Kat Bula’s roots as a fiddler are in bluegrass, Texas, old-time/Midwest, and classical styles. In addition to writing and recording two albums of her own, Kat Bula has toured and recorded extensively as a fiddler with bands in genres ranging from hardline traditional bluegrass, to math rock, to pirate-themed folk-punk. She holds a B.A. in Music, with emphases in ethnomusicology, classical violin and electronic music composition. As a music teacher, she specializes in improvisation, music theory and collaboration skills, and has worked with hundreds of adult and teenage students across North America and Europe via live workshops, online courses and private lessons. katbula.com
Intermediate Bluegrass Fiddle — Fiddlers with a few years of experience are welcome, whether or not you’ve played bluegrass before. You’ll learn some classic bluegrass instrumental tunes, as well as learning how to play on a song that is sung. We will explore strategies for ornamenting vocal melodies, as well as improvising solos and fills. Be prepared to sing—you will not be judged on your singing ability or asked to sing by yourself!
Covered in this class: Basic bluegrass technique and history, intro to improvisation and melodic backup. Tab and standard notation will be provided for all tunes, along with lyric sheets where applicable. We will also explore improvisation through gentle, guided exercises.
