Here ya go, as text, and as a PDF (hopefully with a download link at the bottom of this page!)
Schedule v1.1
Hammer Dulcimer Rendezvous, 2024
| Thursday, May 16th | |||
| Noon | – | 1:30 | Check-in, orientation, Raffle registry, Get your gear where you need it, take a stroll! |
| 2:00 | – | 4:30 | Workshop Session 1 Novice/Intermediate (Dorm Lobby) – Dan Landrum – Larry O’Gaff – Fun to play and easy to learn, Larry O’Gaff is a great 6/8 traditional Irish tune. (With sheet music.) Intermediate/Advanced DOTS (Morgan Hall) – Katie Moritz – Smile Learn an arrangement of the Charlie Chaplin song, “Smile” with a toolbox full of embellishment techniques that can be used on any tune. Intermediate/Advanced SOLIDS (Lodge) – Simon Chrisman & Mick Doherty – Improvising in Ensemble – Playing a solo!We’ll explore strategies for creating solos over chord changes. We’ll play some straightforward chords to classic (not classical) tunes, and all take turns improvising on the groove that the rest of us lay down. |
| 5:00 | – | 6:00 | SPECIAL SESSIONS — Simon Chrisman – Picnic Shelter – Ear Training – No instruments needed! Simon shares some excellent Ear Training – this was a hit last year, so we’re at it again. Hear it, sing it, know it! |
| 6:30 | – | 7:30 | Dinner! (hot food out for one hour) |
| 8:30 | – | 9:30 | Opening Night Concert (Morgan Hall) – Carl, Jim & Mick |
| 9:30 | – | ??? | All night crazy Jammers, bonfire, hot tub, stargazing or rainwatching… |
| Friday, May 17th | ||
| 6:00? | 8:00 | Early Birds Free Time – Bird watching, coffee & tea?, walks, stretchin’ on yer own, readin’ writin’ ‘rithmatic, hot tub, meditation, mediation, and medication. And of course, tuning & practicing. |
| 8:00 | 9:00 | Breakfast – hot food out for one hour, but we can linger (or start tuning!) |
| 9:45 | 11:45 | Workshop Session 2 — N/I (Dorm Lobby) – Jim Wells — Zither Power 2.4Get ready to really know your HD. We will learn basics for melody and chords, stick techniques, more zircles, and tining/care and feeding tips. Have fun exploring ensemble playing, improvisation, and tricks to survive an thrive in a jam! I/A DOTS (Morgan Hall) – Dan Landrum – Part 1 of a 2 Part Day! Blair’s Wedding — Reading Rhythm, Finding the Groove! Blair’s wedding is a tune Dan wrote and performed for an African wedding. It isn’t super-complicated, with the fun challenge coming in using subtle accents to create the majestic groove. Sheet music will be provided. The emphasis in this workshop is on creating a delicate but essential groove to support the simple melodic line. I/A SOLIDS (Lodge) – Katie Moritz – Pat 1 of a 2 Part Day! Arranging for Two Hammers – You don’t have to wait for someone else to arrange the songs you want to learn. In this double-length workshop, we will investigate how to reduce grand-staff music tastefully and methodically for our two-mallet instrument. We will also discuss how to embellish a song when all you have is a melody line. Additionally we work on creative improvisation exercises to help build technical skills so you can execute your musical plans more predictably. |
| Noon | 1:00 | Lunch — Food’s out for an hour, but we can linger… |
| 2:00 | 4:00 | Workshop Session 3 N/I (Dorm Lobby) – Simon Chrisman – Rhythmic Fun for the Contemplative SoulMick just made up this title, based on positive feedback from last year, where Simon took this group through some excellent rhythm exercise. A/I DOTS (Morgan Hall) – Dan Landrum — Part 2 – Blair’s Wedding A/I SOLIDS (Lodge) – Katie Moritz – Part 2 – Arranging for Two Hammers |
| 4:30 | 5:30 | SPECIAL SESSION – Picnic Shelter Simon Chrisman – Ear training |
| 6:30 | 8:00 | Dinner (hot food out for one hour) |
| 8:00 | 9:30 | Open Mic – sign up, share! Rick Fogel, Master of Ceremonies |
| 9:30 | ??? | All night crazy Jammers, bonfire, hot tub, stargazing or rain watching… |
| Saturday, May 18th | |||
| 8:00 | – | 9:30 | Breakfast (and tuning!) |
| 9:45 | – | 11:45 | Workshop Session 4 N/I (Dorm Lobby) – Katie Moritz – Patterns to Build Intuition & Fuel Creativity – Learn how to approach your instrument with a playful mindset. We will work on fun patterns and exercises that sound great and help you navigate your instrument with confidence and intuition while strengthening hand independence. A/I DOTS (Morgan Hall) – Carl Thor – Minor Modes of D: 4 Tunes, 3+1 FlavorsWe’ll work with 4 new waltz tunes to practice your sight reading and help orient you to each of the minor mode flavors: Natural minor, Harmonic minor, Melodic minor, and Dorian. A/I SOLIDS (Lodge) – Dan Landrum – Dragonflies – A 6/8 tune (with sheet music, but heck…) “This tune has been a good performance piece for me, and I’ll also teach a secondary part that makes it fun for a duet.” |
| Noon | – | 1:30 | Lunch |
| 1:45 | – | 3:45 | Workshop Session 5 N/I (Dorm Lobby) – Carl Thor – Tackling a New Tune: Strategies for SuccessWe’ll discuss important things to look for when you start learning a new piece of music, whether by ear or from dots, and we’ll apply the strategies as we learn a waltz from Sweden. A/I DOTS (Morgan Hall) – Mick Doherty – Arirang – a three part arrangement – We will have fun with this Korean folk song, reading through the parts in ensemble, swapping parts and trying not to cry at the simple beauty of the melody. A/I SOLIDS (Lodge) – Simon Chrisman – Interesting Tunes: That Use Chords Outside of the Major Scale – We’ll explore tunes that seem to thrive on chords that depart from the standard. We can delve into the curious matter of selecting – and changing — chords for a tune. |
| 4:45 | – | 6:00 | — Special Guests Concert – (Picnic Shelter, weather allowing!) Katie, Dan & Simon |
| 6:30 | – | 8:00 | Dinner & Raffle |
| 8:00 | – | ??? | Jim Wells will lead a N/I Jam Session in the Dorm Lobby until 10:30 All night crazy Jammers, bonfire, stargazing or rainwatching… |
| Sunday, May 19th | ||
| 8:00 | -9:15 | Breakfast |
| 9:30 | -11:30 | Workshop Session 6 N/I (Dorm Lobby) – Simon Chrisman – Contemplatiing Simon’s Rhythmic Soul Mick is getting slap happy, clearly… This last morning, Simon will help solidify the rhythmic ideas you’ve been absorbing at this Rendezvous. Questions? Ask him, Simon sez. A/I DOTS (Morgan Hall) – Katie Moritz – Blackberry Blossom with all the Fixins’Learn this embellished arrangement of a fast fiddle tune. I’ll include my favorite tools for embellishing fast tunes. A/I SOLIDS (Lodge) – Dan Landrum – Groove Based Improvisation – A playing primer We’ll use rudiments as the motor. We’ll probably stick to Em and G in this class, but the concepts work everywhere on your instrument. If we have time, we’ll apply what we’ve learned to something simple like Grandfather’s Clock or Simple Gifts. |
| 11:30 | -Noon | ¡Crank it up and Wind it Down – No Crying in Baseball! |
| Noon | -1:00 | Pack & depart by 1:00pm… |