Aaron O'Rourke

Workshops

Playing in 3 Keys Without Retuning. (Intermediate)
With dulcimers tuned DDD or DAD, I’ll teach a waltz strum, then using the three-fingers-on-the-same-fret chord, Goodnight Irene in the keys of D, G, and A.
I’ll show how to adapt this moveable chord to backing up tunes and songs in A, G, E minor and B minor.

Old Style: Melody and Drones (Beginner/advanced beginner) –
Many old and new songs can be played just on the top string. Holly will show you how to teach yourself tunes you already have in your head, without chords, tablature, or physical strength. For more advanced players, we can add in hammer-ons and pull-offs. I’ll have explanatory handouts. Holly will also illustrate simple techniques for keeping our hands flexible as we age.



		Holly Tannen
	Workshops Playing in 3 Keys Without Retuning. (Intermediate) With dulcimers tuned DDD or DAD, I’ll teach a waltz strum, then using the three-fingers-on-the-same-fret chord, Goodnight Irene in the keys of D, G, and A. I’ll show how to adapt this moveable chord to backing up tunes and songs in A, G, E minor and B minor. Old Style: Melody and Drones (Beginner/advanced beginner) – Many old and new songs can be played just on the top string. Holly will show you how to teach yourself tunes you already have in your head, without chords, tablature, or physical strength. For more advanced players, we can add in hammer-ons and pull-offs. I’ll have explanatory handouts. Holly will also illustrate simple techniques for keeping our hands flexible as we age.
Holly Tannen was given a dulcimer by her first boyfriend for her seventeenth birthday. It helped her get over her adolescent shyness, and she adapted the dulcimer to backing up fiddle tunes and playing in string bands. She moved to England in 1974, playing and singing around the folk clubs. She returned to Berkeley in 1980 and went on to get her master’s degree in folklore. Holly now specializes in English and Scottish ballads, seasonal songs, and her own satirical songs about life in Mendocino. Holly’s CDs include Between the Worlds, Rime of the Ancient Matriarch, and Crazy Laughter.