Workshops
• SLIDE by SLIDE - I & II •
Open tuned "Bottleneck" and "Dobro" styles of slide guitar.
There is no more perfect way to make a guitar express emotion than with a slide.
David K has developed an approach that breaks down the barriers between the "dobro" (on the lap) and "bottleneck" (finger slide) styles of acoustic slide guitar playing. Why learn just one when you can learn both?
Slide by Slide "I" is a beginner level workshop and will start with a brief overview of bottleneck and lap-style instruments. It will then present basic left hand and right hand techniques, an introduction to open guitar tunings, and a few slide licks and how to use them. "Rhythm" and "lead" playing styles will be covered, as well as "solo accompaniment" styles. Participants can expect to learn at least one "bluesey" tune and one "countryish" tune.
Slide by Slide "II" is an intermediate level workshop which assumes a previous understanding of basic slide guitar techniques. After a quick review of the basics it will get into some cool stuff like single & double string "hammer-ons" and "pull-offs", finger/slide tricks, and left & right hand "blocking". More open tunings will be presented (along with a remarkably simple way of understanding them), and the final emphasis will be on jamming in blues, rock, country, and bluegrass styles.
Participants in these workshops will be encouraged to work in both lap-style and bottleneck techniques in order to gain a more versatile approach to slide guitar playing. As in all of David K's workshops, participation is the key. You will learn most by playing lots.
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Duration of workshop: 3 hours
Cost: $50.00 Cdn. per person - max 10 to 12
Bring with you: - any guitar, dobro, lap-steel, etc., and a slide (a few slides will be available)
- an extra set of strings
- pencil and paper
- an electronic tuner, if you have one
- ideas for songs or tunes you would like to learn
• Learning A Second Instrument •
David K is one of those guys who will pick up a stringed instrument he's never seen before - and in a few minutes he'll be playing recognizable music on it with no apparent difficulty. He's been working on the road for decades, playing guitar, bottleneck guitar, bass, dobro, mandolins, National-steel, lap-steel, pedal-steel, and a few fretted instruments he never learned the names of. He says of himself, "If I had chosen just one instrument 30 years ago, and stuck with it; by now I'd be really, really good . . . . and really, really bored."
Learning a second stringed instrument does not have to be a difficult thing. It is primarily a matter of applying what you know about one instrument to another. Participants in this workshop will be guided through a process of discovering the differences and similarities in their two instruments, and then learning to use that information to transfer the skills they already possess, and develop the new skills they will need.
Acting as a facilitator, David will pair up those participants who can benefit from direct sharing of skills, and will work directly with those who have no obvious pairings. Even if he doesn't actually play a particular instrument being learned, David guarantees that participants will come away from this workshop with at least a working knowledge of their new instrument. The rest, as we all know, comes with practice.
As in all of David K's workshops, participation is the key. You will learn most by playing lots.
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Duration of workshop: 3 hours
Cost: $50.00 Cdn. per person - max 10 to 12
Bring with you: - a stringed instrument that you play (even a bit)
- one you want to learn to play
- a couple of songs or tunes you already know (even a bit)
- extra strings if possible
- pencil and paper
•The Open Tuned Mandolin Family •
This is a workshop for beginners who love the sound (and perhaps size) of the mandolin family of instruments but don't feel comfortable with the standard mandolin tuning and its chords. It will also appeal to those who already play some mandolin and want to expand the "boundaries" of their instrument.
This is not a bluegrass workshop.
The focus will be on alternatives to the standard mandolin tuning, and will introduce "partially open" tunings and "full open chord" tunings along with a wealth of easy chording and melodic options available within them. Both "rhythm accompaniment" and "lead" styles will be explored.
Please Note: The principles presented will be applicable not only to mandolins, but to all four and eight string fretted instruments. Mandolas, octave mandolins, bouzoukis, mandocellos, tenor guitars, etc., are all very welcome.
As in all of David K's workshops, participation is the key. You will learn most by playing lots.
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Duration of workshop: 3 hours
Cost: $50.00 Cdn. per person - max 10 to 12
Bring with you:
- a mandolin, or any four or eight string fretted instrument
- an extra set of strings
- an electronic tuner, if you have one
- paper and pencil
- for long necked instruments, please bring a capo
- ideas for songs or tunes you would like to learn