July 8: Clawhammer Banjo Fundamentals with Aaron Jonah Lewis (In-Person)

Saturday, July 8

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

In-Person at Dusty Strings, 3406 Fremont Ave N

Masks required (or at teacher's discretion).

Registration deadline: Wednesday, July 5.

Learn the fundamentals of frailing, the distinctive banjo playing style also known as clawhammer, that is used throughout old-time and folk music. Aaron will help you get the rhythm and feel of the right hand, as well as covering such topics as drop-thumb, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. You'll come away having learned a tune or two as well as the role of the banjo in a jam setting, and how to play along to a tune you've never heard before. Perfect for the total beginner, this workshop also accommodates intermediate/advanced players who want to work on their right-hand technique or brush up on tunes for festival season.

Champion fiddler Aaron Jonah Lewis has been elbow-deep in traditional American fiddle and banjo music since their first lessons at the age of five with Kentucky native Robert Oppelt. Lewis has taken blue ribbons at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV, and at the Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA, the oldest and largest fiddlers convention in the country. They are also noted for their mastery of multiple banjo styles.  They spend most of their time teaching, touring as a solo performer, with the Corn Potato String Band, and other projects.

Lewis has appeared on dozens of recordings from bluegrass and old time to traditional jazz, contemporary  experimental and Turkish classical music projects. They have taught workshops at the the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and at the English Folk Dance and Song Society in London. They also play and teach banjo, mandolin, and guitar and are currently based in Detroit.