MLAG

First, on Wednesday afternoon, we’ll get you started right!

Boot Camp for Beginners – Wednesday, June 5, 2:30-5:30

Come for an introduction to playing the autoharp. Phyllis Davis will lead this 3-hour workshop on Wednesday afternoon, which is for new players and for those who play a little and might want to brush up on the basics. We will cover many topics to get you started playing our great instrument, as well as some simple maintenance tips. Come with any questions. Hope to see you there!

Now here are our workshops for Thursday through Saturday, in alphabetical order by presenter:

Lynda Cohen

“Less Familiar Stephen Foster Songs” (all): We all have some favorite Foster songs, but there are many lesser-known ones that are fun to delve into. This is a nice opportunity to sing and play some that Lynda has discovered for herself.

Barbara Dace 

“Meet Your 2023 Cohen-Grappel Recording Endowment Winner” (all): Barbara is a wonderful songwriter and performer who won our endowment last year, and her recording is now being released for you to enjoy! Come spend an hour with her, hear about her experience making her studio recording, hear some of her music, and celebrate with cake!

“Two-Chord Specials” (beg & up; keys of G & D): Barbara reaches into her bag for some super-simple songs with only two chords for beginners – or those teaching them!

“The Basics of Songwriting” (all): Tips for writing your own lyrics and tunes. Includes references for further study, since there’s a lot more to songwriting than an hour can cover… but we can make a start!

Pete Daigle

“Shade Tree Autoharp Mechanics” (all): What to do when you break a string or have a dangling felt threaten an evening jam? Learn the basics of the anatomy of your autoharp; understand a bit more of what makes the sound good or bad. Don’t let a buzzing string or a bad harmonic ruin your day! What we cover here will simply depend on who comes and what you will want to learn about the mechanics of your ‘harp.

Bob Grappel

“Beyond I-IV-V” (int; chromatic): This workshop will explore some of my favorite tunes from rags to Broadway show tunes, country to pop, with chord patterns going well beyond the usual I-IV-V and occasional minor. Most are chromatic (keys of C/Am and G mostly) while some others can be played on a two-key diatonic (G/D). We will look at some interesting (I hope) techniques for each tune.

Allison Guinn (featured performer)

“Murder Ballads” (all): Allison has started a murder ballad podcast(!) with her singing partner and will take you through how she researches these true stories, and then will share or swap some favorite murder ballads.

“Podcasting” (all): Allison will share her experience in starting up a podcast. She will cover construction of content; the art of researching things on the internet – what is a reliable source, and what isn’t; and how to construct an episode in terms of theme and structure. Bring your questions and experiences in home recording and broadcasting, too! 

“Constructing a Solo Show” (all): Explore the idea of constructing a biographical show and concert – a hybrid of play and concert, not quite a musical, not just a concert, but both! Allison has performed her own show about her Tennessee roots all the way up in New York City, and will have lots of ideas from her experiences.

Les Gustafson-Zook (featured performer)

“Autoharp 101″: Opening the Case” (beg): This workshop is for anyone wanting to explore making music on the autoharp. We will cover all the basics, tuning, picks, holding the autoharp, care and feeding, basic strums and rhythm. Get your Thursday morning off to a great start!

“A Touch of Classical” (int-adv; chromatic or GD diatonic): Discover the beauty and simplicity of an autoharp arrangement of Bach’s “Minuet in G” to improve the clarity of your melody picking and discover the real world benefit of knowing your scales! This is a lovely and fun classical piece that sounds wonderful on the autoharp!

“Exploring Diatonic Techniques” (adv; GD diatonic): What can be done on your diatonic harp that can’t be done with a chromatic? Join us to explore the fun and beauty of the diatonic instrument with its special qualities including open noting, expanding its range, backing up your vocals and improvising on the melody.

“Music for Traumatic Times” (beg-int; chromatic): Allow music to heal your troubled soul by learning to play beautiful chromatic arrangements of three classic songs – “How Can I Keep From Singing,” “The Water is Wide,” and “Midnight on the Water” – bringing a meditative and peaceful spirit back into your life.  

Lindsay Haisley (featured performer)

“Improvisation” (all): This workshop gives students an opportunity to improvise on a few simple themes, providing a safe and fun environment in which “there are no mistakes, only unexpected results.” Some basic attitudes and skills about improvisation will be presented, such as the skill of relying on feelings and emotions rather than on one’s thinking process. Solid skills and practice which enable creative improvisation are presented, while laughter and musical playfulness in class are encouraged! The emphasis will be on singing and playing.

“Rhythms on the Autoharp” (all): This workshop explores the use of the autoharp as a rhythm instrument accompanying other instruments and voices. It develops a strong and flexible technique for playing various tempos and rhythms on the autoharp using smooth strumming along with damping techniques on the buttons. This workshop is actually appropriate for any stringed instrument used for rhythm accompaniment and has been successfully used with groups containing guitar and mandolin players as well as autoharpists.

“Advanced Tuning” (adv): This workshop demonstrates the use of a tuning rig, consisting of an electronic tuning standard, a dual trace oscilloscope, and a small graphic equalizer to quickly and accurately tune an autoharp, especially an autoharp with installed fine-tuners. This workshop will be of special interest to anyone who tunes many autoharps on a regular basis, and to luthiers and anyone who services autoharps. The total cost of the hardware kit for this rig is about $300 and the accuracy and speed is, with practice, as good as that provided by a professional Peterson tuner costing several times as much.

“The Chromatic Autoharp” (int): This workshop covers the chromatic autoharp and how to take advantage of its unique properties. Topics include basic differences, both in potential repertoire and in playing style, between the diatonic and chromatic autoharps, as well as some music theory, using diminished chords and chord layout. The class will practice and play together a couple of simple tunes that take advantage of the chromatic instrument.

Cindy Harris

“The Joy of Jigs” (int-adv; keys of G & D): Jigs are distinctive, fun to play on autoharp, and surprisingly not too difficult to master. We’ll explore a few common ones to get our feet wet, then work out one or two that are a bit more challenging.

“Quirky Tunes” (int-adv; keys of G & D): Some of my favorite tunes are those maddening ditties that seem so obvious, yet turn out to have some kind of a quirk that makes them challenging to learn and to play. We’ll explore a few of these and learn some strategies for acquiring them.

Maureen Maxwell

“Morning Qigong” (all): Maureen will offer a 15-minute session every morning in the Naugle lobby before breakfast, teaching how to properly walk and gain healing and energy from nature. Join her on your way to start the day!

 “Self-Reflexology” (all): Maureen has been a presence at MLAG for many years, offering reflexology sessions for donations, but this year she will present a workshop for you! Many who come to her have issues with hands, necks, backs, and shoulders, because they are playing more at the festival than usual and straining their bodies. She will teach hand reflexology techniques for self-healing, and even some partner exercises for feet that you can take with you. 

“Qigong Meditation” (all): This hour-long workshop will give you more Qigong reflexology tips complementing what you get in the morning sessions.

Karen Mueller (featured performer)

“Fill Out Those Melodies” (beg & up; keys of C & G): Create fuller, more dynamic autoharp arrangements by knowing how to add the right strum fills to melodies.

“Beautiful Melodies from Around the World” (int; keys of C, G, D): Slow, pretty tunes from Ireland, Sweden, America, and more.

“Cajun Tunes for Autoharp” (int & up; keys of G & D): Explore the infectious rhythms and melodies of Cajun music, including waltzes and two-steps, with strumming patterns, accenting the back beat, and swing (dotted eighth) rhythms.

“Preparing for Performing or Contests” (all; no playing): If you’ve been curious about getting started withperforming or entering a contest, come hear Karen’s tips for arranging material, creating a set list, howcontests are judged, and more. 

Michael Poole (featured performer)

“MLAG Jam Favorites” (all): Allow this workshop to introduce you to some of the tunes that are always heard in the open MLAG jam sessions. Get a head start on your jam prep by playing and singing some of the great tunes that are MLAG favorites. All skill levels, instruments, and singers welcome.

“Songs of Gillian Welch” (int): Explore the music of this poetic, eclectic, and dynamic singer/songwriter who incorporates old time, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, and rock themes into her music. All skill levels, instruments, and singers welcome

“Improving Your Playing Technique” (beg): This workshop will discuss, demonstrate, and practice proper technique for both hands. Common problems for both hands and corrective measures will be discussed, and your improved skills will be applied to some great tunes.

“Songs of Iris Dement” (int-adv): Explore the music of this unique singer/songwriter who composes and sings from deep personal conviction with an innate style of phrasing and a singular voice. All skill levels, instruments, and singers welcome.

Tom Schroeder (featured performer)

“Change the Time, Change the Tune” (int; keys of G, C, D): It is a fun challenge to play a melody in a different time signature than it was originally written in, and Tom is well known for this playfulness!

“Laid-Back Melodies” (int-adv; keys of D, G, C, F): Learn some beautiful melodies and the techniques needed to play them in a laid-back style.

“Anticipate the Chord Changes” (beg-int; keys of D, G, C, F): Whether you are singing or playing a melody, if the music uses several chords, you need a plan to smoothly transition through them.

“Easy Celtic Songs and Melodies” (beg; keys of G & C): Songs and melodies from the British Isles that are accessible to any autoharp player.

Charles Whitmer

“Scottish Fiddle and Pipe Tunes” (int-adv, keys of G, Gm, & Am): The beauty of some of the Celtic gems of this genre will be explored. Many of these tunes are not normally associated with autoharp, but they in fact can actually work very well. Come try some of these lovely instrumentals and experience their beauty on autoharp.

“How to Play Melodies” (beg; key of G): Experience the joy of playing melodies on your autoharp. Participants can expect to be playing several basic melodies by the end of this session and will have a solidfoundation to continue to further melody playing development. Also a good class for anyone who wants to revisit this important fundamental task.