Free Strings Clinic with DBR this Sunday at EVS
Let's Make Some Focused Noise - A Masterclass with Daniel Bernard Roumainthis Sunday, November 1, 2:00 to 3:30 PM - FREE
What's cooler than making some outrageously creative sounds on the violin? Join Daniel Bernard Roumain, band leader and composer, for a hands-on workshop for all string players. Although amplification helps, many effects can be done on your acoustic instrument. Open to experienced improvisers as well as those who find comfort in printed music. Bring your violin, viola, cello or bass.
This event is FREE, thanks to the sponsorship of North Carolina State University's Center Stage, and is being hosted by Electric Violin Shop at their Community Event Room in Durham on the edge of RTP. Preregistration is required to 919-806-3311 - space is limited to 40 people.
Be sure to set your clocks back the night before, so you can be on time!
Report on the Christian Howes Workshop, Nov. 14
Christian Howes, world famous jazz violinist and Professor at Berklee College of Music, had almost 20 people in the EVS event room for his clinic. The majority were teenagers, including a "busload" brought by teacher Eulalia Van Fosson from Kinston, NC, and a mother and daughter all the way from Columbia, South Carolina. Because of the enthusiasm from the young people, Chris went past his expected stopping point, and took another hour to expand the participants' hands-on improvisation. What a gift! He did incorporate licks from a variety of fiddle styles - jazz, blues, bluegrass, reggae, rock - and all players left with more confidence that improvisation is something that they can do!
Report on the Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) and Earl Maneein Master Class on Oct. 6.
DBR
It was inspiring to see two amazing players discuss their musical ideas and influences, riffing off each other's styles, and showing us some of the cool things an inspired player with an open mind and a broad range of musical influences can do with the violin. DBR showed us some amazing bow percussion, getting more drum-like sounds out of his violin and bow than looked possible. Then Earl rocked the audience with precise power chord rhythms and lightning-fast shredding -- proving the violin is just as much at home on the heavy metal stage with Metallica as it is in concert halls with Mozart.
Earl Maneein
But coolest for us had to be seeing the almost child-like delight of Earl, Daniel, and Jessie Reagen (cellist with DBR & The Mission) as they explored Electric Violin Shop. DBR definitely had the best quote of the evening, "This is the toy store of all toy stores! " They tried almost everything in the store, from a seven-string Jordan to the CodaBow Joule, which DBR bought on the spot because it made playing his 6 string violin so much easier. A local customer drove over an hour to help out, bringing her Jordan StringAmp violin so Earl could try out its magnetic pickup -- thanks, Marta!