ResoSummit 2010 Workshops

We will be stirring some great new topics into the ResoSummit mix for 2010, along with classic workshops from previous Summits, so that whether you are at your first Summit, or you've attended every one, you'll be able to achieve the desired "Dobro overload" by the close of the weekend. For first few weeks of August, we'll be posting a sneak peak of workshop topics here, and then we'll put together an overall schedule so that you can pre-register for specific workshops.

The first "sneak peaks" come from Michael Witcher, with three new workshop topics for 2010, a new (multi-faculty) lap steel demo session, and some of his most popular topics from previous Summits; Orville Johnson, with excellent jazz and blues topics, along with a practical music theory session; and Sally Van Meter, with an advanced techniques class plus an interesting selection of waltz, swing and blues workshops.

Michael Witcher

Michael's perspective: "As you know this instrument is technically one of the most difficult to play.  Because of this i think most people spend most of their time focusing on the technical stuff and less on strengthening their musicianship - especially if Dobro is their only instrument.  My focus for 2010 is teaching good musicianship, and focusing on the different concepts that make for good musicianship."

Here's what Michael plans to offer in 2010:

Technique Boot Camp- Focus on perfecting fundamental technique - the key to clean playing, great tone, and speed. Participation and individual critique.

Mastering the Fretboard- Lecture, demo and lots of participation. We will explore ways of memorizing the fretboard and learn multiple scale patterns for the same key that will allow us to solo in any key anywhere on the fretboard.

The Singing Dobro- We will listen to great vocalists and learn how to emulate them on the dobro. Lecture, critical listening and participation.

Tone & Dynamics- in this class we will look at ways of achieving great tone and learn exercises for developing expressive dynamics. We will apply these concepts to melodies and licks. Lecture, demonstration, critical listening and lots of playing in class. New

Getting Ideas From Other Instruments - We will listen to horns, electric guitars and other instruments and transpose their licks and ideas to the Dobro. Lecture, critical listening and lots of playing. New

Decoding Jerry Douglas- all levels, lecture and critical listening. We will analyze the supreme musicianship that is Flux.

Ear Training (call & response)- I will play a phrase and the class will play it back. By the end you will have sharpened your ear and learn some new licks. Lots of participation.

Building Solos- The concepts behind developing the perfect solo. Lecture, demonstration, critical listening, critique and lots of class participation. The students should come prepared with a solo they arranged and we will critique and fine tune it. We will also explore other ideas for an alternate solo. New

Lap Steel Demo (to be scheduled during the “optional activities” hour). New

Orville Johnson

With outstanding reviews from his first ResoSummit appearance in 2009, Orville Johnson returns in 2010 with his excellent series of Blues and Jazz workshops, plus a new music theory workshop and a combined jazz/blues workshop for the last workshop session on Sunday, which is 2 hours instead of the usual 75 minutes. Here's how he describes each of his 2010 topics:

Practical Music Theory- The three things you need to understand to help you communicate more easily with other musicians are Intervals, Scales, and Chord Construction. You can learn this in 75 minutes. Lecture and demo; bring pencil and paper to take some notes. Open to all levels. New

Blues 1- We'll learn the blues scales in a few positions, shuffle rhythms, and how to apply them to a 12 bar 1-4-5 progression. You'll be playing in this class. In Blues 1 we'll use some generic tunes to apply the scales and rhythms we learn. Session #1: Low-intermediates. Session #2: High-intermediates.

Blues 2- We'll explore more keys, 8 bar and 16 bar blues, some more intricate rhythms. You'll be playing in this class. In Blues 2 we'll play through some blues standards illustrating different forms- 8-bar blues like Trouble in Mind and Key to the Highway and 16-bar blues like Deep River Blues.

Blues 3- We'll start seeing where blues crosses over into jazz, minor keys, more involved chord substitutions. tonal and percussive rhythms. You'll be playing in this class. Possible tunes- Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Ellington), Thrill is Gone (BB King). Advanced+High-intermediates.

Jazz 1- We'll see how blues progressions morph into jazz thru chord substitution, work on a jazz standard that is heavily blues-based. You'll be playing in this class. Possible tunes- Blue Monk (Thelonius Monk) All Blues (Miles Davis). Open to intermediate levels and higher.

Jazz 2- We'll consider the importance of melody in jazz playing, playing in all keys, and work on a jazz standard that is not blues based. You'll be playing in this class. Possible Tunes- Autumn Leaves (Prevert-Kosma) Blue Bossa (Kenny Dorham) I Thought About You (J.Mercer) Georgia on My Mind (Hoagy Carmichal) Session #1: open to High-Intermediates and above; open to low-intermediates who have taken Jazz 1. Session #2: open to Advanced only.

Jazz 3- improvisational ideas, how to find your own voice, more advanOpeced chord analyisis. There will be some playing in this class but we'll also be exploring concepts involving improvisation, so some lecture and Q&A will occur. In Jazz 3 some tunes I'm considering are Afro Blue (John Coltrane) and The Nearness of You (Hoagy Carmichal). Open to Advanced+High-Intermediates.

Blues/Jazz 3- On Sunday for the 2 hour workshop session I'm doing a class that will be a combination of Blues 3 and Jazz 3, learning a tune or two and exploring some advanced improvisation concepts. There will be playing in this class, but I'll also attempt to address any questions you may not have gotten answered by this point in the weekend, so lecture and Q&A will occur, too. Advanced+High-intermediates. New

Sally Van Meter

For 2010, Sally will be bringing back her highly-rated blues workshop from 2009 and adding some swing workshops, plus a low-intermediate level waltz workshop to complement her more advanced-level workshop focusing on Great Season Waltz, one of Sally's contributions to the Grammy Award-winning CD, The Great Dobro Sessions. And if pick blocking and ultra-clean playing has always eluded you, she's got the advanced technique workshop for you!

The Blues:  Keeping it Simple (high-intermediate)- An accessible approach to 12-bar blues, with rhythm patterns, blues scales, and developing beyond the basic licks to add to your vault of blues licks.  High-intermediate level.

The Blues:  Keeping it Simple (low-intermediate) - An accessible approach to 12-bar blues, with rhythm patterns, blues scales, and starting your cache of simple blues licks to be able to jam in any blues session with confidence.  Low-intermediate level (beginners okay).

Waltz Workshop, Low-Intermediate Level - Why is a waltz so wonderful? In this class, using Kentucky Waltz as the primary example, we'll focus on how to phrase waltzes, and how to find the melody easily.  You will receive tab in advance, and you should learn the tab before ResoSummit begins so that class time can focus on producing ideas for phrasing and tone production, which is a must for any waltz on the reso. Time providing, we will experiment a little with building upon the melody you have learned. New

Waltz Workshop, High-Intermediate/Advanced Level - Beyond the main melody. Approaches to playing waltzes on the dobro, including improvisational techniques and ideas.  This class is open to high-intermediate and advanced-level participants only. There will be basic tab for the melody provided in advance, and the goal here is to build upon your improvisational skills to be able to play a new, still connected to the original melody solo.  Great Season Waltz will be our starting waltz, please learn the melody to at least the first three sections in advance. Time providing, we can explore Kentucky Waltz as well.

Swing in Standard Tuning:  Intermediates only
Want to join in those jam sessions where they are playing swing, or songs with a swing feel? This class will get you started with the simplest of songs- Sweet Sue-  You will need to learn the tab in advance and then together we will start to fill in the blanks with a few simple licks that can bring the feel of swingin’ it to the song.   For this class, we will be using standard GBDGBD tuning.   New

Swing in Standard Tuning:  Swinging the phrase, and more! Advanced and high-Intermediates only.
Did you know there are loads of blues licks in swing music? For this class, I intend to focus on the kinds of fills and licks that will let you cross-apply what we learn to any other Swing song. “I Don’t Hurt Anymore” will be our starter song, and then we can look at  how some of those phrasing ideas and licks can fit into other songs as well. Tab provided for I Don’t Hurt Anymore in advance, so please learn the basic melody! GBDGBD tuning.  New

Advanced Technique:  How to clean up your sound!
Many players you admire have their own style of clean, toneful playing! Every note counts when you are playing, especially when you are playing fast and furious. For this class, focus will be on basic pick-blocking and bar technique that is critical to clean playing, spot-on intonation, and stellar tone. Advanced level  (high-intermediates only if space is available).  

Optional Activities Hour:  Different Voices on the Dobro  An Hour with Sally Van Meter, Andy Hall, and another faculty member TBA.   Demonstration and discussion focusing on developing a distinctive voice on the dobro, with lots of Q&A. All questions are welcomed!

Watch this space for additional workshop info!