'round The Circle - Lessons & Sessions
Welcome!
Join us for an evening of home made acoustic music. We meet Wednesdays at Williams Hall from 6 pm - 9 pm. Check our Calendar page for our next meeting date and click here to see a list of tunes and songs from prior and upcoming sessions.
These free sessions offer a great entry level experience for those who want to learn how to play with each other in a open setting. They are also fun for more accomplished players who want to share music with each other.
This session is for you if:
-
You've always wanted to play with others and want a safe place to start.
-
You want to learn tunes and songs from Irish, folk, old time fiddle and other traditions.
-
You've been playing your instrument for a while and want to get more experience and learn how to play music with others.
-
You're "getting back into it" and want a place to get comfortable again with your instrument.
​
Format
First Hour / Lesson: The first part of the evening from 6:00 to 7:00 is aimed at musicians who want to develop the skills that will enable them to have fun playing in a group setting. We will cover topics including:
-
How to "play by ear" - recognizing musical intervals, how to tell what key the group is playing in, basic I - IV - V accompaniment
-
Etiquette and mechanics of group playing / how to participate in an acoustic jam
-
How to quickly learn new tunes / techniques listening and breaking down tunes into component parts
-
How to develop faster playing speed without sacrificing quality
-
Strategies for effective practice - you don't need to practice MORE, you need to practice BETTER
Second Hour / Session Part I: We will start the first part of the Session by warming up with some slow tunes and a humorous song or two. Our motto for this hour is "No musician left behind". This part of the Session is for learning new tunes to add to our repertoire and reviewing some existing ones. New tunes for the week will be announced the Sunday before the session via eMail, on this website, and on FaceBook.
Third Hour / Session Part II: During the last hour of the evening, we'll move to a faster pace and free-form style. Feel free to call out any tune or song you like as we go 'round the circle, not just the ones in our existing repertoire. This is the part of the evening where students can practice the skills they learned in the first hour on how to play up-to-speed and participate in an acoustic jam. The faster pace and variety of this hour also lets more experienced musicians find some challenges that help to hone their skills.
Listening to and appreciating each others' music will also be a part of the third hour. Not all of our music that we share together has to be ensemble/group playing. We would love to hear any songs and tunes that you have been working on and want to share with the group. We especially love original songs or tunes!
Music For Friends, By Friends
The primary focus of these sessions is for us to have fun and experience the joy of making music with others. Relax! This isn't a performance for an audience or for each other. Here's your opportunity to try something new and grow your musical repertoire. We're not perfect, we just aim to get "most of the notes right, most of the time".
What to Bring
Bring your guitar, fiddle, uke, banjo, dulcimer, mandolin, concertina, button box, bones or other folk instrument and join the fun!
​
​
​
Please read our Health & Safety Guidelines