This year the camp has added instruction in bluegrass bass, bringing on board one of the true bass legends, Tom Gray, who will be coming up from Maryland just for the camp. Tom has been inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame twice! He was also voted best bluegrass bassist 8 times by readers of three different magazines during the 1970s and 80s. Tom Gray is well-known for his walking bass-lines, as well as for serving as the bass player for Seldom Scene and The Country Gentlemen in their seminal years of 1960-64. He has toured all over the world and performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in Bluegrass: Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Emerson, Bill Keith, Mike Auldridge, Emmy Lou Harris, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, Bill Monroe, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, Earl Scruggs, Eddie and Martha Adcock and many others. Taking bass lessons with Tom is a rare and special opportunity. To celebrate the camp’s new focus on bluegrass bass, Tara and RiverArts are offering a 10% discount to bass students!
In addition to Tom Gray on bass instruction, Chris Luquette, the rising star from Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen will be teaching guitar, Tara Linhardt will be teaching mandolin, Hilary Hawke will be teaching banjo, and Rob Hecht will be teaching fiddle. The camp will focus on improvement in both instrumental musicianship and on vocal performance and harmonies. There will be an emphasis on gaining techniques, skills, and confidence in playing with bands and in a bluegrass jam setting. The camp will also cover techniques for arranging music for bands, and for recordings.
Click here for more information including full staff bios, photos, and registration information.
If folks have music-related questions about the camp, they can also contact Tara Linhardt directly through her website.
