• The 5th Annual California Banjo Extravaganza Banjo Mini-Camp

    The 5th Annual California Banjo Extravaganza Banjo Mini-Camp

    Berkeley, Calif. — The 5th Annual California Banjo Extravaganza Banjo Mini-Camp will be held Saturday, November 12, 1 to 4:30 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street. Featured instructors include Danny Barnes, Joe Newberry & Bill Evans.

    Sponsors include Bishline Banjos, Homespun Tapes, Banjo Cafe and Peghead Nation.

    Instruction will be provided in both bluegrass & three-finger progressive styles (Danny Barnes & Bill Evans) and old-time/clawhammer (Joe Newberry)!

    For all levels of bluegrass AND clawhammer banjo players, Barnes, Newberry and Evans will each teach two 75-minute small group sessions and then come together for a final session with all students. This is a hands-on, "bring your banjo and let's pick" afternoon with topics designed for novice, intermediate and advanced banjo players. Experience this unique opportunity to learn up close from three of the best players and teachers in the world. Audio and videotaping of workshops are allowed.

    At the conclusion of the Mini-Camp, store your instrument safely at the Freight, grab dinner in downtown Berkeley and come back to enjoy the California Banjo Extravaganza in concert at 8 p.m.

    Session I: 1 to 2:15 p.m.

    Concepts for Singing with the Banjo with Danny Barnes (old-time & bluegrass, all levels). We'll look at ideas for orchestrating a sound underneath a vocal line by working with the timbre and pitch range of the instrument in order to complement and provide contrast to the vocal part. It's a bit of a trick but we have some great role models to learn from!

    Putting Drive In Your Left Hand with Joe Newberry (old-time, all levels including novice). The left hand is the Houdini of the banjo, with slides, pull offs and hammer-ons making magic. This class will help beginning banjo players figure out what goes on behind the curtain.

    Theory You Can Use with Bill Evans (old-time & bluegrass, all levels including novice). Understanding the relationship between the key of a song, the song's chords and the scale used for its melody can not only help you learn a new chord progression more quickly but also give a huge boost as you create your own solo. This session will provide many practical tips that you'll be able to put to use immediately in your next jam session. As a special bonus, we'll also cover modal tunes!

    Session II: 2:45 to 4:00 p.m.

    How The Chords Lay Out On The Banjo Neck with Danny Barnes (old-time & bluegrass, novice). There's a cool way to visualize how the chord forms evolve up and down the neck. We will take a slow simple approach and by the end, we'll have it all mapped out. The basic chord forms in each key will no longer be a mystery!

    At The Corner of 2nd and 5th with Joe Newberry (old-time & bluegrass, intermediate to advanced). A lot of melodies can be found using only open notes, notes on the 2nd fret, and notes on the 5th string. This class will help you find those notes in familiar tunes, and will show you some techniques on picking up tunes in a jam session. Tunes covered include Angeline the Baker, Cripple Creek, Going Up to Hamburg, and more!
    Exploring the Fingerboard in Melodic & Single-String Styles with Bill Evans (bluegrass, intermediate to advanced). We'll map out scales and fretting hand fingering positions in the keys of G, C and D and in the process unlock some of the secrets of finding melodies and creating licks in both traditional and contemporary bluegrass banjo. Tab for all examples included.

    Session III: 4:15 to 4:45 p.m.

    Grand Finale with Danny, Joe, Bill and all students: Q & A, comparing styles and approaches, playing your requests and a concert preview.

    Note: Pre-registration is recommended for this event. Those choosing to register on the day of the event should arrive by 12:15 p.m., while others should arrive by 12:30 p.m. Participants may choose any workshop topic.

    Additional Information