We’re very excited that Emory Lester will be returning to Longstaff House! Emory is one of this day’s foremost exponents of the acoustic mandolin. The power and attack of his mandolin playing are unmatched, and his sound is infectious.
His landmark mandolin-featured recording projects have placed him among the elite mandolinists of our time. His latest solo recording titled ‘At Dusk’ showcases Emory’s musical creativity, and skill as a mandolinist and multi-instrumentalist. Emory has undeniably inspired and influenced many of today’s current wave of modern day mandolinists, pointing the way with his clean, clear, fast and efficient mandolin techniques.
In addition to the show at 7pm, Emory will be teaching workshops in guitar and mandolin earlier in the day!
Workshops: All levels of participants are welcome, however you must be able to tune your instrument and have familiarity with G, C, D, and A chords. Each workshop will include an overview of my general approach to playing the guitar and mandolin that will help you create your own style. Bring your recording devices and plenty of questions.
Guitar Workshop – 2:00pm Sunday October 27
We will cover a variety of techniques, including picking out the basic melody of a song or tune, analyze where the melody fits within the shapes of the accompanying chord progression then look for spaces where one could insert some licks to create a solo as well as playing accompaniment behind singers and pickers.
Mandolin Workshop – 4:00pm Sunday October 27
We’ll take some classic bluegrass tunes and look into improvisation by changing octaves, using arpeggios and scales, move up and down the fingerboard with melodic ideas over the tunes’ chord progression, and playing in other keys. We’ll look at kickoffs and turnarounds, fills on vocal tunes, and rhythm playing.
Some additional topics:
Arranging for solo mandolin and guitar – we’ll consider how to arrange songs to be played on guitar and mandolin alone, with discussion of various challenges and strategies inherent in arranging melodies and chords for solo instruments.
Rhythm – we’ll look at adding inversions to chords for interesting effects and using bass runs and other motion within chords to accent vocals or the instrumentalists you’re playing with.
Practice – many musicians often feel frustrated and just not quite sure how to approach learning new concepts. We’ll explore ideas to keep you motivated and focused, make the most of your practice time, and develop a meaningful relationship with the metronome.
Ear training and improvisation – connect the sounds you hear to your instrument and explore different techniques that can be used for creating solos and open up your musicality. For improv we’ll look at some positions, licks, and melodies that can be used…in any key. Single-note, double-stop, and chord soloing techniques over any musical style will be covered, along with the study of the stylistic elements of some of history’s greatest players to guide you in creating and playing your own solos.
If you are interested in the workshops, give a call or contact Emory at: emorylester@outlook.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrD8NARhilk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KMs4tvl7oY
