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Fretmentor's Blog | For the Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle & Music Enthusiast Fretmentor's Blog For the Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle & Music Enthusiast Skip to content Home About Rate & Review ← Older posts Heading to the Delta .. With the Blues in Mind Posted on November 14, 2019 by fretmentor Group Photo of the Down 2 The Crossroads Blues Workshop I recently attended a guitar and bass workshop at the Crossroads, the cradle of the Delta Blues in Clarksdale Mississippi. I have never been a big blues guy, not that I disliked it, just never overly exposed to the genre – so how did this come about? It all started when a good friend and bassist, whom I regularly jam with, asked if I would be interested in heading to Mississippi for a week to immerse myself in the culture and music of the blues during a week long guitar/bass workshop. At first I was on the fence, Mississippi has never been on my bucket list to visit and one Blues Shack Student Housing only has so many vacation days to enjoy. After a few weeks discussing the goal of the trip and listening to some blues “staples”, I decided I would like to give it a try – it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made in a while. This was my first experience traveling with my guitar on a flight, interesting tidbits to share… the first flight I carried it onboard, while dodging the rolling eyes of other passengers concerned they would not have enough overhead space since I was taking all the room with the guitar case. For the connecting flight, my buddy recommended that we gate check the axe – much better decision. Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale We arrived in Memphis, picked up the rental car and headed towards Clarksdale and the Down 2 The Crossroads workshop at the Shack Up Inn. What immediately struck me as we hit the outskirts of Memphis was the unfortunate economic depression that was prevalent throughout the region. We arrived a bit too early to check into our rooms so headed straight for Clarksdale and Abe’s BBQ, a Clarksdale institution since 1924, for lunch. It was the first of many pure southern comfort meals of the week. Abe’s Barbecue What I was most struck by when entering the “old” downtown portion of Clarksdale is how much it embraced its roots as a significant contributor to the foundation of Blues music. Clarksdale is a significant stop on the Mississippi Blues Trail that was created in 2006 and contains a number of markers and historical sites related to the birth, growth and influence of Blues throughout the state. Clarksdale seemingly still exists today because of this tie to the Blues, the town is depressed, but there are a few businesses, restaurants, etc still around, all seemingly there to support the tourism business that exists because of the Mississippi Delta Blues. In fact, a few newer additions have moved in because of the musical influence of the area including; the Ground Zero Blues Club (owned by Morgan Freeman) and the Delta Blues Museum (partially funded by Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top). The town of Clarksdale was best summed up on the back of a t-shirt I bought at the John Lee Hooker Grocery and Eatery – “Clarksdale, Mississippi – home to – 49 Blues Legends, 107 churches, and 0 Starbucks. Jeremy Visiting the Delta Blues Museum Jeremy Ferral, a guitar and banjo student of Fretmentor, contributed this article. This is Part I of a two part story on the Clarksdale Blues Experience. Posted in Classes & Workshops , Guest Columns , Guitar , History , Musical Places of Interest | Tagged Blues Shack , Clarksdale Mississippi , Delta Blues , Delta Blues Museum , Down2 The Crossroads | Leave a comment Ukulele – The New Hip Instrument? Posted on September 3, 2019 by fretmentor Is the Ukulele gaining popularity? I have taught many individual lessons and classes throughout my life. As I have posted in previous Blog articles here at Fretmentor’s Blog, the community education classes offer a great deal for someone wanting to learn how to play an instrument. The classes are inexpensive and the savings compared to private lessons always helps. Due to the popularity of the Ukulele, I decided to schedule a new class this term for those who may be interested in learning this instrument. To my amazement, the class quickly sold out and there is a weight list to get in. My other classes in guitar, banjo, mandolin and music theory are still open for enrollment. Which leads me to one question, Why do you think a Ukulele class has become so popular to sell out with still two weeks left in open enrollment? I would be curious to hear back from others about this topic. Here is some information for those interested about upcoming classes: Starting on September 9th and 17th, I will be holding an 8 week music classes, in Jupiter, Florida. To learn more about these classes, please message me. To sign up, Go To www.pbclearn.org. and look for classes at the Jupiter Community High School. Registration can be completed online or in person at the school. Here is the class schedule for not only 5 String Banjo, but other instruments and a theory class as well. Classes Held from 9/9/19 to 11/4/14 MONDAY CLASSES Intro to Five String Banjo – 6:50-7:50pm Ukulele for Children – 4:30-5:30 pm Ukulele for Adults – 5:40-6:40 Intro to Mandolin – 8-9pm TUESDAY CLASSES (delayed one week due to the storm) Childrens Guitar 4:30-5:30pm Adult Guitar 5:40-6:40 pm Music Theory 6:50-7:50 pm Blues and Rock for all fretted Instruments 8-9 pm Posted in Ukulele | Leave a comment “Glamping” At Riverhawk Posted on January 3, 2019 by fretmentor Givens-Style Glamping Via the Airstream What is “glamping” you might ask? Well, “glamping” is a term used for glamorous camping and what better way to do that than at a music festival. Those glamorous festival goers love to camp in style in an Airstream or mobile home. Here is the way it is done by our guest writer Tim & Blair Givens and friends. Riverhawk Music Festival 2018 Each year it begins in April at String Fest (another yearly festival ) in Brooksville, Florida, when you sign up to keep your reservation for Riverhawk. We begin preparing the trailer and discussing plans with our fellow campers. We typically have about 12 or so at our site , staying in trailers or tents. Glamping & Formal Dining Group dinners are always the center of discussion and prepared by a different group each night, Breakfast and lunch are found at a variety of great food booths around the venue. Peggy always prepares epic cheese eggs grits on Sundays . Our days begin early, re-stoking the previous nights fire, coffee, walks through the campsite, tidying up the camp and then a bike ride through the hills. The music begins at noon and runs through out the day on three stages, ending around midnight. that’s when the real fun begins. lots of jamming around campfires and ending in the wee hours . Jamming With Other Musicians Before you know it , the weekend is over, camps are breaking down and the talk is of reconnecting at String Break in April. Our guest writer is Tim Givens of Palm Beach, a mandolin and banjo player and student for many years. Tim is an avid boater, skier and camper. Posted in Concerts & Festivals , Guest Columns , Other | Tagged Music Festivals | Leave a comment Enjoy A Musical Holiday Season Posted on December 17, 2018 by fretmentor HAPPY HOLIDAYS from www.Fretmentor.com Each and every year, I hold a holiday party where students learn to play Christmas tunes. They are assigned a song and together, work for weeks on playing the tunes. We held our party last week and each of the three groups did a wonderful job. They all had fun working together as well. Available At www.fretmentor.com Christmas music, whether you are a big fan or not, is an excellent genre to practice in order to learn more on your instrument. First, most if not all musicians have heard these tunes throughout their lives. The familiarity makes it easier for the beg...