Joe and Tom Rigney fiddling around

What:
Joe Weed is offering a workshop for instrumentalists interested in learning about or advancing their skills in tune writing.

When:
The workshop is Friday, February 20, 2009, at 10:00 AM in the Collings Church room 208 (upstairs), and is open to all WinterGrass ticket holders of all musical levels.

Where:
The “Collings” Church is the Urban Grace Church, at the corner of 9th & Market Streets, Tacoma.

This is how to hang on to David Grier at a jam session

The workshop will be a student - centered learning session, so bring your instrument and your questions.  

Q. How do I get started writing a tune?  I can't think of anything good!

A. Joe's album "The Waltz of the Whippoorwill" contains 11 pieces that he wrote by developing melodies that were sung by birds, who certainly don’t have any knowledge or training in composition! Joe will demonstrate that there’s no huge mystery to coming up with a tune. If you can hum or strum a phrase, then you’re on your way.

Q. Do I have to know how to read music?

A. Many people who don't read music have composed fiddle tunes.  Rudimentary music writing ability, though, is a helpful tool for remembering parts and variations, as well as for organizing and documenting melodies and musical ideas. 

Q. How do I write a piece that others will recognize as a “fiddle tune”?

A. At the workshop, Joe will explain techniques that make tunes fit the style of traditional music.

Q. I play mandolin (or guitar, or banjo, or dobro) and not fiddle. Would I be out of place at this workshop?

A.  Not at all. The focus is on writing a tune, not the instrument it’s played on.

Q.  Is the workshop focused on PLAYING a tune well, or on WRITING a tune?

A.  This workshop is about writing a tune.  The emphasis is on the creation of the tune, not on performing it.

Joe provides free written materials to all attendees

            Joe Weed is a fiddler, recording artist, writer, and producer on the national acoustic music scene.  He has released six albums of his own, two of which—The Waltz of the Whippoorwill and American Portrait—are completely comprised of his original pieces.  Joe has composed music for movie sound tracks at The Lincoln Museum and the National Steinbeck Center, as well as for many other films and locations.  His music productions have been used by Ken Burns, PBS, the Martin Guitar Company, and at Arlington National Cemetery.  Additionally, Joe has written many fiddle tunes that are played at contra dances, festivals, and jam sessions across the country