Beginner Lesson Seven: Chop Chords
Here is a quick lesson that introduces bluegrass style chop chords.
Don’t forget to visit the lesson page or click on the link below to view the lesson’s written material
Click Here To Download The Lesson PDF
And here is the lesson video for your enjoyment:
Thanks for watching and feel free to comment below,
Baron
Beginner Lesson Six: You Are My Sunshine Lesson
Here is a quick lesson that teaches you to play the chords and melody to the song you are my sunshine.
Don’t forget to visit the lesson page or click on the link below to view the lesson’s written material
Click Here To Download The Lesson PDF
And here is the lesson video for your enjoyment:
Thanks for watching and feel free to comment below,
Baron
Music Conservatory vs. Liberal Arts College
Its a big decision to make and I know that I personally struggled with it for quite a while, well into my college experience, and maybe even to this day.
When I graduated from high school I was thoroughly engrossed in music and was fairly certain I wanted music to be a big part of my studies at college. I toyed with the idea of going to music school, but at that point I wasn’t really ready to go to any sort of college. I applied to some schools with the mindset “I guess I could go here, it looks pretty good”. Not the best attitude to have when you are spending a lot of money. I took a year to think before heading to college and tried to figure out what it was I really wanted. I looked at some other school that seemed a little more down my alley, and found one that looked pretty ideal. Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts was the one school out of probably 20 total that really hit home with me. I still can’t explain exactly what it is, but I am as happy as I could have ever hoped to be.
The thing is, music was still a huge part of my life and I wanted to take full advantage of that. After a semester at Hampshire, I started thinking more and more about music school, mainly the New England Conservatory (as well as Berklee College Of Music). By the beginning of the spring semester I was seriously considering transferring.
Hampshire is unlike other liberal arts colleges in that, as a student, you are required to create a self directed concentration rather than choose from a list of majors. Students receive written evaluations rather than letter grades, and there is a strong emphasis on independent studies and collaborative efforts. As part of the Five Colleges, students are able to take classes at Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst College and UMASS Amherst fore free.
However, even for a liberal arts school, the music department is underwhelming. There are great musicians all over campus (as well as in the surrounding colleges and communities), but there is a certain lack of structure and emphasis to hold the academic community together. Classes are limited (though with the other 4 colleges and the option to create your own courses, that point can be argued), and in general Hampshire doesn’t have the “bells and whistles” that schools like NEC do.
Ultimately I decided to stay at Hampshire. I gave up the opportunities to further immerse myself in music and to have access to more resources in order to follow my preferred path of education in an environment that I found more agreeable. My friends and faculty at Hampshire played a big part in my decision to stay, and I wasn’t willing to give up the atmosphere that made Hampshire my first choice when I first apllied to colleges.
Anyone else gone through a similar process? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Thanks.
Baron
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival 2010
A couple weeks ago the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill,, New York hosted the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.
It was my fourth year at the festival, which has been going for over 30 years. Every year has been the best year yet, and it is one of the very few summer engagements that have achieved permanent residency on my calendar year after year.
This year was no exception, and to top it all off there was a huge thunder storm on saturday night with some of the most spectacular lightning i have ever experienced. Take a look for yourself at some highlights for a few years back.
The weather was only a tiny part of it. This years festival was graced by acts like Tim O’Brien, Del McCoury, Sam Bush Band, David Grisman, Crooked Still, and many other top notch bands. 4 days of musical ecstasy, great food, great jamming, beautiful scenery, the list goes on.
Take a look around their website and see what you think. If you are nearby next summer, I highly suggest you make it out there. I drive 7 hours each way every year, and every second of that drive pays off.
Any grey fox folks out there? what were your personal highlights? comment below.
Keep Picking and thanks for reading,
Baron
Homespun Tapes Mandolin Lessons
One of the greatest contributions to the world of mandolin instruction comes for Homespun Tapes, which has produced hundreds and hundreds of video lessons for most instruments and most styles of music. From bluegrass to blues to old time to jazz, its all there, for guitars, mandolins, banjos, fiddles, and the list goes on. Lessons come in DVD, VHS, CD, and recently Online Instant Access.
Homespun Tapes boasts a wide range of mandolin lessons, including videos from such artists as:
Chris Thile
Bill Monroe
Sam Bush
Mike Marshall
Ronnie McCoury
David Grisman
Norman Blake
So take a look and see what you can find that interests you. Each is loaded with enough information to make you watch it many many times, and there is no better way than to learn from the masters.
Thanks,
Baron