The words “music theory” often send fiddlers running. Most players in the traditional music world don’t know what notes they’re playing or even what key they’re in and they make fantastic music anyway. However, I know many players have a desire to know more about music because this is the most requested workshop topic I get. I’m talking about demystifying things like chords, “double-stops,” melody and harmony, "learning by ear,” and possibly even more advanced things like substitutions, passing chords, and improvisation. The goal is to get you playing with intent. We’ll start with the basics about how the violin strings work together and what we can learn from their relationship- there is so much to be learned just from those four open strings. Then we’ll use what we have learned to build common chords and understand those that we already know before moving on to more complex chords and ideas like harmony. I’d also like to talk about keys and postions so that you can improve your learning-by-ear skills and simplify complex tunes.

Whether you’re a professional or a beginner, I think you’ll walk away with new skills and ideas to help you express yourself musically on your instrument. The world doesn’t need another Dewey Balfa, it needs YOU to be creative!