It was long rumored that Duane Boyer had a guitar in his hands when he was born,. but his mother swore that she knew for a fact that wasn’t really true. However, as soon as he could crawl, at every available opportunity, he would head toward an old guitar sitting in the corner. Duane taught himself to play in junior high, and he and several of his classmates formed a folk group with 2 guitars and bass. He started playing other instruments in high school, and began playing banjo in college. He and several college classmates formed a Bluegrass band, which was featured for several years in a touring musical group sponsored by what was then known as Eastern Oregon College of Education. After graduating with a degree in music education, he was hired to teach banjo and guitar classes at Eastern Oregon University, and has been there since, teaching over 4000 students to play, He has also taught numerous workshops at festivals, summer camps, and other venues throughout the northwest, and was also often involved as a performer at those events.
Bluegrass and Western Swing Guitar (formerly listed as taught by Joe Sites)
Join us for a fun and engaging week of guitar accompaniment designed specifically for accompanying fiddlers! Whether you’re accompanying Western Swing, Bluegrass, or contest-style fiddle, this class will teach you how to play the perfect rhythm and create rich chord progressions to support any fiddler. You’ll dive into the distinctive rhythms and chord progressions needed for Western Swing, practice fast-paced, dynamic accompaniment for Bluegrass and contest-style fiddling. Along the way, you’ll learn how to support performance pieces with solid, guitar rhythm and techniques. With daily sessions, plenty of practice time with fiddlers, and personalized feedback, you’ll leave this class as a more confident and creative guitarist, ready to complement any fiddler with style and flair!