Intro to Back-up Fiddle: Chops, Chords and Fills (4-week class for advanced beginners and intermediates)
Dates: Monday June 1, June 8, 15, and 22
Time:  7:30-8:45
Where: my music studio in SE Portland (a cozy room with great ambiance!)
Cost: $85-100 sliding scale, pre-payment required

This four week, five-hour workshop series delves into basics for backing up tunes and songs. You will learn how to create I, IV, and V chords with drone strings and double stops. You will learn the basics of chopping and different long-bow patterns.  You will also learn how to choose chord voicings for smooth chord transitions in the keys of G, D, and A. You will also learn some basic fills to “dress up” your back-up chords.

As always, there will be opportunities to strengthen core technique: tone production, fingering, bowing, string crossings, and learning by ear. Along the way, you will get one-on-one coaching to help you improve your tone, smooth out your bowing, and tune up those double stops. There will be some class hand-outs and I encourage you to bring a recording device. Is this the right class for me? This is a class for advanced beginners and intermediates. That means that you know how to hold the fiddle and bow, can play scales in G, D, and A, and know a half-dozen tunes by heart.