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Banjo Private Lessons

 

Brad Carter

Banjo, Guitar

Teaches at Dusty Strings:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Ages taught: Adults

Levels taught: All Levels

Teacher Biography: Brad Carter plays guitar and banjo and loves to teach music in several styles, including bluegrass, old-time (clawhammer), folk, and more. Some of his original tunes have been featured on NBC sports videos, and he plays around the Northwest with acoustic pop group Max Gross Weight and Seattle bluegrass mainstays Dysfunction Junction. Brad gears his teaching to each student's musical goals. He likes to work with students on often-overlooked issues of technique, including awareness of and freedom from muscle tension. He takes pride in helping students learn how to improve their playing on their own and teach themselves. Visit Brad's website.

 

 

 

Allen Hart

Old Time Banjo

Teaches at Dusty Strings:
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

Ages taught: All Ages

Levels taught: Beginning to Advanced

Teacher Biography: Allen grew up in a musical family who regularly participated in barn dances and music gatherings. Ever since his father taught him his first tune on the banjo in 1957, Allen has been on a quest to meet and learn from as many old-time banjo players as possible. He plays and teaches old-time banjo in a variety of styles, including clawhammer, drop-thumb, stroke style, two-finger picking, up picking, and old-time three finger (pre-Earl Scruggs). He currently plays in two bands: Al Hart and his Wild Cats, and also with Phil and Vivian Williams. Allen finds that banjo players take a variety of stylistic approaches to a particular tune, and he encourages his students to find their own sound too.

 

 

Laurie Riley

Clawhammer Banjo, Harp, Guitar, Bodhrán, Voice

Teaches at Dusty Strings: Saturdays & Sundays

Ages Taught: All

Levels Taught: All

 

Laurie is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter; her repertoire is drawn from many cultures and eras. Laurie has played harp with the Chieftains, sung with the Masterwork Chorus at Avery Fisher Hall, and been featured on American Airlines in-flight music and on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”. For the old players of the Appalachian mountains, playing is used for both vocal accompaniment and soloing. Laurie teaches in the traditional way: by ear. She respects individual students’ different needs and wishes while making sure basic techniques and skills are learned and mastered so that the maximum amount of progress can be made.