Evart Pre-Fest Academy

Clawhammer Banjo - Past Beginner
Tuesday, July 14, 2026    9am-Noon
Cost: $45

This is the workshop for you if you already know a few chords or can pick out the melody of a few tunes, but want to learn how to play in the clawhammer style.

We’ll discuss

·       what the clawhammer stroke is about
·       how to get an old-timey feel in your playing

During this session, you will:

·       build a clawhammer stroke
·       learn tunings commonly used in the clawhammer style
·       learn how to use chords in clawhammer playing
·       play a few tunes illustrating basic techniques
·       have fun!

Clawhammer Banjo - Intermediate
Wednesday, July 15, 2026    9am-Noon
Cost: $45

If you already play some clawhammer but want to improve your playing, this is the workshop for you! It will more or less be a continuation of the concepts discussed in the past beginner session, but participation in the earlier session is not required if you are already familiar with clawhammer.

We’ll discuss:

·       how left-hand approach can affect your sound

·       how tuning affects the overall feel of a tune

·       what we can do to give more of an old-timey vibe to our playing

During this session, you will

·       refine your clawhammer stroke

·       examine options for playing melodies

·       learn advanced right-hand techniques like drop thumb, galax lick, and M-skip

·       learn intricacies of left-hand fingering approach

·       learn some tunes to illustrate left- and right- hand techniques

·       learn to pick up melodies by ear in clawhammer style

·       learn quick and easy ways to find chord structures for tunes

·       explore chord accompaniment options 

·       have fun!

Guitar - Beginner
Tuesday, July 14, 2026   1pm-4pm
Cost: $45

This workshop is intended for folks who are not yet familiar with the guitar. You will fit right in if you have a guitar but have never really tried to play it. You will also fit in if you’ve tried to play the guitar but haven’t been able to get to the point where your efforts make musical sense.

We’ll discuss:

·       left-hand fingering techniques for making chords that sound crisp and clean

·       left-hand techniques for playing individual notes

·       picking and strumming techniques to support your playing in the future

During this session, you will:

·       learn to read guitar tablature and chord diagrams

·       learn some basic chords

·       learn basic right-hand technique

·       play a few tunes illustrating how to use chords as accompaniment

·       pick simple melodies

·       learn basic left-hand techniques like slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs

·       have fun!

Guitar - Intermediate/Advanced
Wednesday, July 15, 2026   1pm-4pm
Cost: $45

If you already know how play chords or pick out a melody on the guitar, this workshop will help get you to the next level. This workshop is not a direct continuation of the beginner workshop, but attendance at the earlier workshop will get you to the point that the concepts we discuss in this workshop will make sense.

We’ll explore

·       ways to make your rhythm guitar playing more interesting

·       techniques which can be used for lead guitar playing or flatpicking

You will:

·       learn left-hand fingering options and approaches to help you play more cleanly

·       learn how to use pick direction to put feeling into your playing

·       pick out bass notes and learn to use bass runs

·       use chord substitutions and understand why they work

·       play some songs and tunes to illustrate these techniques

·       learn how to use chords and other cues to improvise

·       learn how to pick up tunes by ear and arrange on your own

·       take home ideas to improve your playing in the future

·       have fun!