In this class, we’ll learn a handful of fiddle tunes in the bluegrass/old-time tradition. Starting with basic melody and rhythm playing, we’ll gradually branch out into creating our own solos by embellishing the melody, playing in different octaves, adding double stops, using chord tones to find new paths through the tune, and more. A little theory and ear training will be added here and there. The class is intended for intermediate to lower-advanced level students; knowing at least a few fiddle tunes and being able to play rhythm on them are essential.
***IMPORTANT INFO: We’re doing something a little different with our Banjo, Guitar, and Mandolin classes this year. Because of the stature of several of our instructors, we decided to play to their strengths by offering two classes for each of those instruments that will each cover both the Intermediate and Advanced levels.
Ron Stewart is a master banjo player, but he also played fiddle for six years with the late legend J.D. Crowe. His experiences have made him the perfect person to take a deep dive into the fine points of Crowe’s influential banjo playing. For Intermediate/Advanced students who want a more wide-ranging look at modern and traditional banjo styles, Gabe Hirshfeld will be teaching the other Intermediate/Advanced Banjo class.
Dudley Connell, one of the great rhythm guitar players in bluegrass history, will focus his class on the rich variety of sounds and grooves that rhythm players can bring to a bluegrass band or jam. There is so much more to rhythm guitar than ‘boom-chick”! Students who want more emphasis on lead playing will get that in Chris Luquette’s class.
Mike Compton—no stranger to Bluegrass Week—is the leading living exponent of Bill Monroe’s mandolin style. Students who are looking for a full understanding of the classic roots of bluegrass mandolin will find that in Mike’s class, while Matt Flinner’s Intermediate/Advanced class will branch out into more modern approaches to the instrument.
Because the line between Intermediate and Advanced is seldom well defined, we believe grouping the levels together like this is the best way to enable all students who wish to take advantage of Ron’s, Dudley’s, and Mike’s unique perspectives to do so. Of course there will be Beginner-level classes for those instruments, too, so novice students can get the intensive attention they need to progress. (As in past years, the Fiddle classes will be divided into the usual Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced sections.)***
Instructor Bio
Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner has made a career out of playing
acoustic music in new ways. Whether it’s with his own Matt Flinner Trio or with Phillips, Grier, and Flinner, or with the Frank Vignola Quartet, Darrell Scott, Steve Martin, the Ying Quartet, Tim O’Brien, Leftover Salmon, or the Modern Mandolin Quartet, Flinner’s style and compositional ability have established him as one of the most accomplished and musically diverse mandolinists in the world.
Starting out as a banjo prodigy who was playing bluegrass festivals before he entered his teens, Flinner later took up the mandolin. He won the National Banjo Championship in Winfield, Kansas, in 1990, and won the mandolin competition there the following year. Matt now tours regularly with the Matt Flinner Trio, which is known for its off-the-cuff compositional daring, writing music the same day it’s performed on most of their shows. He also tours regularly with the Modern Mandolin Quartet, which was nominated for three Grammy awards for their CD Americana in 2013.
Over the last several years, Flinner has become known as one of the leading writers of instrumental music in the acoustic world, and his background in classical composition has led him into new avenues in both classical and string band music. Some of Flinner’s longer-form compositions have been performed by the Ying Quartet, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Chatterbird, the Expedition Quintet, and the Modern Mandolin Quartet. Flinner currently lives in Ripton, Vermont.