gael" by Dougie Maclean and the music of film composer Trevor Jones. I've got all the parts and, with enough folks, we can create an orchestral version of this dramatic piece! (Or, I'll back us up with my looper pedal.) (Intermediate - Advanced)
Sunday Morning Coming Down
No, we're not going to learn the Johnny Cash song (though it might played a little.) This workshop is basically a "cool-down" after three days of learning. Any questions, clarifications, observations, discoveries, breakthroughs, etc., can be brought to the table in this new offering that aims to sum up, and shore up, your retreat experience.
Richard Ash Workshops
Murder Ballads III
Fast-becoming an annual tradition, Richard's collection of murder ballads is becoming more grisly, ghastly, and gruesome by the year. You wouldn't think such an unpleasant subject (usually involving a romance gone bad) could produce such a wealth of great tunes, but these are some of the best songs in the traditional music repertoire. MBIII contains all-new songs - no overlap from MBI and MBII. (All levels. Bring a capo.)
Strings And String Changing For The Dulcimer Player
A lot of players (even some great players) are intimidated by changing the strings on their dulcimers. And they let their instruments sound dull and lifeless, because the strings are past their prime. Richard (who has strung up thousands of dulcimers over the past decade) will walk you through the mechanics of string changing. Plus, how to select strings, how the different varieties of strings (brass, bronze, plain steel, stainless steel, etc.) affect the tone. You'll learn about the different gauges of strings, and the benefits/disadvantages of each. Ball end versus loop end. It can go on for days, but Richard will curate the most important parts, and keep it down to an hour. (Lots of handouts included, for future reference.) (Bring your dulcimer. This will be a hands-on class, if you're brave enough!) (All levels. Bring a capo.)
What To Do With Your 1.5 Fret
So many of us have a 1.5 fret, but it mostly sits there. Unused. “I don't have sheet music that uses that note.” Guess what? You can use the 1.5 fret with all kinds of jam tunes, and have fun making up variations on the classic melodies. You paid for the fret. Might as well use it... (All levels, no capo.)
What To Do With Your 6 Fret
Since the advent of DAD tuning, and the addition of the 6.5 fret, the 6 fret has been feeling sad, lonely, and neglected. I'll show you all kinds of neat things you can do, with classic jam tunes, using the 6 fret. Don't miss out - this is going to wake up your ears! (All levels. No capo.)
