DUBOIS – Brett Ridgeway, one of the tri-state area’s top hammered dulcimer and mountain dulcimer players, will present three workshops and an evening concert Feb. 20, in DuBois.
The workshops and concert will be held at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Dr., DuBois.
The workshops, appropriate for advanced beginner to intermediate levels, are:
- 10:30 a.m. – Hammered dulcimer. “It’s All in Your Head,” will begin with a basic melody and how to improvise and embellish it.
- 1 p.m. – All instruments. “How to Play Well With Others/Surviving a Jam,” will provide tips such as how to anticipate chord and key changes.
- 2:45 p.m. – Mountain dulcimer. “Moveable Chords,” will examine simplifying playing with various chord positions.
The concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. The cost for one workshop is $20, two workshops for $35 and all three workshops for $45. Donations will be accepted for the concert.
For additional information, contact Ginny Schott at 814-371-4627 or e-mail: ginnyschott@gmail.com.
This event is hosted by the Sandy Lick Mountain Dulcimer Players.
Ridgeway’s philosophy is that “anyone can make music, regardless of age, musical ability or knowledge.” He teaches several workshops throughout the tri-state area and is a full-time musician/instructor. He currently teaches hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, bluegrass banjo, clawhammer banjo, beginner acoustic guitar and mandolin.
He conducted the “Olde Tyme String Band Jam Workshop” at the former GitterPicker String Factory. Ridgeway has authored and marketed a series of instructional CDs that display his method of teaching the hammered dulcimer. He currently has a lesson series available on YouTube and also teaches lessons via Skype and FaceTime.
Ridgeway has been a featured teacher and performer at the Roscoe Village Dulcimer Days Festival in Coshocton, Ohio, and was one of the founders of the revamped Coshocton Dulcimer Festival. He is a second-year teacher at the Pocono Dulcimer Winterfest in Stroudsburg and an advanced instructor at the Buckeye Dulcimer Festival in Ashley, Ohio. He also taught at the Nutmeg Dulcimer Festival in Milford, Conn.
He tours promoting traditional American music as “Homestead Creek.” He has released a total of seven recordings. An original composition written and performed by Ridgeway is featured in the soundtrack of “The Path of the Wind,” a 2010 movie which features Wilford Brimley.