Fiddle Hell Online Workshops April 15-18

I recently discovered this extensive online festival and decided to take the plunge. https://fiddlehell.org/ Except for the workshops that focus on bowing technique, pretty much everything will work for mandolin. I doubt there will be tab, so I'm trying to ramp up my notation sightreading skills. Andy Statman and Baron Collins-Hill are also on the staff, teaching a few mandolin-specific workshops.

For $160 (less with a senior or student discount), you get access to nine session periods a day, with usually six workshop choices, a jam, and an instructor concert to choose from. To take full advantage of it, I think you really need to have an interest in many different non-classical types of world music. The website says that the courses "will cover Bluegrass, Blues, Cajun, Cape Breton, East European, Electric, Québécois, Gypsy Jazz, Irish, Jazz, Klezmer, Latin, Mexican, New Acoustic, New England, Old-Time Southern, Scandinavian, Scottish, Swing, Texas, and Western Swing styles. Historical and technical workshops are also on the program ...," but it doesn't look like any of those are covered in more than 1/4 of the 36 sessions. Since I have MADD (musical attention deficit disorder), this will work fine for me. :) My Zoom fatigue limits will definitely be tested, though, as will my elbow braces.

I looked at the schedule, but the presentation of the schedule was incomprehensible to me.

IÂ’ve signed up as well and IÂ’m hugely looking forward to it! IÂ’m a new player and the thought of attending an in-person event with workshops is intimidating so IÂ’m appreciative of the opportunity to check it out online. ThereÂ’s a wide range of classes and many of them seem like theyÂ’ll be applicable to the mandolin. IÂ’m most looking forward to the perk of being able to stream all the sessions for three full months afterwards. That way IÂ’ll get to repeat sessions to help them stick better and take a peek at lessons that are beyond me in skill just to get an idea of whatÂ’s out there and to keep me motivated. It will also help to cut down on zoom fatigue, no doubt.

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Originally Posted by Bill McCall

I looked at the schedule, but the presentation of the schedule was incomprehensible to me.

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The use Whova for scheduling. As an app or through your online browser it’s all fairly easy to decipher. There are dozens of workshops given at once so that might be what is confusing you. Contact Dave or one of the other admins. They are quite helpful if you ask.

These workshops are being recorded for access later, up to 3 months (maybe more, I’m not sure).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bill McCall

I looked at the schedule, but the presentation of the schedule was incomprehensible to me.

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I think it's tricky because as you scroll down it, you can't tell what day you're on once you pass the first session. On the right side of the schedule page, before you scroll down, it gives you the option of choosing a specific day, which makes it easier to follow.

Also, even though I'm on the West Coast, it says that I'm on Eastern Time, and it won't let me switch that. So, you have to drop three hours from all of the times.

For each time slot, the first listing is the instructor concert, and the second one is the jam. After that, you get the six or so workshops. Right below the title, it tells you which instruments the workshop is designed for. Many are for bowed instruments only, but at least half aren't.