Bluegrass Skill Builder Workshops
Here's where you register to join us in the best bluegrass fiddle workshops on the whole internet. Only $60 a month for two hour-long live or recorded workshops and supplemental materials like tab and videos. You can also purchase previous workshops - just choose any three months of workshops for $100 and I'll send you the links to download and watch and play along and truly improve your bluegrass, old time, western swing,and country fiddle skills. Check out the video just below to see how much fun we're having!
Bluegrass Skill Builder Workshops (on Zoom)
December 2024 Workshops - Saturday 12/14 and Saturday 12/28
Redeemed - a beautiful hymn with lots of double stops
January 2025 Workshops - Saturday 1/4 and Saturday 1/18
Go Faster! Time to speed up your fiddling...
February 2025 Workshops - Saturday 2/8 and Saturday 2/22
Jenee Fleenor's break for the Woodbox Heroes' "Better When We're Livin"
March 2025 Workshops - Saturday 3/8 and Saturday 3/22
Bluegrass Stomp - melody and variations
Interested in taking regular lessons from me but you've seen the place on my website where it says I currently have no openings? This is a great option for you! Zoom workshops will be held twice a month, usually on the first and third Saturdays at 11am Central, unless I need to move one due to a camp or tour. One of those weeks will focus on warmups, exercises, techniques, cool licks, and stuff like that. The other one will feature an awesome tune or solo in its entirety. The classes will last about 45 minutes to an hour, maybe more sometimes. During class, you will be muted so you don't have to worry that anyone is going to hear you but you will be able to hear and see me and you can play directly along with me so you know you're getting it right. After the class is over, I'll send out the recording link for the class so you can have it forever to practice with, as well as other supplemental videos and helpful learning tools. When you pay for the workshop, PayPal will send me a notification and I'll email you back to confirm. When we get close to the time of the first class you'll get a meeting invite sent to your email. That invite will be for both classes in the month so don't lose it! Do not worry if you can't make it to the live class. All sessions will be recorded and if you pay for the class you'll get a recording link and all the follow up materials. Cost is $60 per month (that includes both workshops) and you can auto-subscribe so that you don't have to remember to pay monthly.
Each class will also include the following elements:
1) Ear training to help you learn melodies on the fly
2) Information about the structure of bluegrass tunes and songs
3) Bluegrass critical listening skills
4) Lots of important information about bluegrass/folk jams and how to participate in them successfully
Make sure you're tuned up and rosined up when class begins. This class will be all about playing - no time like the present to really nail down your bluegrass jam skills - this way you'll be ready to roll as we all head out to festivals and jams!
Purchase a monthly subscription to the Zoom workshops
Purchase a single month of Zoom Workshops
Previous Months of Bluegrass Skill Builder Workshops
We've had so much fun with these weekly workshops, I decided everyone needed to have access to all of the previous classes. You can choose any three bundles for $100. Just make sure to write your choices in the box provided above. Include the month, year, and level (beginner or int/adv). When you purchase a month of classes, I will send you the links for the video recordings as well as any other follow up resources. You can watch them online indefinitely or download them to your computer. Below each month, you'll see a list of some of the things we covered in those classes. But they're so much more. Click on the video at the top of the page to get an idea of what a good time we're having doing all this incredible learning.
August 2020 Int/Adv Workshops
kickoff and ending licks
bowing and intonation exercises
slides on all fingers
chopping
right arm and wrist form exercises
parallel fifths
double stops
Old Home Place
September 2020 Int/Adv Workshops
Fireball Mail
bowing and intonation exercises
2 string exercises
cool fills
double shuffle
droning strings
Old Home Place
chopping and singing
December 2020 Int/Adv Workshops
Christmas Time's a Comin'
Footprints in the Snow - review
Back Up and Push - review
fingering exercises
double stop skills
posture and form
slides/drones
Auld Lang Syne
January 2021 Int/Adv Workshops
first finger solos
pentatonic scale licks and solos
Blue Violet Waltz
tone exercises
position shifting exercises
Who's That Knockin at My Door
double stop pentatonic patterns
pedal steel style double stops
double stop arpeggios
position shifting exercises
common filllick review
October 2020 Int/Adv Workshops
Rocky Road Blues
double shuffle
pentatonic scales
more cool licks and fills
fingering exercises
2nd and 3rd position
old country style breaks
double stops
arpeggios
November 2020 Int/Adv Workshops
Back Up and Push
Rocky Road Blues finish and review
Footprints in the Snow
double shuffle
droning strings licks
bow techniques for speed
pentatonic scale licks
ending tag licks
key of E double stops and licks
February 2021 Int/Adv Workshops
We Can't Be Darlins Anymore - Bobby Hicks Kickoff
ending licks
bow pressure exercises
intro to syncopation
vibrato exercises
intro to double 1st finger anchors
chromatic licks
1 4 5 double stop chord patterns
slides
droning strings
March 2021 Int/Adv Workshops
Cattle in the Cane
exercises for speed
1 to flat 7 chord ideas
vibrato
intro to tune structure
shuffle patterns for backup
chromatics
fiddle and bow care
triplets
potatoes and ending tags
April 2021 Int/Adv Workshops
Key of B
Rebecca
I'll Never Shed Another Tear
ending tags in B
kickoff licks in B
B double stops
B fills and licks
Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
vibrato
chromatics
May 2021 Int/Adv Workshop
Lonesome Fiddle Blues
Molly and Tenbrooks
Bb double stops
Bb fills and licks
Dm scales and arpeggios
exercises and warmups
June 2021 Int/Adv Workshop
East Tennessee Blues
hot licks and fills in B and G
key of C scales
key of C double stops
Gotta Travel On
exercises and warmups
July 2021 Int/Adv Workshop
Little Rock Getaway
hot licks and fills in A
key of A scales
key of A double stops
East Virginia Blues
exercises and warmups
3rd position double stop slides
August 2021 Int/Adv Workshop
Old Dangerfield
Little Bit of Swing
4th finger slides
string changing exercises
key of E licks
fingering exercises
September 2021 Int/Adv Workshop
Tommy Jackson style fiddling
Crazy Arms kickoff and backup
1511 and 4511 turnarounds
3rd position slides
San Antonio Rose
key of F double stop ladder
October 2021 Int/Adv Workshop
Crafton's Blues
F scales
F triplets
syncopation
4 key Texas style techniques
bow tension and accuracy
November 2021 Int/Adv Workshop
Dark Hollow solo - key of Bb
Dark Hollow fills
Dark Hollow chops
harmonics
chromatic scales
2nd finger and octave accuracy drills
December 2021 Int/Adv Workshop
Intro to Cross Tuning
Intro to old time tune structure
Breaking Up Christmas
bow form exercises
droning string exercises
How to Create a Personalized Practice Plan
January 2022 Int/Adv Workshop
The Old Home Town
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
transposing breaks into many keys
singing and how it helps fiddling
using the same fills in different keys
interval training
February 2022 Int/Adv Workshops
Backup of all kinds
Chops
Fills
Long Bows
Shuffle Patterns
when to use which backup
tab for backup double stops in all keys
March 2022 Int/Adv Workshops
Everything the fiddle needs to do in a jam
featuringWild Bill Jones
kickoff (melody solo)
fills
chops
key of B exercises
improv style solo
tab for all elements
July 2022 Int/Adv Workshops
Everything the fiddle needs to do in a jam
Featuring Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
kickoff (melody solo)
fills chops
double stop patterns
key of A exercises
improv style solo
November 2022 Int/Adv Workshops
Mississippi Waltz
How Can We Love (John Hartford)
La Partida
vibrato exercises
double stops
tone
syncopation
June 2023 Int/Adv Workshops
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Foggy Mountain Special
Shenandoah Valley Breakdown
double shuffle
slides
3rd position
hearing and learning bluegrass banjo tunes
September 2023 Int/Adv Workshops
Avery Merrit's solo on Sierra Hull's "What Do You Say"
key of B exercises
4th finger strengthening
October 2023 Int/Adv Workshops
Alex Hargreaves' solo on "Little Maggie" (from a live Billy Strings performance)
key of A exercises
November 2023 Int/Adv Workshops
Gerald Evans' solo on Dave Evans' "He Died a Rounder at 21"
key of C exercises
2nd position exercises
December 2023 Int/Adv Workshops
Fred Carpenter's solo on Larry Cordle's "Deep Mine Blues"
minor key exercises
January 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
How Mountain Girls Can Love
Blue Ridge Cabin Home
Double Shuffle and how to incorporate it into bluegrass breaks
February 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
Review of Fall 2023 Workshops
double shuffle
double stops
practice planning
review of "Little Maggie" break
March 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
Justen Haynes' and Bobby Hicks' "Big Spike Hammer"
6 minor chord exercises
includes sheet music/tab
April 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms - kickoff, solo, fills
key of G exercises and licks
includes sheet music/tab
May 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
All the Good Times Are Past and Gone
droning strings
double stops
includes sheet music/tab
June 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
Singing and playing at the same time
The Blackest Crow
droning backup
melody backup
includes sheet music/tab
July 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
Sam Bush's solo on Callin" Baton Rouge
Cajun bowing
fills and licks
includes sheet music/tab
August 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
2nd position
exercises and licks
Katy Hill
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes' solo on Molly Tuttle's Midnight Train
includes sheet music/tab
September 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
Beginnings of all kinds
pickup notes
kickoffs
potatoes
where they go and why and how
October 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
Endings of all kinds
tags
arpeggios
pushoffs and liftoffs
where they go and why and how
November 2024 Int/Adv Workshops
Rickie Simpkins' Sugarfoot Rag
melody break
improv break with cool licks
includes sheet music/tab
November 2020 Beginner Workshops
exercises for tone
fingering exercises
basic bowing patterns
string pivots
Old Joe Clark
how to use Strum Machine
how to tune by ear
intro to playing on 2 strings
December 2020 Beginner Workshops
Christmas Time's a Comin'
basic pickup notes for solos
slides
bowing exercises
fingering exercises
triplets
slurs
ear training
right hand wrist exercises
Caring for your instrument
January 2021 Beginner Workshops
Long Journey Home
Cripple Creek
New River Train
bowing exercises
intonation exercises
ear training
intro to potatoes
Old Joe Clark
caring for your fiddle and bow
arpeggios
February 2021 Beginner Workshops
Cripple Creek
On My Way Back to the Old Home
pentatonic scales
string pivots
stretching and hand care
droning strings
wrist exercises
clean tone exercises
slides
March 2021 Beginner Workshops
I'll Fly Away
how to play with Strum Machine
exercises for speed
shuffle patterns
bowing skills
tuning
bow management exercises
low 2nd fingers
pickup notes
key of G scales and arpeggios
April 2021 Beginner Workshops
Rocky Road Blues
Kentucky Waltz
key of A scales and arpeggios
key of D scales and arpeggios
shuffle patterns
fingering exercises
wrist exercises
pentatonic scales
waltz steps
short and long bow exercises
May 2021 Beginner Workshop
Amazing Grace
Soldier's Joy
warmups
exercises
pickup notes
bowing techniques
June 2021 Beginner Workshop
East Tennessee Blues
Bury Me Beneath the Willow
warmups
exercises
key of C scales
intro to 2nd and 3rd position
bowing techniques
July 2021 Beginner Workshop
Tennessee Waltz
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
warmups
exercises
key of G scales and arpeggios
intro to vibrato
bowing techniques
August 2021 Beginner Workshop
Faded Love
droning strings exercises
intro to vibrato
how to play with Strum Machine
filler licks
bowing exercises
long and short bow practice
September 2021 Beginner Workshop
Little Liza Jane
shuffle patterns
key of D pentatonic and arpeggios
droning strings
scales with droning
how to add shuffle patterns to tunes
October 2021 Beginner Workshop
Ashokan Farewell
bow tension tips
vibrato skills
2 and 3 note slurs
D scales with droning
adding vibrato to tunes
November 2021 Beginner Workshop
Coleman's March
turns
triplets
grace notes
chromatic scales
bow hand exercises
December 2021 Beginner Workshop
Greensleeves
bowing form exercises
low 1st fingers
high 3rd fingers
stretching for fingering
How to Create a Personalized Practice Plan
January 2022 Beginner Workshop
Rocky Top
The Blackest Crow
bowing exercises
key of A exercises
key of G exercises
warmups