Oh, for a Lap Steel Camp

Bill McCloskey · Posted 3 Jul 2005 6:30 pm

I just got back from taking my son to the Mandolin Symposium, a week long intensive camp for mandolin players on the Santa Cruz University campus. All week long my son got to play with David Grisman, Mike Marshall and be instructed and played to by folks like Chris Thiele, Mike Compton, and Don Stiernberg. Every morning there was an hour and a half of music appreciation (imagine David Grisman teaching the history of Bluegrass mandolin), followed by 3 elective courses on everything from classical to bluegrass to jazz. Afternoons were reserved for practice on the ensemble piece you choose to work (my son choose to work with Grisman on Dawg's Bull) which was performed with Grisman on stage at the student concert on thursday open to the public. Every evening at 8pm was a faculty concert (imagine Mike Marshall playing an hour of duets with Chris Thiele for a crowd of about 150 students).

Then the rest of the evening (to early morning) spent in organized and unorganzied jam sessions. The whole week I was frustrated and elated. Elated for my son being given this great opportunity to have a week long intensive on his choosen instrument. And frustrated that there is not something like this for Lap Steel.

Imagine: History of the Western Swing taught by Reece, a fender intensive led by Jody Carver, examination of the style of Jerry Byrd, the history of indian slide music, Roy Thomson on the Leavitt tuning.
Darick Campbell on Sacred Steel playing.
If only....

I'd sign up in a new york minute.

[This message was edited by Bill McCloskey on 03 July 2005 at 07:34 PM.]

[This message was edited by Bill McCloskey on 03 July 2005 at 07:35 PM.]

Travis Bernhardt · From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The only problem is it wouldn't be located anywhere near me and I'd have to rip my hair out strand by strand.

-Travis

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

I've often thought that this is what the next generation of "steel guitar conventions" should be: workshops like these, PLUS performances by steelers. Adding the workshops would be a big deal to organize but would be a great contribution to the community.

Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

For years instructional workshops have been the norm at many Folk, Roots and Bluegrass festivals. I would love to see them become standard offering at steel guitar conventions.

For the past few years we have been offering free instructional workshops at the HSGA Joliet, Illinois convention. Non-pedal workshops have been offered by John Ely, Jeff Au Hoy, Alan Akaka and Hale Akaka. Bill Leff and Chris Kennison did a slack key workshop last year in addition to John Tipka conducting a Band In A Box class. This year Paul Kim will have a steel workshop, Rick Aiello will have a Q&A on his guitars and pickups and Mike Scott will discuss his life in Hawaiian music. This year's convention, October 13-15, 2005.

Here's a great week you should know about. Bobby Ingano and Doug Smith are conducting a week long Hawaiian Steel Guitar seminar at the Augusta Heritage Festival the week of July 10th.

------------------
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 04 July 2005 at 04:22 AM.]

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 04 July 2005 at 04:24 AM.]

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 04 July 2005 at 04:25 AM.]

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

I agree. When I first came to the States, I would go to all the conventions I could. I soon OD'ed on most of the repetitive playing but never on the informational opportunities.
I think that one can only stand so much of E9th and especially the performance of one particular song (destroying the world or burning bridges over and over again

). Same goes for much of the C6th so called Jazz playing.

But you can never stop learning.

... J-D.

Bill McCloskey · Posted 4 Jul 2005 12:44 pm

A side note: this morning's New York Times had one of the Mandolin Symposium's students playing on the front page - he was even wearing his Mandolin Symposium t-shirt.

I hear what you are saying about the repeditiveness of much of the conventions. The outstanding thing about the MS was the variety. We leaned about the "Duo" Style - a highly ornimental tremelo style that mimicks 2 players playing, we saw Bach's Goldberg variations played by Mike Marshall and Chris Thiele, we saw a Brazilian Charo (sp?) band led by Mike Marshall, we saw a middle eastern Oud player, we saw Mike Compton doing perfect Monroe Style playing. We saw Donny Stiernberg doing the jazz playing of Jethro Burns, we saw western swing playing, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis pieces played, a tribute to the Hot Club of France...

The steel guitar has a similar diversity. I think there is a real need to develop something similar for lap steel. You'd need probably around 150 people willing to cough up $1,000 to make it work. I have no idea if there are that many lap steel players out there, so it will probably remain a dream.

[This message was edited by Bill McCloskey on 04 July 2005 at 01:44 PM.]

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Bill,
I agree with what you are saying about diversity, butI'm afraid diversity is not accepted by a great many of Steel Players/Fans.

One of the things that saddens me about some of the large shows I attended was the audience would be disrespectful to any style of music that they strayed from their mainstream vision of what Steel should be.

I guess this is not new, it wasn't new forty years ago when Dylan was booed for going electric.

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

And Joey, you're also hitting at the core of the complaint that "there just aren't enough gigs anymore"...There are a whole lot of bands/ performers who would love to include steel if it can move beyond 1979...

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

Bill, good topic.

Here's another monkey wrench thrown in the works....what tuning, how many strings? With a mandolin, fiddle, b@njo, bass workshop, you have one tuning and a fixed number of strings.

With steel guitar, you're all over the field.

The Dallas Show seems to be moving in this direction. Last year, Dick Meis held a non pedal workshop. There will be dobro workshops this year also.

I would love to see this expanded.

Bill Leff · From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Hi Bill:

International Guitar Seminars (IGS) has had lap guitar seminars and continues to have them at their weeklong "camps". Bob Brozman and Orville Johnson are the instructors. I learned an incredible amount watching and learning from these two masters.

PS If you ever make it to Santa Cruz again, look me up! I live in the area, and didn't know anything about that symposium up at UCSC. Had I known, I'd have made a trip up there to check it out.

Bill McCloskey · Posted 5 Jul 2005 10:48 am

I think the lack of respect towards diversity is exactly why such a seminar is necessary if the instrument is going to move beyond 1979, as was stated. I know for a fact that few had heard of the Duo style or Charo music before attending the MS, but went away believers and converts.

As far as strings, etc, there are a number of ways around it: strings and tunings could be set up as tracks: the C6 track for instance which could be taught with as little as 6 stings and as many as 12. Loaners could be made available (I'll bet some folks like Industrial Steel could provide a few, expecially if people could purchase them after the show). Also, classes could be taught that don't require the students to play in the class. If you wanted to take the Sacred Steel Track, you would be expected to tune in the tuning of the teacher, that type of thing.

I think starting small is a good idea and I applaud organizations like Brozman's group for getting it started. But I think it needs to be its own thing, not part of something larger, even if that means starting really small: a weekend, few tracks, a core group of instructors and students and letting it grow from there.

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

Ummm, Bill, Charo was Xavier Cougat's red headed young cupcake who tried to sing but is more known for running around yelling "Coochie coochie" and shaking it up all over.....

Choro is the Bandolim (mandolin in Portugues) music of Brazil that was popular in the 70s.

BTW, Jacob Do Bandolim is the best known for this music and David Grisman has produced a couple of compilation cds of his music. Nothing less than wonderful it is.

It sure would be great if a C6 lap steel seminar were to be held in Dallas. Great idea of 6 - 12 instruction. I wonder who would be the best candidate to hold a class in 6 - 12 string C6 ?

Bill McCloskey · Posted 5 Jul 2005 11:36 am

Howard,

As usual, you are a fountain of information and entertainment.

Ah, yes indeed. Dallas, C6, 6-12 string instruction, and an answer to where we would get all the lap steels we need. Could it be that we are both thinking of the person who's popular reissued CD's are currently SOLD OUT on the SGF??? The person who right as we speak is sitting in a store in Nashville, while I'm stuck here in New York with the Memphis blues again?

BTW, based on what I heard at the Mandolin Symposium, Mike Marshall is making a one man crusade to popularize Choro music. On stage playing with him was a 16 year old girl from Fresno who was a Choro monster.

[This message was edited by Bill McCloskey on 05 July 2005 at 12:47 PM.]

Ed Gerhard · From: Center Strafford, New Hampshire, USA

Hey guys-
Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch guitar camp features a week or so of lap steel instruction, usually by Cindy Cashdollar. She teaches there in August but I think her class is sold out. Jorma's a steel guitar nut, and it's great that he's included some steel in the program.
I've taught there for the last four years and can truly say that FPR is a totally wonderful, memorable experience for all attendees, instructors included. Maybe with a little prodding the good folks at FPR would consider adding a second week of steel. Sally Van Meter (a really great dobro/Weissenborn/lap steel player) teaches there in October I think.
Here's a link, check it out. If the workshops are full it is possible to add your name to the standby list.
http://www.furpeaceranch.com

Cheers,
Ed

David Siegler · From: Mill Valley, CA USA

I can second Bill Leff's comments on IGS and the instruction of Orville Johnson and Bob Brozman. Great stuff.

Ed, any chance of getting you to do some lap steel teaching at the National Guitar Workshop this month?

Howard Clark · From: Brookston, Indiana, USA

I attended the Midwest Banjo Camp in June. Banjo players are at least as splintered in terms of tunings and instruments as are steel players, this camp was for 5-string players and included Bluegrass (like Dobro, mainly one tuning) and Old-Time (not as many tunings as Hawaiian steel, but plenty) as well as a smattering of Classical 5-string and African gourd banjos. Four-string banjos were not included which would add two more kinds of banjo and two more tunings, but this was the first Midwest Camp, there have been 4-strings elsewhere.

Best of all, it was only $350 for Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, meals and lodging included. It took place in a Michigan State University dorm, so the Ritz it wasn't, but you had your choice of about 8 different workshops every hour and a half, an instructors concert Friday and Saturday nights, and both organized and free-for-all jamming. The classes were ranked as general, advanced, intermediate, and novice and they all taught some of each. There were about 180 "students," (about evenly divided) and about 20 instructors.

The best part was that the instructors all knew each other, most could play several different styles, and they set the example for far less separatism and snobbism amongest the students.

I think it is very do-able, but it should probably grow out of the HSGA convention since, as Gerald said, a mini version is already happening there.

Ed Gerhard · From: Center Strafford, New Hampshire, USA

Probably won't be teaching any lap steel, but I'll most likely have a Weissenborn style guitar with me, and I'm always happy to sit down for a bit with anyone who's curious about 'em. Look me up if you're at NGW.

Andy Greatrix · From: Edmonton Alberta

Does Tommy Morrel have any teaching material? He just plain knocks my socks off.

seldomfed · From: Colorado

This place,
www.furpeaceranch.com

they often have Cindy Cashdollar teaching once each summer. Check their schedule.
I've noticed that the sched. sells out quick, so if you like this kind of instruction - sign up early for next year.

chris

------------------
Chris Kennison
Colorado

Mike Neer · From: NJ

Howard said "Charo was Xavier Cougat's red headed young cupcake who tried to sing but is more known for running around yelling "Coochie coochie" and shaking it up all over....."

Now Howard, you do know that Charo is one heckuva Flamenco guitarist, don't you?

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

"I did not know that"

Paul Honeycutt · From: Colorado, USA

Hi, Ed,
What tuning are you using on the Weissenborn?

Off topic, Chaley had a heart attack over the weekend. A mild one, but scary just the same. Come back to Colorado soon. They miss you at the Taj. Winking

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