Blue Ridge Music Center Heritage Programs and Workshops
Musical Heritage Programs and Workshops Series will be held on Sundays September 24, and October 1, 8, and 15 at the Blue Ridge Music Center, Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 213. The Musical Heritage Programs will be held from 1:00-2:00 pm in the Blue Ridge Music Center Indoor Theater. They are of interest to all and open to the general public with a $5.00 admission fee. The workshops will be held from 3:00-6:00 pm in the Blue Ridge Music Center Classroom. They are open to new and aspiring musicians with a $40.00 participation fee and advanced registration. For information and reservations call the Blue Ridge Music Center at 276-236-5309, ext 110 or visit their website www.blueridgemusiccenter.org/ [1].
Musical Heritage Programs
Many people have delved deep into the region to explore the roots and diversity of Blue Ridge music. Experience this rare opportunity to learn the stories of these songs and the people who play them during these special programs. These programs will be held in the Blue Ridge Music Center theater. Admission is $5.00. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance. Seating is limited to 100 for each program, so be sure to get to the Music Center early or call ahead and reserve a seat.
Sunday, September 24; 1:00-2:00 pm - Alan Jabbour Musical Heritage Program
Close Encounters with the Appalachian Fiddle: Tunes and Stories Gathered from Stalking the Wild Fiddle Tune
Alan Jabbour will play a variety of fiddle tunes and share his experiences learning and collecting tunes from his mentors in the 1960s and 70s. He will tell of his encounters with the great fiddlers of northwestern North Carolina and southwestern Virginia whose tunes carefully conserve and beautifully express the life, history, and spirit of the Blue Ridge region.
Sunday, October 1; 1:00-2:00 pm - Bobby Patterson Musical Heritage Program
An Encyclopedia of Blue Ridge Music
Bobby Patterson is said to have “an encyclopedic knowledge” of this region's music. He will talk about and share recordings of some musicians who have influenced the music, many of whom he has played with and recorded.
Sunday, October 8; 1:00-2:00 pm - Willard Gayheart Musical Heritage Program
A Tale of Two Passions
Large copies of Willard Gayheart’s drawings decorate the theater of the Blue Ridge Music Center. These are drawings of musicians of the region—some are pictures of well-known artists and others are of neighbors and family enjoying informal jam sessions. Gayheart will talk about each drawing and tell the stories of the people and tunes they each depict.
Sunday, October 15; 1:00-2:00 pm - Mac Traynham Musical Heritage Program
Banjos and Fiddles Team Up To Power a Strong Tradition of Music Making and Dancing in the Blue Ridge
Mac Traynham will discuss traditional elements in the regional playing styles of clawhammer banjo and old time fiddle upon which personal styles are built. These elements when combined and applied to certain tunes help create a sound that many folks find easy to flatfoot dance to. Traynham will use recordings of old time players from the region to show the wide variety of personal styles as well as demonstrate the variations in tune versions from Floyd to Whitetop.
Fall Workshops for Musicians
This fall, the Blue Ridge Music Center will offer an opportunity for aspiring and seasoned musicians to share tunes and increase skills in a series of four Sunday afternoon workshops. The workshops will be held from
3-6 pm in the lower level classroom. Students will play in a small group and learn techniques from musicians who learned directly from the masters.
Tunes and songs will be taught slowly and carefully. Pre-registration is required, the fee is $40 and includes admission to a general interest program presented by the instructor at 1 pm that same day in the Music Center auditorium. Registration must be made at least one week in advance, either in person or by calling (276) 236-5309. Participation is limited to
15 people per workshop. Students may bring recording devices to the workshop. The individual workshops are:
Sunday, September 24; 3:00-6:00 pm - Alan Jabbour Fiddle Workshop
Suitable for intermediate to advanced fiddlers. This workshop will focus on Appalachian fiddling style. Learn several Blue Ridge tunes, with a focus on key stylistic elements, particularly bowing patterns. Bring your fiddle.
Sunday October 1; 3:00-6:00 pm - Bobby Patterson Banjo Workshop
A great way for beginning bluegrass banjo players to get started. You only need to know how to tune your banjo and put your picks on correctly. Learn traditional tunes of the area with a focus on stylistic elements, particularly three finger roll. Bring your bluegrass banjo.
Sunday October 8; 3:00-6:00 pm - Willard Gayheart Singing/Songwriting Workshop
Improve your harmony singing and learn new songs. The tradition of Blue Ridge music is more than fiddle and banjo playing. Songs link people with their heritage. Learn some songs of the mountains, practice harmony singing, and share original songs. Bring your favorite songs.
Sunday October 15; 3:00-6:00 pm -Mac Traynham Fiddle and Banjo Workshop
Intermediate banjo and fiddle players will learn the basics of playing as a duet. Learn a few tunes associated with flatfooting with emphasis on rhythmical elements. Clawhammer banjo players will learn right and left hand techniques. Fiddle players will learn to be more sensitive to the clawhammer rhythm and play a tune using a fundamental bowing pattern to get “in the groove”. Bring your fiddle or banjo.
About the instructors:
Alan Jabbour studied and documented American instrumental folk music traditions. Trained at Duke University, he served as director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and has lectured and published widely. In the 1960s and ‘70s he documented the old time fiddlers of the Upper South including Tommy Jarrell and Henry Reed. Alan was the fiddler for the Hollow Rock Stringband.
Bobby Patterson was born in Carroll County, Virginia in 1942. His mother, father, and grandparents all played music and he remembers late night jam sessions at his home. As a young man, Patterson played music and started a recording studio with Kyle Creed. Later he started—and still runs—Heritage Records. He has been involved with the Galax Moose Lodge Fiddler’s Convention and has played with Kyle Creed, Fred Cockerham, Tommy Jarell, the Sunny Mountain Boys, and the Highlanders.
Willard Gayheart was born near Hazard, Kentucky in 1932 and developed a love for both drawing and music as a young child. He moved to Galax with his family over 40 years ago where he shows his art at the Front Porch Gallery and plays music with the Highlanders.
Mac Traynham is a native Virginian who makes his home in Floyd county. Both a banjo and fiddle player, Traynham has been collecting, listening to, learning, and playing old-time music from this region for 30 years. He teaches workshops and performs with his wife, Jennie; and loves playing for freestyle dancers. www.blueridgemusiccenter.org/ [2].