We offer several workshops each year. Join our mailing list to get all the details, plus info about our classes and camps and more!
Music Theory for Bluegrass
Saturday, February 8, 2025
12:00pm – 3:00pm
Tuition: $50
Location: Community United Church of Christ
Instructors: Susan West and Leslie Dare
Sign Up Now!
Minimum Qualifications
- Ability to play G, C, D, and A chords on a bluegrass jamming instrument
Interested but have questions? Contact us at: howdy@waywardstrings.com
What You’ll Learn
- Time signatures
- Music alphabet
- Music number system
- Transposing
- Common chord progressions
- Hearing chord changes
- Funky chords
- Pentatonic scale
- Finding melody
- How harmony works
- Song structure
Susan West & Leslie Dare have great synergy in working together to teach others the essentials of bluegrass jamming. Read more about Susan and about Leslie.
Bluegrass Lead & Harmony Singing
Saturday, February 22, 2025
12:00 – 4:00pm
Tuition: $75
Location: Community United Church of Christ
Instructors: Susan West and Leslie Dare
Sign Up Now!
Minimum Qualifications
- Willingness to sing with others
- Ability to play basic bluegrass chords on your instrument
Recommended
- Some knowledge of basic music theory; consider attending the Music Theory for Bluegrass workshop on Febuary 8
Interested but have questions? Contact us at: howdy@waywardstrings.com
What You’ll Learn
- Finding and staying on pitch
- Determining your singing range
- Finding the right key for songs you want to sing
- Taking care of your voice
- Roles of the lead singer and harmony singers
- Bluegrass harmony stacks
- Lead and harmony singing etiquette in jams
- Building your song repertoire
Susan West & Leslie Dare have great synergy in working together to teach others the essentials of bluegrass jamming. Read more about Susan and about Leslie.
Introduction to Bluegrass Bass
Saturday, March 8, 2025
9:30am – 12:00pm
Tuition: $50
Location: Private Residence (address provided upon registration)
Instructors: Susan West and Leslie Dare
Sign Up Now!
If you have never played bluegrass bass, but have always wanted to, this is for you! Whether you are completely new to bluegrass, playing bass, or both, we’ve got you covered.
Minimum Qualifications
- Own or can borrow a bass (loaners may be available for this workshop)
- Interest in learning about bluegrass bass
- No bass experience is required!
Interested but have questions? Contact us at: howdy@waywardstrings.com
What You’ll Learn
- Role of the bass in a bluegrass jam
- Types of basses for bluegrass
- Care and feeding of a bass
- Tuning your bass
- Technique for holding the bass
- Left-hand and right-hand techniques
- Chord patterns
- How to practice
- Bass accessories
- Renting or buying a bass
Susan West & Leslie Dare have great synergy in working together to teach others the essentials of bluegrass jamming. Read more about Susan and about Leslie.
Fiddle Tunes for Bluegrass Jams
Saturday, March 8, 2025
1:30am – 4:00pm
Tuition: $50
Location: Private Residence (address provided upon registration)
Instructors: Susan West and Leslie Dare
Sign Up Now!
Minimum Qualifications
- Can find basic melody on your instrument (e.g., can pick out “Mary had a little lamb”)
- Can play basic backup on your instrument (boom-chick, chops, vamping, rolling, etc)
Interested but have questions? Contact us at: howdy@waywardstrings.com
What You’ll Learn
- Two different fiddle tunes (TBA) will be covered in depth; others will also be reviewed and played
- Fiddle tune song structure
- How to lead a fiddle tune at a bluegrass jam
- How to lead a fiddle tune at a bluegrass jam
- How to learn and practice fiddle tunes
Susan West & Leslie Dare have great synergy in working together to teach others the essentials of bluegrass jamming. Read more about Susan and about Leslie.
