Neighborly Music

String Band Class

We are back in person and you may still learn along with us through auditing online (see below) if you can’t join us in person.

Maggie Lind, Patrick Lind, and Sophie Enloe have offered the Portland String Band Class to old-time instrumentalists since 2007. Hundreds of people have found community and friendship and we’ve learned quite a few tunes along the way. You will receive class instruction, source music, instructional videos, and one on one pointers in the lessons. Feel free to invite friends from far and wide to “audit” the class and learn the same tunes as you! Scroll down for all the details. We have full and partial scholarships available.

“Briefly wanted to tell you how highly valued and appreciated you are.  The three of you work so hard to prepare and maintain the class and videos. I am always grateful for the of quality of instruction delivered with kindness, good humor, and enthusiasm. I look forward to each and every class and love to practice my music at home… It makes us happy to be a small part of this community of music makers.”

D. C.

“I love String Band Class!  I really like the energy of the class in general and what each of you guys bring to it.  Our community is greatly enhanced by the contributions of the three of you… I also think the tune you guys worked out for last night sounded better than the source tune!”

T. K.

“String Band Class has opened an entire new world for me… not only musically and with square dancing, but socially (jams, festivals, workshops, etc.) as well. And for that, I’m forever grateful to you.” .

D. R.

Class Description

If you’ve been playing old-time music on fiddle, clawhammer banjo, or guitar for a while and are ready to build your repertoire while meeting and playing with other people, then this class is for you! We meet for 8 weeks and learn 6 traditional tunes and songs. We start each lesson in a large group and the instructors play the tune we will work on that evening. Then, we slow it down and all sing the melody together to learn it by ear. We separate into different classrooms for group lessons on each instrument. Finally, we come back together and play the tune all together. On the fourth meeting, we work specifically on reviewing the first three tunes and harmony singing. For the final class meeting, we will meet early for a big community dinner and will play all the tunes we have learned during the session. In addition to the class meetings, enrolled students will receive access to source recordings, demonstration videos, guitar chord charts, and banjo tabs for each of the tunes we teach.

Covid Policy

We ask that you are vaccinated and current on your boosters to attend class. We do not require masking, but it is encouraged and welcomed if you feel compromised in any way. Should someone in class have a positive test within three days of class meeting we will notify everyone. We will follow CDC guidelines and will require masking or pivot to Zoom classes should we be required to do so.

When

Tuesdays 7:00 – 8:30pm (April 16 – June 4)

Dates

8 consecutive Tuesdays from April 16 – June 4 (June 4 meet at 6:30 for potluck dinner and jamming)

Where

IN-PERSON: Pacific Crest Community School 116 NE 29th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232.

AUDIT ON-DEMAND: Self-paced access to all the class materials and videos via the student resources page.

Who

Instructors are Maggie Lind – clawhammer banjo, Patrick Lind – guitar, Sophie Enloe –fiddle. Previous experience on your instrument is required. If you are playing in the fiddle or banjo sections, you should be able to play several tunes in G/A and D/C tunings and be fairly comfortable picking out melody notes by ear, and we are working on developing this skill as well. Guitarists should have a capo, be familiar with the following open position chords: A, C, D, E, F, G, and be able to play the bass note/after strum or “boom chuck” technique.

Cost

The cost for the 8-week session is a sliding scale $200 – $130 per student. Pay what you can afford and email maggiebanjo@gmail.com if you have financial need. We offer scholarships and we want our classes to be accessible to all. If you would like to contribute a little extra money to support students that can’t pay full price, please let us know or simply add it to your registration fee with a note. Thank you!

Audit the Class

Auditing the class means you will not get the full hour long instrument lesson but you will have access to all of the virtual classroom resources. This will include source recordings of the tune, videos of our string band rendition fast and slow, banjo tab, guitar chord charts, and demonstration videos of the tunes played fast and slow on each instrument. (Cost: $80-$160, sliding scale)

Registration