Learn & Play: Lessons, Workshops & Jams

Open Jams

We host an open jam every Wednesday night at the shop, 5-7 PM. It is all acoustic, usually a bit more folk oriented, but it’s really whatever people who attend want it to be! We take turns suggesting and leading songs, and post the song and chords on a big screen to help everyone participate. We welcome beginners!

We have a violin (fiddle) slow jam on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month, 3:30 – 5 pm, open to any aspiring and/or active fiddlers out there! This is a follow-on to the fiddle workshops taking place on the 1st and 3rd Thursdsay (see below under workshops).

We are also collaborating with Earth Goods, one block East at 301 Front Street, to host Sunday Artcoustics 2:30-5:30 pm – no mic open mic and jam. This is also all acoustics and starts as an open mic where people can sign up to perform (3 song limit) that eventually turns into an open jam as well.

We’ll get a beginner jam session going soon, along with workshops and other events. Stay tuned.

Workshops

What are Workshops? They are something between Jams and Lessons, where a group of us learn together from 1 or more musicians more knowledgeable and experienced than us. They might be volunteers, they might be professionals; some are free, some have a fee, depending on the scope and type of workshop.

We currently have two available – both free and designed for beginners:

A Beginner Fiddler Workshop, every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 3:30 – 5 pm. Talended fiddler Tina W. suggests fiddle tunes or takes any requests and together we break down the tunes and walk through the components, one bit at a time. Along the way Tina coaches us on fiddling tips and techniques. On alternating 2nd and 4th Thursdays have a slow jam for fiddlers where we can put the pieces together that we’ve practices and play tunes as a group (see above in Jams).

A Beginner How To Jam Together Workshop, every Tuesday of the month, 5 – 6:30 pm, recommended for anyone newer to playing an instrument who wants to learn more about how to play together with others and how a typical jam works.

Lessons

Currently we have two guitar instructors, both of whom are taking on new students. Perry Smith is teaching campfire style guitar and getting people newer to guitar going with guitar basics. Bryon Black offers intermediate lessons customized to you. We have a ukelele instructor starting in May and are very excited about that.

Stop by or give us a call to get more info. We are looking for banjo and mandolin teachers, if anyone is interested in using the lesson rooms here.