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The Boston Bluegrass Union sponsors and supports instrument and vocal classes for beginners to advanced, taught by our region's best bluegrass musicians.

Classes by Tony Watt Starting in mid-January 2012

This winter I am offering four group classes for adults and teens in North Cambridge through the Boston Bluegrass Union's Bluegrass Academy. Most of these classes will be offered immediately before or after on-going jams intended for folks at the same level as the class.
As most of my students can attest, there is no faster and more enjoyable way to learn than to attend both the class and the jam on a given night.

All classes (and jams) will be held a half mile from where Rt. 2 hits Cambridge at the Alewife T station. This location is one block from the intersection of Rt. 16 and Mass. Ave., near the Cambridge/Arlington border. There is plenty of meter-free, permit-free parking on Mass. Ave., and it is also only a 10 minute walk from Alewife and 15 minutes from Davis Sq.

All classes except the ear training course include a corresponding book and companion CD (a $20 value). Enrollment in all courses includes a year-long BBU membership (a $15 value for only $10), therefore you should not sign up for BBU membership prior to enrolling in classes. Here is a listing of classes by level, and descriptions can be found below:

1. Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar: Basics and Beyond
  -  for guitar players who want to improve their rhythm playing
  -  seven hour-long classes held Wednesdays this winter
  -  7 until 8 pm from January 18th through February 29th
  -  $135 for BBU members ($145 for non-members), with book and CD

2. Beginning Bluegrass Mandolin: Rhythm & Lead
  -  for those who are new to playing mandolin or want a review of the basics
  -  five 90 minute classes held every other Monday this winter
  -  every other Monday from 8:30 until 10 pm, January 23rd to March 19th
  -  $135 for BBU members ($145 for non-members), with book and CD

3. Intermediate/Advanced Lead Guitar & Mandolin (joint class)
  -  for guitar & mandolin players who know about a dozen tunes
  -  five hour-long classes held on various Tuesdays this winter
  -  7 until 8 pm on January 24 & 31, February 14 & 28, and March 13
  -  $85 for BBU members ($95 for non-members), with book and CD

4. Ear Training for Bluegrass Musicians (all instruments, all levels)
  -  for players of all instruments, all levels who want to improve their ear training
  -  five 90 minute classes held every other Monday this winter
  -  every other Monday from 8:30 until 10 pm, January 30th to March 26th
  -  $135 for BBU members ($145 for non-members)

Below are brief descriptions of each class, and you can always e-mail me if you have questions. If you don't see the class you're interested in, or you can't attend the scheduled time slot, please e-mail me and let me know. Enrollment is limited to 8 for each class, so please e-mail me at tonywatt@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions. Thanks!

Tony

website: www.theoriginaltonywatt.com
email: tonywatt@gmail.com

WINTER CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

1. Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar: Basics and Beyond

This class is intended for those who have played at least a little guitar before, and are able to switch between common open chords (such as G, C and D). In this course we'll learn bluegrass rhythm guitar:
basic and complex, as well as traditional and modern. We'll cover bluegrass-specific chords, runs between chords, various G runs, and much more. The primary goal is to provide you with the skills needed to play solid bluegrass rhythm and participate in bluegrass jams.
Furthermore, we will strive to help students improve their practice and self-directed learning. You don't need to have previous experience playing (or even listening to) bluegrass, or playing with a pick, and you don't need to be able to read music. Students should consider bringing a recording device of some sort, however it's not necessary as I will be recording each class and sending out a copy of the recording between classes.

2. Beginning Bluegrass Mandolin: Rhythm & Lead

This class is intended for those who have never played bluegrass mandolin before, or who have been frustrated trying to learn before.
In this class we will learn the basics of bluegrass mandolin, both rhythm and lead. We'll begin with bluegrass chop chords and a discussion of right-hand technique. We will then quickly get into playing lead on the mandolin, as we learn to play both instrumental and vocal tunes common in the tradition. In this course we'll learn how to read tablature (tab), how to play fiddle tunes and take breaks on vocal tunes, and get an introduction to improvisation. The primary goal is to provide you with the skills needed to play solid bluegrass mandolin and participate in bluegrass jams. Students do not need to have previous experience playing (or even listening to) bluegrass, and you don't need to be able to read music. Students should consider bringing a recording device of some sort, however it's not necessary as I will be recording each class and sending out a copy of the recording between classes.

3. Intermediate/Advanced Lead Guitar & Mandolin (joint class)

This class is intended primarily for people who are already attending the Tuesday Beginner/Intermediate Jam Sessions, but it is not a prerequisite. You are welcome to join this class if you know how to solo on at least a few fiddle tunes and know how to construct breaks to vocal tunes. For instance, if you feel comfortable taking solos on most of the songs in my Beginner/Intermediate Jam Session, then you should be well prepared for this course. In this course we will cover new songs, soloing ideas, licks, etc. and students should consider bringing a recording device of some sort, however it's not necessary as I will be recording each class and sending out a copy of the recording between classes. There are no prerequisite songs, and you don't need to be able to read music.

4. Ear Training for Bluegrass Musicians (all instruments, all levels)

This class is open to all instruments, all levels, but it will be geared to lead playing so it is not recommended for those new to lead soloing. Ear training encompasses a wide variety of skills, all of which can help your development as an instrumentalist and vocalist. We will cover some of the core skills within ear training including hearing chord changes, hearing melodies in real time, and transcribing solos by slowing down recordings. Students will be asked to work on ear training both in and out of class, and present what they've worked on between classes to the rest of the class. Students should consider bringing a recording device of some sort, however it's not necessary as I will be recording each class and sending out a copy of the recording between classes. There are no prerequisite songs, and you don't need to be able to read music.

website: www.theoriginaltonywatt.com
email: tonywatt@gmail.com

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Quotes from students in Tony Watt’s previous Bluegrass Academy classes:

"While I have studied bluegrass for a while, I have not taken a lesson or workshop yet where the concepts were so clearly laid out."

"The handouts are great and the mp3's are a nice asset."

"Tony's enthusiasm for the music and for the teaching process is infectious and will inspire any student to become a better picker."

"I feel the amount of new material each week was great. It was beneficial to be grouped with appropriate skill levels and work on the tunes."

"Overall this has been the best group or workshop format class I've taken."

Banjo Classes by Rich Stillman

Banjo group instruction: Advancing Beginner and Intermediate Jam Prep classes start September 13

Rich Stillman will be running two group banjo classes this fall: an Advancing Beginner class and an Intermediate Jam Prep class. Both of these are continuations of sessions held last spring, but both are open to new students as well. If the descriptions look like something you might be interested in, contact me at stillman@waystation.net and we can talk about it!

My goal for the intermediate class is to give everyone the practical skills to play breaks in jam sessions, even on songs you haven't played before. We'll use the techniques from the Spring session, in which we developed breaks at home for a song a week, and we'll work on developing breaks in class - a lick at a time, at first, examining alternatives, building up to developing breaks in real time. We'll also look at simpler "coping licks" that will allow you to keep things going in difficult situations, or when the ideas just aren't coming. The Joe Val festival is a couple of months after the end of this class, so after this class and a couple of months to practice on your own I'm hoping that everyone will be ready to jam with confidence in February!

The goals for the advancing beginner class will be to pick up on the vamping backup and learning tunes lessons we went over during the last class in the Spring session. The Joe Val festival, the largest indoor bluegrass festival in the Northeast, will be held in February and I'd like everyone to be able to sit in on beginner jam sessions, at least able to hear and vamp chords, if not to contribute breaks.

Particulars for these classes are:

Dates of Advancing Beginner class: 9/13, 9/27, 10/11, 10/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/6.

Dates of Intermediate Jam Prep class: 9/20, 10/4, 10/18, 11/15, 11/29, 12/13.

Time: 7:30 to 9PM.

Place: Real School of Music, 56 Middlesex Tpke, Burlington, MA 01803

Cost: $120 for BBU members, $125 for non-members.

Bluegrass Academy for Adults