Drawing by Robert Crumb
The Skillet Lickers, who recorded extensively in the 1920s and 30s, featured two amazing fiddlers, Lowe Stokes and Clayton McMichen — usually one or the other, but sometimes both! Stokes and McMichen each also made records under their own names. Gid Tanner was the leader of the Skillet Lickers — although he himself played fiddle, he always had at least one other top-notch fiddler in his band. I think he was more of an organizer and promoter and entertainer, not so much of a musical leader.
Repertoire: plenty of fiddle tunes, but the Skillet Lickers’ emphasis was on entertaining, so there are lots of songs (many of the fiddle tunes have lyrics), featuring the wonderful singing (and guitar playing) of Riley Puckett. There are also comedy records that contain musical interludes. Some of these “skits” are truly surreal!! For example (trigger warning for vegetarians): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXZjJu4SsVk
We’ll explore seminal versions of standards, and some less well-known tunes, with attention to details of ornamentations, rhythm and bowing. I’ll be happy to take requests! When I listen again to these early Skillet Lickers recordings, I am greatly moved by the seeming simplicity and the sheer elegance of Stokes’ and McMichen's fiddling. Even Gid Tanner’s clowning doesn’t detract from their artistry.
Class meets twice weekly on Zoom for half-hour lessons, at 4:00 pm Pacific Time (7:00 pm East Coast time). Once in the middle, and at the end, we'll have a review session, in which we’ll be joined by Eric Thompson on guitar. Because March begins on Monday, the March session will be a whopping 10 sessions! Tuition for the 10 week session is $200 - payable either via check (preferred) or PayPal.
If the 4:00 PST time doesn’t work for you, you can still sign up and attend the session after the fact, since I’ll be posting the video recording of each session in the Drop Box. First session is on Monday March 1, last one is on Wed. March 31. On Mon. March 8, I am having my 2nd virus vaccine that morning — I am hoping to feel up to teaching class that afternoon, but if not, I will do a full hour on Wed. March 10 instead.
Geared towards intermediate-advanced players, this class offers a chance not only to learn new repertoire but also to build up your bowing and ear-training skills.
Source material will be provided in advance; we’ll listen closely to the source, with attention to bowing and details of ornamentation and variations. All learning will be done by ear, no written music. After each lesson, I’ll make a short video going through the tune once at a slow tempo, and then once at a more lively tempo. Source material, short videos and a video of the full class (useful if you have to miss a class) will be in a Drop Box folder, available for download to participants.
For March, the dates will be:
March 1, March 3, March 8, March 10, March 15 (review), March 17 (we'll do something with Irish roots), March 22, March 24, March 29, March 31 (review/jam)
For more info, questions, or to sign up, send an email: suzy@ericandsuzy.com
Here is what participants have to say about Suzy's online half-hour fiddle classes:
"Playing regularly and with instruction has certainly improved my playing and I’ve been able to get a number of tunes under my fingers at a decent speed.”
"Thanks again for doing this, it has been such a positive constant during this shelter in place time. It has really helped to have something challenging to focus on. And its a nice little community of fiddlers, albeit virtual.”
“Your class has been manna from heaven. It restored my spirit and soul when I was just about paralyzed with anguish and frustration at the (partially avoidable!) tragedy our world began to experience this past spring. Fiddling along with you has been a deep pleasure, education, and respite from the world's turmoil.”
“These classes have both helped me learn tunes, improved my ability to follow by ear, improved my bowing. The social aspect has also been very helpful.”
"I’m so glad you are inspired to continue teaching next year. It has been an important part of coping for me during this crazy year. It also has helped me improve on the fiddle!!!”
"Thanks so much for doing this. This year has been so challenging for me and my family, and your class has become a bright spot in my week. I also realize that this class has been an opportunity for learning that otherwise would not have happened, so there’s a silver lining to this pandemic.”
" I’ve learned a lot in your class and want to continue the learning."
"I am filled with appreciation for the structure and inspiration that your fiddle classes have offered during these times of isolation."
Repertoire: plenty of fiddle tunes, but the Skillet Lickers’ emphasis was on entertaining, so there are lots of songs (many of the fiddle tunes have lyrics), featuring the wonderful singing (and guitar playing) of Riley Puckett. There are also comedy records that contain musical interludes. Some of these “skits” are truly surreal!! For example (trigger warning for vegetarians): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXZjJu4SsVk
We’ll explore seminal versions of standards, and some less well-known tunes, with attention to details of ornamentations, rhythm and bowing. I’ll be happy to take requests! When I listen again to these early Skillet Lickers recordings, I am greatly moved by the seeming simplicity and the sheer elegance of Stokes’ and McMichen's fiddling. Even Gid Tanner’s clowning doesn’t detract from their artistry.
Class meets twice weekly on Zoom for half-hour lessons, at 4:00 pm Pacific Time (7:00 pm East Coast time). Once in the middle, and at the end, we'll have a review session, in which we’ll be joined by Eric Thompson on guitar. Because March begins on Monday, the March session will be a whopping 10 sessions! Tuition for the 10 week session is $200 - payable either via check (preferred) or PayPal.
If the 4:00 PST time doesn’t work for you, you can still sign up and attend the session after the fact, since I’ll be posting the video recording of each session in the Drop Box. First session is on Monday March 1, last one is on Wed. March 31. On Mon. March 8, I am having my 2nd virus vaccine that morning — I am hoping to feel up to teaching class that afternoon, but if not, I will do a full hour on Wed. March 10 instead.
Geared towards intermediate-advanced players, this class offers a chance not only to learn new repertoire but also to build up your bowing and ear-training skills.
Source material will be provided in advance; we’ll listen closely to the source, with attention to bowing and details of ornamentation and variations. All learning will be done by ear, no written music. After each lesson, I’ll make a short video going through the tune once at a slow tempo, and then once at a more lively tempo. Source material, short videos and a video of the full class (useful if you have to miss a class) will be in a Drop Box folder, available for download to participants.
For March, the dates will be:
March 1, March 3, March 8, March 10, March 15 (review), March 17 (we'll do something with Irish roots), March 22, March 24, March 29, March 31 (review/jam)
For more info, questions, or to sign up, send an email: suzy@ericandsuzy.com
Here is what participants have to say about Suzy's online half-hour fiddle classes:
"Playing regularly and with instruction has certainly improved my playing and I’ve been able to get a number of tunes under my fingers at a decent speed.”
"Thanks again for doing this, it has been such a positive constant during this shelter in place time. It has really helped to have something challenging to focus on. And its a nice little community of fiddlers, albeit virtual.”
“Your class has been manna from heaven. It restored my spirit and soul when I was just about paralyzed with anguish and frustration at the (partially avoidable!) tragedy our world began to experience this past spring. Fiddling along with you has been a deep pleasure, education, and respite from the world's turmoil.”
“These classes have both helped me learn tunes, improved my ability to follow by ear, improved my bowing. The social aspect has also been very helpful.”
"I’m so glad you are inspired to continue teaching next year. It has been an important part of coping for me during this crazy year. It also has helped me improve on the fiddle!!!”
"Thanks so much for doing this. This year has been so challenging for me and my family, and your class has become a bright spot in my week. I also realize that this class has been an opportunity for learning that otherwise would not have happened, so there’s a silver lining to this pandemic.”
" I’ve learned a lot in your class and want to continue the learning."
"I am filled with appreciation for the structure and inspiration that your fiddle classes have offered during these times of isolation."
CORONAVIRUS update:
Our in-person classes and lessons are cancelled, but Eric is available for guitar and mandolin lessons on Zoom. He is a very patient and experienced instructor. Email Eric for more info. Suzy is not giving private lessons at this time.
About Suzy's String Band Blues Workshop - please note that this workshop is on hiatus during the pandemic
We’ll learn and arrange vocal songs and a few instrumentals, with the repertoire drawn from the jug band, black country blues and hillbilly blues artists of the 1920’s and 1930s, like the Memphis Jug Band, the Mississippi Sheiks, Bessie Smith, East Texas Serenaders, and lesser known (but equally wonderful) artists. We work directly from the source material, (provided in advance, along with lyric sheets.) Suzy chooses the material based on the instruments in the class, and will consider all requests, either for specific songs or artists. This music is a lot of fun to play as a group, and there’s almost no limit to the number of musicians that can play it together!
Any instrument is welcome - guitar, fiddle, ukulele, mandolin, bass, harmonica, etc. at an intermediate-ish level. You should have some facility on your instrument - be able to change chords easily (if you play a chord instrument) and be open to learning by ear. Advanced beginners who are game to try something new, or want to explore the world of blues and rags on the fiddle or mandolin, are also welcome. Suzy will adapt the material according to the levels of the players. We do a lot of singing so if you don’t play an instrument but want to join the class, bring your kazoo!
Summer 2021 - CAMPS
It looks like the camps that one or the other (or both) of us were going to be teaching at in summer 2021 are CANCELLED due to Coronavirus. The good news is that in 2022, we will be at all of those camps, which include Kamp Kaufman, Montana Fiddle Camp, Fiddlekids, Voice Works, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Week and Puget Sound Guitar Workshop.
Our in-person classes and lessons are cancelled, but Eric is available for guitar and mandolin lessons on Zoom. He is a very patient and experienced instructor. Email Eric for more info. Suzy is not giving private lessons at this time.
About Suzy's String Band Blues Workshop - please note that this workshop is on hiatus during the pandemic
We’ll learn and arrange vocal songs and a few instrumentals, with the repertoire drawn from the jug band, black country blues and hillbilly blues artists of the 1920’s and 1930s, like the Memphis Jug Band, the Mississippi Sheiks, Bessie Smith, East Texas Serenaders, and lesser known (but equally wonderful) artists. We work directly from the source material, (provided in advance, along with lyric sheets.) Suzy chooses the material based on the instruments in the class, and will consider all requests, either for specific songs or artists. This music is a lot of fun to play as a group, and there’s almost no limit to the number of musicians that can play it together!
Any instrument is welcome - guitar, fiddle, ukulele, mandolin, bass, harmonica, etc. at an intermediate-ish level. You should have some facility on your instrument - be able to change chords easily (if you play a chord instrument) and be open to learning by ear. Advanced beginners who are game to try something new, or want to explore the world of blues and rags on the fiddle or mandolin, are also welcome. Suzy will adapt the material according to the levels of the players. We do a lot of singing so if you don’t play an instrument but want to join the class, bring your kazoo!
Summer 2021 - CAMPS
It looks like the camps that one or the other (or both) of us were going to be teaching at in summer 2021 are CANCELLED due to Coronavirus. The good news is that in 2022, we will be at all of those camps, which include Kamp Kaufman, Montana Fiddle Camp, Fiddlekids, Voice Works, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Week and Puget Sound Guitar Workshop.