The 4th Bluegrass / Oldtime Mandolin Workshop with Jesper
Rübner-Petersen
South Petherton (TA135AA), Somerset (15th - 16th Sept. 2018)
During this course Jesper Rübner-Petersen will introduce participants to playing Bluegrass/Oldtime mandolin. Musical
examples will be drawn from standard tunes of various levels of difficulty, giving players a broad overview of these
genres. Both solo playing as well as accompaniment will be explored during the course, allowing participants to learn
new techniques and develop and refine their existing playing skills.
Exercises for improvisation and short forays into music theory will round off the course material. In addition to the
principal themes of Bluegrass and Oldtime, individual examples taken from swing, Blues and/or New Acoustic Music
may
also be included in the course.
Participants will be split into small, individual groups at various points in the programme enabling players to alternate
between soloing and accompaniment so
they can fully explore the tunes and exercises.
The course is limited to 16 participants to ensure that all players receive personal instruction and supervision. There will
be short breaks for refreshments (e.g. coffee, tea and cake) between the individual course sections. This gives
participants an ideal opportunity to exchange ideas or take part in
small sessions.
Timetable
Saturday:
Workshop in the morning and afternoon. Lunch in the village.
Sunday: Workshop in the morning and afternoon (until about
5pm). Lunch
in the village.
Course Fee
£90 (excluding accommodation and meals)
Venue
Over Stratton
South Petherton, Somerset
TA13 5AA
Accommodation
Participants must organise their own accommodation.
There are a number of options in the local area and prices vary:
➜
The Brewer’s Arms (South Petherton)
http://the-brewersarms.com/accommodation/
➜
The Square House (South Petherton)
➜ 2 rooms on a B&B basis with local couple (South Petherton)
➜
The
Travel Lodge (Ilminster)
Perhaps someone on the course who lives in the local area would be willing to make his/her spare room available, if
possible. Should anyone be willing to do
this, please make this known during registration. Thank You!
Registration
Please send an email to wmhelton@gmx.com if you would like to register for this course. All applications will be
processed in the order in which they are received and will be confirmed by Will Helton via email. Should more
applications be received than there are places available on the course, we will
set up a waiting list.
The closing date for applications is 01 August, 2017. Please ensure that you have paid/transferred the course fee by the
above deadline to the account listed in your confirmation email. Once your payment has been received and confirmed
your
place on the course will be guaranteed.
If we have not received enough bookings by the closing date, we will, unfortunately, have to cancel the workshop.
Should this be the case, all
payments received will, of course, be refunded.
Should you not be able to participate in the course, we will try to fill your place with someone from the waiting list. In
such cases, your registration fee will, of course, be refunded. But even if we cannot find a replacement, we will
endeavour to find a mutually acceptable solution for all parties.
Contact:
Will Helton, South Petherton
Telephone: 01460 241 329
Email: willslessons@gmail.com
About Jesper:
Jesper Rübner-Petersen was born on the 8th of July 1969 in Aarhus, Denmark, where he grew up with bluegrass and
acoustic music, to which he was exposed by his banjo-playing father. At the age of 12 Jesper began playing the guitar
and very soon was playing in different oldtime and bluegrass bands, performing at gigs and festivals all over Europe.
Besides playing bluegrass, Jesper decided to follow the jazz programme at the "American Institute of Music" in Vienna
(Austria), which he completed in March 1993. In 1994, after years of intensive guitar playing, Jesper bought himself a
mandolin so that he could try out a second instrument - a purchase that changed his life. In July 2000 Jesper moved to
Southern Germany, where he also started a professional career as a guitar and mandolin teacher. At the same time, he
started teaching at Beppe Gambetta's Summer Workshop, the International Workshop Musique Acoustique in
Belgium, the mandolin workshop at the New Acoustic Gallery and other local workshops. Also, Jesper’s book on
Bluegrass improvisation (released by Mel Bay in spring 2010) has been a great success, with more then 5,000 copies
sold.
Jesper is devoted to developing his own style and sound while playing everything from traditional and modern bluegrass
to swing and jazz.