Lil’ Rev: Two Workshops
Ukulele Blues: Style and Repertoire
Sat. Oct 7th, 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., $35. This workshop will examine the basics of playing the blues on the ukulele. Using visual demonstration and handouts, you’ll gain an understanding of the following: 8 & 12 bar blues patterns, playing Boogie Woogie on the uke, thumbpicking leads, tremolo, slow blues progression, two triplet strums pattern, and the blues scale. You’ll build your repertoire and learn about recorded history and samples. Prerequisite: be willing to learn how to read & use tablature (handouts). Open to all levels, but know your basic majorchords. All soprano, concert and tenor uke players are welcome.
Old Time Mandolin Style & Repertoire
Sat. Oct 7th, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., $35. Explore the fascinating world of Old Time mandolin playing. Learn about great players from the 20’s and 30’s, ragtime numbers, Jug Band tunes, waltzes, novelty numbers, using double stops, cross-picking, position playing and more. Prerequisite: Be able to pick a basic melody (like Old Joe Clark, Cripple Creek, etc) and know your basic chords. We’ll explore the historical aspects of Old Time mandolin playing as well the fundamentals. Student should be able to read tablature or standard notation. Lil’ Rev is a Milwaukee based, full-time musician and instructor. His previous workshops at Gryphon received rave reviews. We highly recommend buying tickets in advance, especially for the uke workshop. For further info or questions go to www.lilrev.com

Paul Mehling: Gypsy-Jazz Masterclass
Building Solos Django-style Sat., Oct 14th 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., $35. This class will focus on elements of Reinhardt’s soloing style; chords, arpeggios, note selection, rhythmic motifs, gypsy theory and more. We’ll also focus on playing solos, with direct feedback given to each student for a personalized lesson plan upon leaving the class. Please bring guitar, paper and pencil–you’ll need it!

Stacy Phillips Dobro Workshop
Sat., Oct 21st 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. $40. Workshops are designed for all levels of players. Topics covered can be determined by the students so feel free to email Stacy at: archduke@stacyphillips. com. Stacy will teach at least one tune, and will discuss the dobro in bluegrass, blues, swing, Hawaiian, and country-folk. Specific techniques will be discussed, like fitting melodies into roll patterns, using slants, and string pulls, how to “fake” tunes at jam sessions, playing in all keys, using open strings in all keys, building solos from scalar patterns, and easy to apply retunings. Bring your audio recorders. Stacy Phillips is an internationally acclaimed Dobro player and the author of more than 25 books including the DVD series, “Bluegrass Fiddle Bootcamp.” He has performed and/or recorded with many of top-level musicians, including Mark O’Connor, Eileen Ivers, Bela Fleck, Peter Rowan, and Leon Redbone. Visit Stacy’s website at www.stacyphillips.com.

Gryphon’s “Meet the Builder” Series
Rick Turner: The Quest for Better Tone from Acoustic Electric Guitars
Saturday, Nov 4th 12:30-2:30 PM -No fee- Rick Turner has been a leader in acoustic/electric guitar development for decades, both as a designer and manufacturer. The Highlander and Seymour Duncan pickups for acoustic guitars have Turner’s “ideaprints” all over them, and then of course there are the Turner Renaissance guitars themselves, which have long been favorites whenever believeable tone is required in a live setting. Any discussion with Rick about amplified sound will be wideranging, and he’s also willing to help solve sound reinforcement problems. Bring your questions, and expect a witty, no-nonsense presentation.

Mark Hansen: Two Workshops
Jazzy Fingerstyle Playing
Sat., Nov 18th 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. $35. In this workshop Mark explains the basics of jazz harmony and the techniques involved in playing fingerstyle jazz arrangements, including four-note chords and walking basslines. He’ll also cover the tab to his new arrangement of Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It”, which is Mark’s contribution to the follow-up CD to the Grammy winning Henry Mancini Pink Guitar album.
How to Build Fingerstyle Blues Solos
$35* Sat, Nov 18th 3:00 – 5:00pm. Mark covers some of the material from his recently released DVD, How to Play Fingerstyle Blues Guitar Solos. He will demonstrate several basic accompaniment patterns, and show you how to combine those with other techniques to build fingerstyle blues solos. Tab of new arrangements included. Discounted Fee: $65.00 if you attend both workshops.