Bluegrass instructional resources

Evidence for the international growth in the popularity of bluegrass pops up fairly regularly on our radar. From the launch of new live performance events outside the US, to the number of bands across the world who play the music,

The folks at Nashville Acoustic Camps, who already host ten bluegrass and old time music instructional camps throughout the year, have added a new one for for this fall. The brainchild of noted instructors Megan Lynch and Adam Chowning, a husband-and-wife

Mark Lavengood has become one of the most sought-after string players in the upper midwest. Skilled on most all of the instruments commonly used in bluegrass, he is especially noted for his work on reso-guitar. A good many bluegrass lovers caught

For the second year in a row, the International Bluegrass Music Association has awarded a scholarship to a promising young picker to attend the Blue Ridge Banjo Camp, hosted by Béla Fleck. The 2019 recipient is 16 year old G

German banjo icon, Rüdger Helbig, has released another instruction book. This time it's a volume on open tunings and music theory called Offene Stimmungen und Akkorde für 5-String Banjo. Though all the text is in German, Rüdi feels that any banjo

Regular readers will recall a tragic story last year about a young banjo player, Martin Acevedo, lost in a boating accident near his home in South Carolina. Only 26 years old at the time, Martin had been a founding member

Mel Bay Publications in Missouri has released a new ebook that should be of interest to serious banjo players and students. Classical Masterpieces for Banjo offers excerpts of eight major classical works, and transcribes them for banjo in tablature. It's not

East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN, is seeking a Lecturer in Old Time music for the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies program in their Department of Appalachian Studies. The program has earned international acclaim for preparing young people

With the technology we have today, students of bluegrass music have an embarrassing wealth of resources at their disposal as compared to those of us who tried to dissect the style a generation or two back. These days, many of

Tristan Scroggins, mandolinist with Jeff Scroggins & Colorado - and notoriously elegant stage dresser - has released an instrumental EP, with a transcription book for aspiring pickers to learn his licks. Both are titled Fancy Boy, and showcase his distinctive style