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Location

First Baptist Church North Houston

4422 Lauder Road     Houston, Texas

Directions to First Baptist Church North Houston:

 

From I-45

Exit onto Beltway 8 heading east and proceed to JFK Blvd and exit.  Turn right onto JFK and go about 2 miles to Lauder Rd, turn left and First Baptist Church North Houston will be on your right.

 

From US 59

Take Lauder Rd exit and head west about 1.5 miles.  First Baptist Church North Houston will be on your left just before you reach the traffic light at JFK Blvd.

Lodging is available close by:
Hilton Garden Inn
15400 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Houston, TX 77032
A limited number of rooms have been reserved at the festival rate of  $79. + tax.
To book, call the hotel directly at 281-449-4148 and mention the festival while booking.
A 48 hour cancellation notice is required.

Camping is available at:
KOA Houston
1620 Peachleaf
Houston, Texas
(281) 442-3700
This is a small campground so please make reservations early.


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Times and Cost

Thursday, Friday & Saturday - Player  $60,  ( Includes Concerts )
Thursday, Friday & Saturday - NonPlayer - $40 ( Includes Concerts )
Thursday, Friday & Saturday -$120 maximum per family 

Single Day - Player $30 ( Includes Concert )
Single Day - NonPlayer $20 ( Includes Concert )
Single Day -$60 maximum per family

Extra concert tickets: $10 per person, per night
Thursday night old time gospel concert is free

Registration begins at 12:00 on Thursday July, 22- classes will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday and at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. 

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• Workshops in the morning and afternoon.
• Organized jam sessions (slow and fast).
• Concerts at 7:00 p.m. each evening

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As of right now, the festival will not have pre-registration.  You can pay at the door.  We try to conserve our money by not spending much on stamps and advertising.  So pass the word to your friends.

Tentative Workshop Schedule

See the information listed below the table for more information about the topics and/or skill levels of the workshops.  Workshop information is still evolving, so please check back for updates.  If you are interested in a particular workshop topic, request it,  and we will do our best to arrange it.

Thursday
Time	Autoharp	Banjo	Fiddle	Guitar	H Dulcimer	Mandolin	M Dulcimer	M Dulcimer	Misc.
1:30					K Ward (1)		D Guillory (1)
3:10	C Whitmer (1)		B. Copeland (1)	B Bence (1)				B Futch (1)
5:00									karaoke with James Patterson
Friday
Time	Autoharp	Banjo	Fiddle	Guitar	H Dulcimer	Mandolin	M Dulcimer	M Dulcimer	Misc
9:00	C. Whitmer (2)			B Bence (2) Beg. guitar	K Ward (2)	Steve Hartz (3)	L Wright
10:30	C. Whitmer (3)		Sheryl Hartz (2)	B Turner (1)	D Guillory (2)			B Futch (2)
12:00	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1:00	C. Harrel (1)	Steve Hartz (2)			K Ward (3)		D Guillory (3)
2:30	C. Harrel (2)		Sheryl Hartz (3)	B Bence (3)		B Turner (2)		B Futch (3)
4:00									M. Wright Shape Note Singing
Saturday
Time	Autoharp	Banjo	Fiddle	Guitar	H Dulcimer	Mandolin	M Dulcimer	M Dulcimer	Misc
9:00	C. Whitmer (4)	Steve Hartz (2)	Sheryl Hartz (3)	B Bence (4)			D Guillory (4)
10:30	C. Whitmer (5)				K Ward (4)			B Futch (4)
12:00	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1:00	C. Harrel (3)		Sheryl Hartz (4)	B Bence (5)	D Guillory (5)	Steve Hartz (3)			B Futch (5) Native American Flute
2:30	C. Harrel (4) Autoharp			B Turner (3)	K Ward (5)		L Wright		Steve&Sheryl Hartz (1)
4:00									C. Whitmer Shape note singing

Denise Guillory  (1) MD Novice / Intermediate 'St. Anne's Reel' and 'Down Yonder' (2) HD Novice / Intermediate Easy version of 'St. Anne's Reel' and 'Down Yonder' (3) MD  Intermediate/Advanced Jazzing up a version of  'Last Date' (4) MD Intermediate 'As the Deer' working to smooth out strumming exercises (5) HD Intermediate 'Margaret's Waltz'

Charles Whitmer (1) Beginner Melody Playing(2) Beginner Rhythm Playing (3) Intermediate- Carter Family Songs (4) Intrmediate/Advanced -Fiddle Tunes (5)Beginner Rhythm Playing<

Brian Turner  (1) boom chick rhythm, walking bass, and using the capo.  the boom chick rhytm is the most essential rhythm in bluegrass, country and folk styles. Learn how to play in every key with the basic chords and a capo.(2)Lead, melody and improvisation for Mandolin. The essence of lead, melody and improvisation can be reduced to three elements: the major scale, the arpeggio and the blues scale. Within these three elements, we find countless variations. The other essential scales can be found within them. When learning these elements, not only will you be playing very great sounding riffs but also you will be examining what is occurring theoretically, exploring such concepts as scale and chord construction, intervals and other essential elements for mastering the mandolin. (3) Lead, melody and improvisation for guitar. The essence of lead, melody and improvisation can be reduced to three elements: the major scale, the arpeggio and the blues scale. Within these three elements, we find countless variations. The other essential scales can be found within them. When learning these elements, not only will you be playing very great sounding riffs but also you will be examining what is occurring theoretically, exploring such concepts as scale and chord construction, intervals and other essential elements for mastering the guitar.

Sheryl Hartz   (1)  Arrangement Ideas for oldtime music (2)  Beginning Fiddlers Only-tone, technique, and a tune  (3) Intermediate Fiddle (4) Fiddle Tune ornamentation

 Steve Hartz  (1)  Arrangement Ideas for oldtime music (2)  Beginner/Intermediate Banjo (3) Beginner/Intermediate Mandolin

Craig Harrel (1) Beginner Melody Playing (2) Int/Adv - Stephen Foster Songs  (3) Int/Adv - Gospel Songs (4) Beginner Melody Playing

Bing Futch  (1)  Intermediate How One Little Fret Will Change Your Life - More and more players are adding the 1+ and 8+ frets to their dulcimers and loving it. In this workshop, I'll show you how these frets can be useful for not only playing tunes, but also understanding the basics of music theory. (2) Beginner/Intermediate The Amazing Dulcimer Band - If you've never played with a mountain dulcimer ensemble before, here's your chance to explore yet another fun facet of playing this wonderful instrument. We'll work through arrangements of familiar tunes that feature three specifically different parts. The result is like that of hearing a small orchestra perform. During the workshop, we'll touch briefly on the why's and how's of arranging, covering melody, harmony, counterpoint and special notation symbols.  (3) Beginner/Intermediate  Exploring An Aeolian World - We'll get warm and cuddly with the dark and mysterious Aeolian mode, both by tuning (DAC) and via capo (1st fret.) We'll learn scales, chords and popular traditional tunes written in this mode, including "Shady Grove", "Road To Lisdoonvarna" and "Cluck Old Hen."     (4) Intermediate/Advanced I Got Those Mountain Dulcimer Blues - Woke up this mornin', all my dulcimer played was the blueswoke up this morning', all my dulcimer played was the bluesI'll give you chords, scales, licks and rhythmsfor playing the blues, you'll want to use! (5) Native American Flute workshop using flutes in the key of B (technically B minor) and they are very compatible with playing in the key of D for a lot of mountain dulcimer music.  You can play both the B minor and D Major scales on a six-hole NAF.  If folks don't have them, I will be bringing some with me, they're $45 and made by Ray Wood of Island Flutes.  They can also just buy direct from him or from me - the price will be the same. 

Bob Bence  (1) Chord Substitution: Tired of all your back-up parts? Maybe it’s time to dig a little deeper into the chords you're playing. This class will “open  your ears” and get you thinking about harmony in a new way. We’ll learn a simple way to replace the familiar I-IV-V chords with something new and exciting. (2) From the Beginning: This is a workshop for new players or for those who want to learn another instrument. We will learn the strings, tuning, finger positions, and learn a few simple chords to get you started. (3) Movin' On Up!: Meet the rest of your guitar! Movin' on up the guitar neck  isn't just for advanced players! Getting out of first position and gaining  an understanding of the entire fingerboard isn't as hard as it looks, and will help you develop range, texture, tone, technique and creativity! We'll use familiar chord shapes to unlock the layout of the full fingerboard (4) Rhythm, Bass Runs and Fill Licks: Learn to play interesting and exciting rhythm guitar! This class covers all the techniques, subtleties and intricacies necessary to becoming a complete rhythm guitarist. We'll learn  to keep better time, outline chords and chord changes, use bass runs to  add forward momentum to the music and provide texture, dynamics and interest to all our rhythm parts!   (5)  Carter Family Lead Playing:  For that essential old-time sound, nothing  beats a solid Carter Family solo! If you can already play rhythm, and want to learn to play lead, this class is the perfect introduction. We will  learn to play melodies on the bass string of the guitar, and fill in with chord strums.

Kendra Ward  (1)Hammering out Chords: Sorting out major and minor chords, progressions, and structures, using your entire instrument, understanding inversions,  finding 7th's, and incorporating it all into your playing is the focus of this class. (2) Using the Pentatonic Scale:  The pentatonic scale is one of music’s best-kept secrets. Most every famous musician around the world uses the pentatonic scale for inspiration and creativity. Play inventive counter melodies, back-up, solos, and harmonies, as well as unique fill-ins. (3)  Playing Back-up and Rhythm: Providing solid back-up and rhythm is the key to good musicianship, more creative and spontaneous playing, and  the solution to truly understanding and utilizing your entire instrument. You will have the confidence needed to play in any jam session. After basic chord structures are reviewed, examining various ways of playing rhythm and incorporating this into your back-up playing will be the focus. (4) Licks & Tricks: Rethink the whole arranging process! Unleash your creativity and harness the inspiration to develop your own personal style and improvisation! This is my favorite class to have fun with. (5)  Leading with BOTH Hands: This class is for those who want to have more hand control. This class will help you develop the freedom to get away from muscle memory and will take you to a whole new level of understanding of your dulcimer. We will play unique arrangements of simple tunes as exercises, as well as other exercises that I have specifically created to practice these skills. It’s a lot of fun and very challenging!

Boyd  Copeland (1) Repertoire fiddle tunes

Lloyd Wright

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