Immerse yourself in the heart and soul of bluegrass music at the inaugural Bluegrass Unlimited Experience. You’ll receive hands-on instruction led by seasoned professionals, featuring classes in Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, Bass, and Bluegrass Vocals. Join us for an unforgettable musical journey that will inspire your creativity and deepen your love for bluegrass! This camp is designed for musicians who know basic knowledge of their instrument.

Details:

Date: Friday, February 7th – Sunday, February 9th, 2025

Location: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky

Workshop Fee: $495

Friday, February 7th

• 1pm – 4pm
  • Bill Monroe Excursion in Rosine, KY featuring a guided tour of the Bill Monroe Homeplace, The Bill Monroe Museum, and the Bill Monroe Grave Site. *Must provide your own transportation*

• 5:30pm – Registration at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum. 
• 6PM – Meet & Greet your instructors and classmates. Refreshments provided.
• 7pm – 9pm Class One
• 9pm – Opening Night Jam

Saturday, Feb 8th

• 9am – 11am Class Two
• 11:30am Lunch (Included)
• 1pm – 3pm Class Three
• 4pm – 6pm Class Four
• 6pm Dinner (Included)
• 7PM – 8PM Instructor Concert
• 8PM – Open Jam

Sunday, Feb 9th

• 9am – 11am Class Five
• 1:30 PM – 4:30PM – Open Jam

Course Offerings

Guitar: Instructor Tim May

Tim May has been working in the Nashville Area for over 20 years.  Having toured with artists Patty Loveless and John Cowan, he also worked as a regular on the Grand Ole Opry with Mike Snider.  Tim has been a regular teacher at multiple music camps including Camp Bluegrass, Kaufman Kamp, Colorado Roots Music Camp, Nashcamp, and others.

Guitar Course Descriptions

Class One: Bluegrass Guitar
In this session, we’ll dive into the intricacies of bluegrass rhythm, focusing on bass runs, alternating bass choices, and dynamic variations. We’ll study the playing techniques of bluegrass legends like Tony Rice, Jimmy Martin, and others to understand how they shaped the foundation of bluegrass guitar.

Class Two: Introduction to Soloing
Expanding on our rhythm work, we’ll explore the art of soloing, starting with the iconic Maybelle Carter’s style and the innovative way Norman Blake transformed her rhythm/solo technique, famously known as “The Carter Scratch.” This class will lay the groundwork for incorporating solos into your bluegrass playing.

Class Three: Crafting Memorable Solos
Here, we’ll explore how to take a simple melody and elevate it with embellishments like “neighbor notes,” tremolo, harmonized scales, and other techniques that add complexity and flair to your solos, making them truly stand out.

Class Four: Crosspicking
We’ll examine George Shuffler’s pioneering crosspicking style, which mimicked the banjo roll with a repeating three-note pattern. This technique is perfect for playing melodies, particularly on vocal-driven songs. We’ll also explore how renowned flatpickers like Clarence White and Doc Watson employed crosspicking to create their signature sound.

Class Five: Improvisation
In this class, we’ll focus on improvisation techniques that allow you to create unique solos on songs you’ve never heard before. Drawing inspiration from Duke Ellington’s concept of “Spontaneous Composition,” we’ll cover targeting chord tones, arpeggios, and incorporating blues notes to make every solo feel fresh and original.

Banjo: Instructor – Alan Munde

Alan Munde is a true pioneer in the bluegrass music industry.  He played with Jimmy Martin and Byron Berline, Roland White, and Clarence White.  In addition, he’s recorded with Sam Bush and John Cowan.  Alan won the Steve Martin Banjo prize in 2021 and is a member of the IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Banjo Course Descriptions

Class One: Banjo Rolls

This class will cover the fundamentals of banjo rolls, demonstrating how basic rolls are used to structure melodies. We will also introduce strategies for bluegrass backup, focusing on combining chord shapes, rolls, licks, and runs to create effective banjo accompaniment, along with a method for integrating all these elements.

Class Two: Understanding the Fingerboard

This class covers nine chord shapes, providing a roadmap for organizing the fingerboard in all twelve keys. It will also expand your toolbox for playing solos and backup, particularly on slower songs.

Class Three: Finding The Melody

Discover tips for identifying chord changes and the melody in songs. We will also cover the phonetics of bluegrass banjo which include rolls, maneuvers, and licks that form the core language of bluegrass banjo playing.

Class Four: Melodic Style

The Melodic Style focuses on playing fiddle tunes and emphasizes the unique approach required to navigate the fingerboard in order to perform them effectively.

Class Five: Creating Solos & Banjo Licks

This class will focus on creating bluegrass banjo solos by combining rolls and melodies in a stylized manner. It also emphasizes expanding our lick vocabulary to inspire creativity and enhance our music-making.

Bass: Instructor – Vickie Vaughn

Bassist and vocalist Vickie Vaughn fronts the Vickie Vaughn Band, a progressive bluegrass ensemble. She has performed at DelFest and on the Grand Ole Opry and has toured as a backing vocalist with Patty Loveless. Vaughn also performs in the bluegrass bands High Fidelity and Della Mae. In 2023, she was named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bass Player of the Year.

Bass Course Description

Class One: Setting the Foundation – Timing, Note Choice, & Tone

In this first class, we will establish the core elements that every Bluegrass bassist needs to know: solid timing, the importance of note choice, and how to achieve the right tone for Bluegrass.

Class Two: Funky Walk-Ups and Walking Bass Lines

Learn how to add character and flair to your bass lines with funky walk-ups and smooth walking bass lines. These techniques are a signature of the Bluegrass sound and will give your bass playing a new level of groove.

Class Three: The Nashville Number System

This class will introduce you to the Nashville Number System, a critical skill for all Bluegrass players. This system allows you to play in any key and gives you a higher-level understanding of the chord structure in Bluegrass music.

Class Four: Mastering the Art of Bass Fills – When and Where to Play

This class will focus on the skillful art of adding bass fills into your playing. We’ll explore where and when it’s appropriate to insert fills to enhance the music.

Class Five: Vickie’s Honky Tonk Bass Method – Bringing Groove to Bluegrass

In this final class, students will explore Vickie’s Honky Tonk Bass Method, a unique approach designed to bring both swing and funk to your Bluegrass bass playing.

Fiddle: Instructor – Maddie Denton

A third-generation fiddle player, Maddie Denton is the 2016 Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and the owner of 14 state championship titles.  She currently plays fiddle and sings tenor in the Dan Tyminski Band in addition to East Nash Grass.

Class One: Fiddle Fingerboard Exploration

Class Two: Improvisation Breakdown

Class Three: Basic Music Theory

Class Four: Tips For Playing Pesky Keys

Class Five: Removing Fiddle Obstacles

Mandolin: Instructor – Scott Napier

Scott Napier is a talented mandolin player renowned for his skill in blending traditional bluegrass techniques with modern influences, creating a style that is both innovative and deeply rooted in classic sounds. Over the years, Napier has toured and recorded with some of the most prominent names in bluegrass music. For the past decade, he has been a leading figure in bluegrass music education. As of March 2024, Napier is spearheading the new Capital Bluegrass & Traditional Music Program at Owensboro Community & Technical College. Napier was a recent nominee for the International Bluegrass Music’s Associations Mentor of the Year award.

Mandolin Course Descriptions

Class One: Covering The Basics! Essentials for all levels.

Class Two: Learning Tunes & Ear Training – The many ways to go about it.

Class Three: Let’s Write a Tune!

Class Four: Intro to building speed in your playing. Learn to play fast!

Class Fine: Gather At The River – 50 years of Bluegrass Gospel Mandolin.

A look at some of bluegrass gospel’s most iconic mandolin kick offs, solos, & hymn interpretations.

Bluegrass Vocals: Instructors – Jen Larson & Rick Faris

Bluegrass Vocals Course Description

Jen Larson is a Nashville-based vocalist and also the former Archives Manager for the Grand Ole Opry Archives. As a vocalist and songwriter, Jen draws deeply from the early country and bluegrass music catalogs, and she has garnered critical praise for her work with the former band, Straight Drive. She has performed widely, with appearances at New York City’s Town Hall for several live broadcasts of Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion”, at the Wheeling Jamboree, Carnegie Hall, and many other regional and national festivals and concerts. Jen has also contributed vocal lead and harmony recordings as part of Artistworks bluegrass vocals curriculum taught by Michael Daves.

Class One: Signature Elements of Bluegrass Vocals

This class will introduce bluegrass music and its distinctive vocal style, exploring how it differs from country, old-time, and folk music. We’ll discuss the “high lonesome sound” and examine iconic vocalists who defined the genre. The Nashville numbering system will be introduced to help with learning vocal parts, followed by a class exercise on reading song charts. The song for this class is “New River Train” by Charlie and Bill Monroe.

Class Two: Lead, Harmony & Duet Singing – Featuring Rick Faris

Session Two will dive into lead and harmony singing, emphasizing how lead singing drives a band and harmony is shaped by the melody. We will discuss finding personal connection with songs and the importance of transposing songs to fit vocal ranges. The class explores the influence of “brother duets” and close harmony on bluegrass, highlighting famous vocal partnerships and the significance of listening and blending. The song for this session is Memories of Mother and Dad by Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin.

Class Three: Song Arranging

This session will include a recap of memories of Mother and Dad, incorporating a staggered, syncopated chorus to enhance the song’s emotional impact. We’ll explore the importance of pre-bluegrass source recordings with the song Where the Soul of Man Never Dies and discover how older songs can be reworked by different generations of musicians.

Class Four: Introduction To Trio Singing

We will cover the basics of trio singing, focusing on “standard” and “stacked” trios. Standard trios consist of a lead, tenor, and baritone, as heard in classic Jimmy Martin songs, with Paul Williams on tenor and J.D. Crowe on baritone, or in the Osborne Brothers with Bobby on tenor and Sonny on baritone. Stacked trios feature a high lead, low tenor, and baritone, as demonstrated by the Stanley Brothers and the Osborne Brothers in “Once More.” Female vocalists like Rhonda Vincent and Dolly Parton also use stacked trios. The “flipping trios” exercise, switching parts, helps train the ear and alter a song’s sound. We will focus on the song If That’s the Way You Feel by the Stanley Brothers.

Class Five: Putting It Together

In this review session, students will pair up or form trios to perform a song they’ve worked on during the course, or another song they’d like to try, focusing on lead and harmonies by ear. They’ll have time to rehearse together before presenting their performance to the group. This is a valuable opportunity to apply what you’ve learned, collaborate, and workshop bluegrass vocal style in a supportive, relaxed setting.

Rick started out picking bluegrass in his family band, the Faris Family, at the age of seven. He was destined for a successful career by getting a head start in his music from his father, Bob Faris, a professional touring musician in his own right. Bob played alongside Reba McEntire on many stages, including the Grand Ole Opry. Rick’s family of six, consisting of mom, dad, Rick, and his three brothers, toured extensively for many years honing their craft. Rick is known for his clear, brilliant tenor voice that lends itself to all emotions of the music. He has a strong, unique lead vocal and a guitar persona that sets him apart from the rest. While not touring, he spends a large amount of his time with his family and honing his skills as a renowned luthier. He not only builds and repairs instruments for other people, but he is currently touring with instruments he has built for himself.