October, 2012 BDC Meeting Report

      Great turnout yesterday, best since March last year!  Wonderful to see three (3) new first-timers and seven (7) returning Club members.  Click on "Club Pics" above to see the group at yesterday's meeting.  Fantastic Song Circle which included Mary Z. Cox's arrangement of "Goodbye Girls, I'm Going to Boston" as well as ten (10) other tunes from the Club's "repertoire".  In lieu of the Heidi Muller/Bob Webb workshops in November, it was agreed by those at yesterday's meeting that the next Club meeting will be in December on Saturday afternoon, 12/8/12.  Later . . . 

November Workshop Schedule

Just received this schedule from Heidi Muller which outlines the workshops she and Bob Webb will be providing on Sunday afternoon, November 18th, 2012:

12:00 – 12:30     Introductions & Registration

12:30 – 2:30      Keep It Steady – Free Up Your Strumming (Beginner)/Bob Webb

Get in touch with your inner rhythm as you learn how to play your mountain dulcimer with confidence.  We’ll practice keeping the beat while strumming various patterns in straight and syncopated styles, and apply them to several new tunes.

12:30 – 2:30      Introduction to Fingerpicking (Advanced Beginner)/Heidi Muller

Learn basic 3-string fingerpicking techniques that work beautifully on slower tunes. We’ll learn how to recognize chord forms in the tablature and practice different patterns on several songs.

2:30 – 3:00      Break

3:00 – 5:00      Chords Up the Fretboard (Advanced Beginner)/Bob Webb

Finding chords in different positions is easier than you think. Learn the secret of repeating chord patterns that will free you to play chord progressions in several different keys, while still tuned to DAD.

3:00 – 5:00      Fiddle Tunes & Techniques (Intermediate)/Heidi Muller

Make your fiddle tunes dance! Build your left-hand playing skills with hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides that help you increase your speed and glide through quick, intricate patterns. We’ll practice on a variety of old-time tunes.

5:15 - 6:00       Acoustic Concert Set with Heidi and Bob (for paid workshop participants only) 


What Heidi and Bob have planned sounds great.   For more information, please contact Clay Butler via E-Mail at mountain_dulcimer_guy@juno.com.   Later . . .

October, 2012 BDC Meeting

This month's Bellingham Dulcimer Club meeting is scheduled to take place one week from today, on Saturday afternoon, 10/13/2012 at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship.  As with previous meetings, new and new players are encouraged to arrive at 1:30PM.  Everyone else should join us starting at 2PM.  This month's meeting will include:

1. A discussion of next month's Heidi Muller/Bob Webb workshops.
2. A consideration, since of these workshops, of cancelling our November Club meeting with the next Club meeting to be held on 12/8/2012.
3. Sharing of Mary Z. Cox's arrangement of "Goodbye Girls, I'm Going to Boston".
4. And a traditional Song Circle.

Looking forward to seeing you all next Saturday.  Later . . .  

November Workshop(s) Update

Confirmed attendance to the November workshop(s) reached the "required" minimum number of attendees yesterday.  Details are as follows:
          WHO:  Heidi Muller and Bob Webb will be conducting these workshop(s).  For more information about Heidi, visit her website at http://heidimuller.com/.  For more information about Heidi and Bob Webb's musical collaboration, click on http://heidimuller.com/heidiandbob.htm.
          DATE:  Sunday afternoon, November 18th, 2012, beginning at 12Noon.
          LOCATION:  Washington Engineering Institute, 1301 Fraser Street, Suite A-3, Bellingham, WA 98225.
          WORKSHOP SCOPES:  Separate workshops for beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate/advanced players are to be presented.  Exact individual workshop scopes are yet to be finalized.
NOTE:  Non-Club members are most assuredly welcome to join us.  For more information, please contact Clay Butler via E-Mail at mountain_dulcimer_guy@juno.com.

September, 2012 Bellingham Dulcimer Club Meeting Report

Although our Club's "summer recess" is over, today's beautiful weather was the obvious reason for low meeting attendance.  However, the trio of ladies who made the meeting were instrumental - pun intended - in making  today's session pretty awesome.  Thanks to Lori Jo for leading us through "Baby-O", in D-Mixolydian tuning but capo'd at the 4th fret to the key of A - great tune!  We were all challenged by "Sandy Boys".  We all did great, though, in our playing of "Water Bound", "Bonnie Lassie" and "John Stinson #2".  All in attendance today have decided to attend the Heidi Muller/Bob Webb workshop(s) in November.  Click on "Events" above for more information about the November workshop(s).  Later . . .

September, 2012 Bellingham Dulcimer Club Meeting

Our next meeting is on Saturday afternoon, September 8th, at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship.  New and newer players are encouraged to show up at 1:30pm.  All others should plan on arriving at 2:00PM. A short discussion of Club business and news - like discuss details of November's workshop(s) -  will begin shortly after 2:00PM. After that, a Song Circle will be held. Looking forward to seeing you on the 8th.  Later . . .

November Workshop(s)

Plans for the workshop(s), to be provided by Heidi Muller and Bob Webb, on Sunday, November 18th, 2012, are coming together.  More information will be provided as time of day, venue location and workshop contents are set.  Later . . .