I am heading down to Augusta for my first instructional camp experience. I am looking forward to getting some real hands on instruction. I hope to do this in 07 and do Balfa camp in 08. Just couldnt swing Balfa this year although I loved the pictures everyone posted and some of my cajun acquaintences were there.
Can anyone give me a rough idea about the difference between Advance Beginner and Intermediate. I read the descriptions and am not quite sure where to put myself. I can play about 20 tunes at dance speed but I dont play alot of ornamentation or grace notes (as they say in Irish music). Just sort of bang out the tunes; some in octaves. Where does the ornamentation come in, in the AB class or the intermediate?
Kind of an off topic question about the camp. Would I be crazy to take my road bicycle down there with me? I understand it is hilly which is okay, but are the roads relatively safe to ride on?
Re: Anyone heading to Augusta for Cajun/Creole Week?
Hi Bob,
Boy, I sure *hope* we can make it this year! We had
to pass on Balfa camp due to schedule conflicts :-(
My guess is that if you can pull off 20 tunes, you're
very likely beyond "beginner"!
Beginner class usually starts with something like a
simple 99-Year Waltz and sticks with it for quite
a while.
I'd say the classes are fairly flexible, and you can
move around to where you're comfortable.
Depending on the instructor, even the most advanced
classes frequently start with a bit of summarizing
and review about the various techniques before
launching into a tune.
(Are there 3-class levels? Ornamentation is
probably introduced right beyond beginner ..)
I'd say that a recorder is a must, since there's
just too much to retain. A video recorder really
helps to recall positioning techniques!
There was quite a discussion on this topic several
threads back.
Yes, it's hilly, but a bike may be nice to get around
on campus.
Re: Re: Anyone heading to Augusta for Cajun/Creole Week?
Thanks Nick. Actually they have 4 levels. Beginner, Advanced Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. I need to put myself in the class where they learn the ornamentation.
Looking forward to seeing you and other Braves there.
Re: Re: Re: Anyone heading to Augusta for Cajun/Creole Week?
From the sound of your knowledge of music, and folk music in general, I would say that the intermediate class is the lowest level you should consider taking.