2024 Cary NC Workshop - Arranging a Tune

WHO: All Levels

WHAT: All-Day Workshop with Mary Lynn Michal

WHEN: Saturday, October 19, 2024 from 9-4

WHERE: The Kirk of Kildare Fellowship Hall, 200 High Meadow Dr. Cary, NC 27511

LUNCH: Simple, tasty lunch options provided for a nominal extra fee payable at the workshop.

WHAT TO BRING: Your dulcimer (already tuned!), hammers, pen/pencil, and paper to take notes.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could take a simple tune and be able to make an arrangement for ourselves? I spent three weeks in England and two weeks in Ireland this summer and noticed that people not only listen to and enjoy music, but love to participate and sing along. 

I have chosen a very simple popular Irish song for us to explore together. It's a great tune to sing or hum along to.

The song is simply a vehicle to explore techniques that you can use to arrange any tune you like. You don’t need 1,001 arranging ideas to play a song the way you like it. It does not need to be complicated.

So…what happens next? I’ll give you a hint!

We will listen to lots of versions of the song, decide on a chord progression, learn the tune, and explore arranging ideas and techniques that you already know, like Two Note Chords, Rolled Chords, Valley Rolls, Fills, etc.

The group will walk through all the steps of making an arrangement. We will work individually, or in pairs to try out and decide on arranging ideas. We will share our ideas and the group will listen and decide on an arrangement that we all like!

We'll also have plenty of time during the day for questions so that you'll go home with useful ideas and tools to help you make arrangements on your own.

Absolutely no one will be put on the spot to sing, but my hope is that by the end of the day, we will all be in the mood to hum along.

I hope you will join us for this fun, and informative live workshop!