Come to a hands-on seminar with free-style fiddler
DAROL ANGER
at Your Music Store on (whenever,whenever!) (suggested:
$20-25)
This workshop is open to all violinists and fiddlers
alike. Intermediate to advanced players of any age will
derive the most benefit, but adult beginners are
welcomed and will find much useful information.
Using techniques such as call & response, direct
example, and written handouts, Darol will discuss and
demonstrate principles of improvisation and give useful
musical tools for better improvising in any musical
style.
He will demonstrate ways to deal with unfamiliar and
weird keys, methods for improving intonation, and take
participants through a step-by-step method of playing
rhythm fiddle using his self-invented techniques used
with Turtle Island String Quartet.
He will analyze and discuss blues changes and an
expanded concept of the Blues scale, the basis of
modern roots and pop music. He will teach a tune from
his new book of fiddle tunes published by Hal Leonard,
and demonstrate some bowing and phrasing techniques,
all with his characteristic quirky humor and good
fellowship.
Everyone will be expected to play, though time
constraints will make individual soloing unlikely.
Bring your instrument and tape recorders! Of course,
Darol will also have a selection of his books and
recordings on hand!
Violinist, fiddler, composer, producer and educator,
Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres,
some of which he helped to invent. He changed the jazz
world forever with his Turtle Island String Quartet,
finally proving that a string quartet can not only
swing but perform any contemporary music convincingly.
The rule-breaking bluegrass-derived Psychograss
features his style-bending compositions and
arrangements. His folk-jazz fusion group the Montreux
Band became the musical model for the New Adult
Contemporary radio format. The David Grisman Quintet
forged a new genre of acoustic string band music with
Darol's "fertile inventiveness, surprising touches and
technical mastery" (Boston Herald) often in the
forefront. Jazz pianist and commentator Dr. Billy
Taylor said, "He is the quintessential improvising
violinist".
Working in depth with some of the world's greatest
improvising string musiciansÑStephane Grappelli,
Mark O'Connor, Bela Fleck, Mike Marshall, David
Grisman, Tony Rice, et alÑinspired in Anger a
unique perspective on string music, resulting in his
inventing new string techniques for playing jazz and
other styles, including his own original music.
Actively performing all over the world, he has led
annual seminars with the TISQ at Stanford, Oberlin and
Amherst colleges, and numerous lecture-demonstrations
throughout the year. He also guest instructs at Berklee
and Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camps, and holds the String
Chair of the International Association of Jazz
Educators. He has authored seven books dealing with
techniques and materials on every aspect of vernacular
string playing, and has produced and recorded dozens
recordings under his own name and others.