Another Seven-Week BLUEGRASS ENSEMBLE WORKSHOP by Billik & Epstein

Thursday , October 05, 2006
06:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Elderly Instruments
workshop ($125.00)

You're not alone anymore! Now that you are playing in an ensemble, the playing conditions have changed greatly!.... You should be constantly asking yourself a few questions such as: Is what I'm playing helping the sound of the group?.... If not, what should I be doing instead? Am I supposed to be the focus right now?.... This advice is drawn from the well-designed and thorough course syllabus given to Bluegrass Ensemble students by instructors Keith Billik and Alan Epstein.

The above questions and more are answered during the seven-week ten-hour course as the students--coached by Billik and Epstein--experience first-hand the ins and outs and do's and don'ts of jam etiquette. "The most important thing you can do in this new situation is LISTEN!" the syllabus explains. But students will also encounter plenty of opportunity to play along (while listening) throughout the workshop.

The course is aimed at players who have a basic familiarity with both their instrument and bluegrass music but who lack experience or confidence playing with others. It is NOT intended for "rank beginners" who want to learn the basics of their instruments, but for those who lack the opportunity or confidence (or both) to
join a jam. Prior group-playing or stage performing experience is NOT necessary.

Elderly's Bluegrass Ensemble workshops are a hit with Michigan's amateur and wannabe players, offering opportunities to play with others in a non-threatening setting, learn the (largely-unspoken) "rules" of jam etiquette, become comfortable jamming, gain confidence, and "have fun!" This last element is in fact stated as one of the course goals. Another goal is to help students conquer the common curse of STAGE FRIGHT. To this end, the seventh week of class includes an in-store concert by the students for family, friends, and an admiring public.

Keith and Alan have had great success with previous ensemble workshops. Students from past workshop "bands" - The Bluegrass Tenderfeet and The Elderly Mountain Boys - increased their ability and confidence while learning to "play nicely with others" for six weeks and then performing publicly on the final week. Here are a few of their comments:

"I came out of the closet to learn to play with others" - Bob Ashbaugh
"...one of the best group experiences I have ever had..." - Dave Haggadone
"Keith & Alan did a great job in explaining things and going over the material" - Joe Johnson
"The teachers were excellent - critical but supportive....lots more fun and more nerve wracking than playing by yourself" - Jonathan Walton

Both Keith and Alan are successful instructors with excellent credentials. Each has played professionally for years in a variety of ensemble arrangements. In addition to their various other musical endeavors, they both currently perform with the special-occasion bluegrass band "The Hop-Ups." Keith played banjo with Hot-Toe-Mitty, is in demand as a sideman on Michigan's live music scene, and regularly contributes to various studio projects. He is presently Assistant Manager of Elderly's showroom. Alan, who has studied with top mandolin players such as Butch Baldassari, Tim O'Brien, and Charlie Rappaport, was the founder and director of the Pittsburgh Mandolin Orchestra. He has taught mandolin for years, including two years at the prestigious Augusta Heritage Workshops.

Tim and Roberta Little, of the band Under Construction and hosts of the weekly jam at Magdalena's Tea House, have strongly supported Elderly's ensemble workshop program since its inception in early 2005. Managing Editor of the Michigan Bluegrass Music Association Newsletter, Tim wrote an article in the March 2005 edition espousing the value of the workshop after he and Roberta observed several weekly classes and saw the "premiere performance" of the course graduates. Years earlier, Tim had "learned the hard way that there was a whole world of rules, conventions, and etiquette surrounding Bluegrass jam sessions." Referring to his "frequently painful initiation process," Tim explained that it took "several painful years...before I finally picked up on how to fit in reasonably well."

The workshop promises to make the "fitting in" process less painful. Spaces for guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass, and "other" [Dobro, harmonica, etc.] are limited, so sign up soon.