Week 2 (July 18 – 22)
Steve Baughman
Steve Baughman’s CDs have made the “editors pick” list at Acoustic Guitar magazine. He is the author of half a dozen books and several DVDs on fingerstyle guitar repertoire and technique. Steve has taught at more than 80 camps across the US, Canada, and Europe. He is always available to sit under a tree and give students individual attention they need. Well, almost always!
Fingerstyle Guitar (level 3) All it takes is a few basic patterns in your blood for your guitar playing to make your heart soar. In this class we will delve into basic alternating-thumb, Travis picking, and a percussive calypso technique that will make you sound like a full band.
Clawhammer Guitar Immersion (level 4–5) The “bum ditty” can change your life. This African-based banjo technique is tricky (which is why you should be level 4–5). But the payoff in learning it is massive. Rhythm, bass, and melody all combined in one basic pattern. We will follow the Julie Andrews Rule and “start at the very beginning.”
Caitlin Belem
Caitlin Belem Romtvedt grew up in a house full of music in northern Wyoming. She fell in love with the fiddle at a young age and and continued to learn, playing saxophone and guitar, and singing through private lessons, school groups, and with her parents. She’s explored many genres, from Brazilian bossa nova and samba to Cuban son, to American jazz, blues, and swing. She’s performed in diverse venues, from thousand-seat concert halls to living rooms to TV and radio. Caitlin plays regularly with the Brazilian/Latin band Maracujá, the swing/folk duo Modern Bygones, the Basque ensemble Ospa, and The Fireants. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Intro to Improvisation (level 3) We’ll use a few different methods to think about improvisation—building off of and varying melody lines, working from an understanding of a song’s harmonic structure, and developing our musical intuition and understanding of a style. Come have fun and gain comfort improvising! All instruments welcome.
World Band Lab (all levels) This class is open to all instruments, all levels, and we will learn repertoire from various genres from around the world (possibilities include: Cajun, Cuban, Brazilian, Quebecois, Klezmer, Basque) and spend some time working out arrangements and thinking about what it means to play together as a band. Most pieces will have a vocal element, so singers are welcome too!
Amy Friedricks
Amy Friedricks is a veteran jam leader and song leader and has been known to be the last one standing at many a jam. A versatile multi-instrumentalist, she teaches guitar, ukulele, acoustic and electric bass, and has been on the teaching staff at CCMC, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Moab Folk Camp, and many other music camps and ukulele workshops. Amy was the bassist/vocalist for The Quarry Persons, a Beatles tribute band, and the Dandelion Jazz Quartet. She regularly performs with an eclectic mix of musicians showcasing a range of styles including Americana, Celtic, klezmer, and swing.
Acoustic Rock Guitar (level 2) Play some of your favorite rock songs with just a handful of chords! Discover new strums and easy riffs as we sing classics from the 60s and 70s.
Rock that Acoustic Guitar (level 3) Expand your repertoire with classics from the Beatles and other rock icons. We’ll also explore different capo positions, new strums, and other ideas for playing with others. Let’s rock out to the songs everyone wants to sing!
Sylvia Herold
Sylvia Herold brings to CCMC a deep enthusiasm and knowledge of jazz, swing, and folk songs. Researching songs and developing guitar arrangements fuels her artistic passion. Sylvia loves to share that enthusiasm and, with more than 30 years teaching experience, has developed a unique method to help students advance. Her teaching credentials include Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, BC Swing, Colorado Roots Music Camp, and Ashokan Acoustic Guitar Camp. Her performance credits include Cats & Jammers and the Hot Club of San Francisco. She currently performs with Wake the Dead and the Sylvia Herold Ensemble.
Adventurous Folk Guitar (level 2–3) Make your guitar sound like you’re in an open tuning when you’re not! Explore alternate chord voicings, power chords, and melodic motifs. Great for songwriters who want to spice up their arrangements and for those who want to discover new ways of playing the basics.
Easy Swing Guitar Repertoire (level 3) Sing and play jazz standards in this relaxed and supportive class. We’ll play songs with easy swing chords and concentrate on our right hands as we examine where the “swing” is and how to achieve it. Then we’ll swing joyfully on songs of the 1930s and 40s, Western swing, and romantic love songs.
Ed Johnson
Classical. Brazilian. R&B. Jazz. Afro-Cuban. Pop. Rock and Roll. Funk. Folk. Ed Johnson’s mastery of so many different styles, coupled with a passion for harmony vocal and horn arrangements, all factor into a magical blend of vibrant, original contemporary jazz that has won fans and airplay worldwide. Ed’s original music is evocative of Brazilian pop, but unlike anything you’ve heard before. As a vocalist, Ed is frequently compared to Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Kenny Rankin, and Michael Franks. As a guitarist and bandleader, critics often cite the lushly exotic, accessible sounds of Airto and Flora Purim. Ed has seven recording projects to his credit, in addition to producer credits for numerous artists spanning a multitude of genres. He currently performs and records with his Brazilian jazz ensemble Novo Tempo, as well as with the Americana roots band Cabin Fever NW.
Feel-Good Harmony (all levels) There is nothing in the world like the good feeling one experiences while singing in harmony with other voices! If you’ve been longing to sing fun three-and-four-part arrangements from a varied repertoire (folk, rock, country, jazz, etc.) with others for this past year, come feel the joy of harmony singing to restore the soul.
Longing for Rio (level 3 and up) The hypnotic melodies and rhythms of Brazilian music are at your fingertips! Learn the basics of playing samba, bossa nova, choro, and more. We’ll break down the intricacies of the standard right hand “comping” patterns used in this music, and learn beautiful chord progressions from the best of Brazil’s songwriters. Please note that this is a finger style class, focusing on right hand technique.)
Steve Kritzer
Bay Area singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Kritzer is “A Man of Many Musics” (San Jose Mercury News), as comfortable with Celtic, bluegrass, folk, and country as he is with rock, big band swing, and pop. Steve’s relaxed personable style on stage and teaching makes him a popular callback at festivals, concerts, and teaching camps from California to Ireland. When not teaching, recording, or performing, he’s his “own grandpa” with his 11-year-old daughter.
Mondo-Mandolin (level 2 and up) Let’s get our 8-string grooves on and discover all the ways this wonderful instrument can add to any musical style and situation. From creative back up with chords and strumming, to leads and fills to add the “frosting” to any jam, as well as how to read tablature. We’ll cover a variety of styles from Bluegrass to pop to Celtic and more. A knowledge of a few basic open chords and simple strums would be helpful. Let’s make a mandolin band!
Bluegrass and Country Acoustic Guitar (level 3) We’ll learn some creative backup including simple bass runs and fills, alternate strums, a couple of useful easy scales for soloing, and some tips on how to make all this work together as a “band.” You’re ready for this class if you know the standard open chords (C, G, D, Am, Em, etc), some basic strumming, and how to read simple tablature.
Tony Marcus
Tony Marcus has found joy playing many styles of music. He’s played bluegrass with mandolin legend Frank Wakefield, jug band music and blues with Geoff Muldaur, fiddle tunes with the Arkansas Sheiks, string swing with Cats & Jammers, big band jazz with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, weird old Hawaiian and hokum with R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders, and honky tonk country with Rose Maddox, to name a few. Playing music has taken him from Japan to Ireland, and from Alaska to Florida in the USA. He currently performs with Patrice Haan in the vocal duo Leftover Dreams and with the country band Crying Time.
New Frontiers in Swing Rhythm (level 4) Okay, not really new, but possibly new to you. If you’ve taken an introductory swing class and want to broaden your knowledge of chord shapes while learning some new tunes, this could be the answer. Lots of playing in class, with small doses of (ack!) theory.
Rusty Clawhammer (level 2–3 and up) No, it’s not a tool left out in the rain, but perhaps a skill you began to learn but haven’t truly pursued. If you can do the basic clawhammer strum (bum-diddy), bring the ol’ five string and we’ll play some tunes and perhaps learn a trick or two.
Tristan Scroggins
The son of a National Banjo Champion, Tristan Scroggins was surrounded with bluegrass traditions from birth. Having performed everywhere from rural bluegrass festivals to the Grand Ol’ Opry, Tristan was awarded the prestigious Instrumentalist of the Year Momentum Award at age 22 by the International Bluegrass Music Association and in 2019 he received the Freshgrass Mandolin Award. With more than a decade of experience as a teacher and workshop instructor, Tristan has gained a reputation for his logically laid out curriculum, generous of resources, and relaxed, encouraging presence. Tristan has developed teaching materials based on achieving personal inspiration and practice techniques that allow students to overcome their personal musical hurdles.
Play Mandolin Like the Pros (level 4–5) In this class, we’ll learn some of the most iconic bluegrass mandolin solos, using recordings of songs with lyrics as our inspiration. We’ll learn a few different solos from players such as Sam Bush, David Grisman, Bill Monore, Sierra Hull, Adam Steffey, Dan Tyminski, and Shawn Lane. Tab will be provided for everything covered but will be taught by ear first. It is not necessary to read tab well to take this class. We will be relying on our ears a lot!
Camp Instrumentalist
Daniel Ward
Daniel Ward was born in the atomic city of Los Alamos, NM, where his father was a scientist and classical music conductor. Growing up in New Mexico meant being exposed to a wide variety of musical styles, including Mexican mariachi, Spanish flamenco, world music, and jazz. By the time he completed a degree in classical guitar and composition, Daniel was also playing electric jazz, flamenco guitar with dancers, percussion, trumpet, lute, and world beat music. As a guitarist, he toured with Dance España, Maria Benitez, Yjastros, and went around the world with Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra. He has toured with numerous other groups, playing everything from soft jazz to hard rock. In 2009 he moved to Hollywood, where his partner, Heidi Swedberg, introduced him to the ukulele. He fell in love with the instrument, and all of the music inside him found a new home on the four strings. He has become a premier ukulele performer and clinician known for his command of Latin and world styles, and is a featured performer and workshop instructor at festivals across the U.S. and abroad. Daniel contributes lessons to both Ukulele magazine and Acoustic Guitar magazine.
The Art and Ritual of Practice—Ukulele Style! (all levels) Using several methods and materials, we’ll focus on how to create and manage a great inner and outer space as you work on your music. By running through a daily ritual, we’ll build a way to practice that keeps working long after you’ve left camp. Simple right- and left-hand work, ear work, ergonomics, and mind focus are the building blocks we’ll use. Material will be layered so that different levels can benefit from the same class.
Ukulele Solo and Ensemble (all levels) In this class, we’ll learn music...melodic repertoire, instrumental songs, songs with voice, solos, duet, trios, and more. We’ll play through tunes and then split into groups to rehearse and perform for each other in a no-judgement setting. It’s a bit like having group instruction, private lessons, and ensemble coaching all in one class!