These instructional workshops will provide special opportunities for musicians to hone their skills and learn new ones in the Americana tradition.  Bring your acoustic instrument for interactive fun!  The workshops will be located in the hospitality room in the Regions- Stone Fort Bank downtown on the square.

12:00
Introduction to Old-Time Music
Jim Spitzkeit & Jessie Kelly
Old time music developed in Appalachia as accompaniment for dances, old country tunes and ballads.  Featured instruments include: fiddle, guitar, claw-hammer style banjo, mandolin, and mountain dulcimer.

1:30
22 Ways to Shortenin’ Your Bread
Master dulcimer player Quintin Stephens’ hands-on lap dulcimer workshop is designed for all level players.  It emphasizes “double-stop” harmonies and is a natural next step for those players using single string melodies or chords.

3:00
The Music of the Carter Family: Roots, Branches and Fruit
Local musicologist and multi-instrumentalist Jon Hall explores the song catalog that has inspired musicians for eighty years.  From Bill Monroe and Woody Guthrie go Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss, the Carter Family’s circle of influence continues to expand.  Learn to play in the style of Maybelle Carter, and join the circle!

4:00
Cutting to the Bone of the Song with David Olney
Olney’s songs have been covered by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Del McCoury and others, winning him a worldwide reputation as one of the best songwriters in America.  His cinematic style and fearless approach to lyric writing have won him a reputation as a kind of musical outlaw.