Saturday, March 2 from 9am-1:00pm
At The Music Center, Fremont Street adjoining the Davidson Building at Kellogg Community College.
**Register Today!!**
Community Music School presents its third annual GuitarFest on March 2, from 9 am to 1:00 pm. Musicians can register for $25 before February 22, by calling 269.963.1911 ext. 2585, or for $30 the week of GuitarFest and at the door beginning at 8:30am. Guests are encouraged to bring guitars to play along, but are also welcome to come just to listen and observe. There will be topics for all skill levels.
The event will feature workshops by Community Music School faculty as well as guest artists The String Doctors, with a closing session featuring performances and a raffle drawing for guitar accessories prizes. Joel Mabus and Ray Kamalay of The String Doctors, will lead workshops on various topics, from fingerstyle guitar to acoustic blues, folk and more. The remaining members of The String Doctors will join Joel and Ray for the day’s closing performance.
Event sponsors are GHS Strings and Rocktron, with prizes provided by GHS Strings. Students registering for lessons the day of GuitarFest will receive a 10% discount. For questions or to register, contact Dinah Vaden, Community Music School - Battle Creek Coordinator by phone at 269.963.1911 ext. 2585 or by e-mail at cmsbc@musiccenterscmi.com.
$25 through February 22, $30 after.
How to register:
Call CMS at 269.963.1911 ext. 2585 or register at the door.
Visit one of our locations:
450 North Ave., Battle Creek, MI
209 West Green Street, Hastings 49058
101 East Mansion Street, Marshall 49068
“...and I thought I’d gone to heaven when Ray Kamalay and Joel Mabus rode high, hard and handsome duelling their swing guitars.”
-Village Voice (review of the Philadelphia Folk Festival)
The String Doctors is a new group with a few very familiar faces. Joel Mabus leads the group in many ways--his superb songwriting and savvy stage presence bring unexpected banter and newborn songs to center stage. The Doctors’ rhythms bring out the guitar and mandolin abilities of this great virtuoso. Ray Kamalay is the crooner and jokester. His “city mouse” lets the boys stretch on old swing material, both sweet and hot. His sparkling guitar lends both hot solos and luscious chords. As such, they’ve ranged to Canada and Europe to play some of the most prestigious festivals, including Edinburgh,Vancouver and the Philadelphia Folk Festival.
Now they are joined by two talented fellows who have gathered kudos of their own: Peter Knupfer and Dave Hay. Knupfer, on fiddle, has been a popular freelance and session fiddler wherever he has lived. In the past he worked extensively with Grass Food and Lodging and Beats Workin’ with Don Stiernberg. He has won fiddle championships in Wisconsin and Kansas and recorded 8 folk and bluegrass album projects, appearing onstage with Byron Berline,Tony Trischka, Tim O’Brien,Peter Ostroushko and Howard Levy. His swinging, bluesy fiddle style will have you leavin’ your seat and tappin’ your feet.
Dave Hay brings up the bottom on bass. A long-time associate of Ray’s, Dave studied at the Berklee School of music in Boston. He is a “triple threat”, an accomplished pianist and drummer as well as bass player. His luscious low tones frame this music with beauty and grace. Together, these four are The String Doctors, who bring a new kind of country swing to your lives, for your dancing and listening pleasure. And their “Michigan” humor will keep you in stitches!
There will be many workshops throughout the day, hosted by Ray and Joel of the String Doctors, as well as CMS faculty. Among our workshops will be:
Workshop 1: 9-10 am
Acoustic Blues and Swing (Ray Kamalay)
Solo Fingerstyle Guitar (Joel Mabus)
I Just Got My Guitar (Rocky Newsome) **Beginner
For those who just got their guitar, have had fewer than 5 lessons, or want a refresher of the basics. Includes tuning the guitar, basic note reading, and learning 2-3 chords by reading and tab.
Fiddle Tunes for Guitar (Stephen Williams) **Intermediate
Learn both melody playing and accompaniment styles in reels, jigs, waltzes, hornpipes and other styles from Celtic and North American fiddling traditions.
S’mores: Campfire Songs (Steve Youngs and Laurie Elmen) **Intermediate
Learn five songs using up to six chords. Also learn about chord progressions, strum patterns, and playing guitars as a group.
Make a Change: Guitar Chord Team-ups! (Doug Peterson) **Beginner/Intermediate
We’ve all at some point had trouble making chord changes on time. This class focuses on ‘paired chords’ plus finger ‘tricks’ to help you smooth out those chord changes and develop great technique.
Workshop 2: 10:15-11:15 am
Ensemble Playing in Various Genres
(Ray Kamalay and Joel Mabus)
Bass Guitar (Ed Swarthout)
Late beginner/Intermediate
S’mores: Campfire Songs (Steve Youngs and Laurie Elmen) **Beginner/Early Intermediate
Play four sing-a-long songs using just three chords. Also learn about chord changing, strum patterns, and playing guitars as a group.
Introduction to Classical Technique (James Kuch) **Late Beginner/Intermediate
This class is for new classical guitarists or any guitar player who has had an interest in the classical guitar but is intimidated with the prospect of learning a demanding new technique. Topics covered will be rest stroke versus free stroke, finger alternation, avoiding finger crossings, and reading musical notation.
Songwriting on Guitar (Doug Peterson) **Intermediate/Advanced
Having trouble finding the right chord, or making the right mood? Do you just want to be able to sit down and write a song? Creating chords, making melodies, and writing words: this class will help you put all of this together to form songs you can be proud of. Must have a working knowledge of basic guitar chording. Music reading knowledge helpful, but not necessary.
Beginning Blues (Doug Acker) **Beginner/Late Beginner
Explore blues and learn a few riffs in this introduction to blues. For the young guitarist or those looking to quickly and easily add some blues to their skills.
Guitar-making (Mike Siegel)
For everyone! Stop by Mike’s table in the hallway between 9 and 11:30 to ask your questions and see his work. Learn the construction elements of the steel string acoustic guitar. See guitars in various stages of completion, and the various jigs and fixtures used.
To register, call Dinah Vaden at 269.963.1911 x 2585
or fill out this form and mail to:
The Music Center | P.O. Box 1613 | Battle Creek, MI 49016
*please do not send cash through the mail*
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