Intermediate Clawhammer Banjo
with Janie Rothfield
“Janie has shown me how to pull the melody out of old time tunes on my banjo… to make them less busy and more musical. I had developed some poor habits throwing every banjo cliché I ever learned into each tune I played. Janie showed me how to strip out all of the unnecessary stuff… to concentrate on the melody and rhythm which ultimately “pops” the tunes and makes them more beautiful.” Tim Wade-clawhammer banjo (Doylestown, PA)
This class is for intermediate level clawhammer banjo players who can play in G and Double C tuning, have the basic bum-ditty clawhammer rhythm and a number of tunes in their repertoire. We will spend the weekend learning how to add more drive, rhythm, and musicality to your playing as well as learning chords, how to play better by ear and how to play with a fiddler! Since Jane is an accomplished fiddler, the class will have the opportunity to play banjo/fiddle duets as well as play with a back-up guitarist for a real stringband experience. The repetoire will include tunes that are popular at Old Time Jams, as well as a few modern tunes and stringband songs.
Helpful Hints/Things to Bring and Do before Jumpstart
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Please make sure that your instrument is set up nicely to play, new strings, etc. so you can get the most out of the class
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Electronic Tuner
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Make sure that your callouses are in "good" shape and play daily for 3-4 weeks prior to camp (no dishwashing!)
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Notepad and writing utensil
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Recording device (video or sound recorder) essential
