Jam Camp at MerleFest

All instruments welcome. No jamming experience is necessary! The MerleFest Jam Camp is a unique combination of classroom and personal instruction by an experienced, understanding teacher, Pete Wernick, 9:15-5:00 daily. You will be grouped with others according to experience, and do a lot of jamming, sometimes guided, sometimes on your own! 

Pete and his experienced assistants Joan Wernick and Scott Freeman will give both group and individual pointers on instrumental technique, harmony singing, and the how-to's of a variety of jam situations.  If you play guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, bass, or resonator guitar (dobro), you can be part of a bluegrass jam.  The ONLY two requirements are:  You must be able to tune your instrument (electronic tuning devices welcome) and follow chord changes between G, C, D, and A.  Fast playing is not expected, instrumental soloing is not required (simple soloing is taught), and singing is not required, though encouraged.

Attendance is limited. Preference is given to underrepresented instruments (usually fiddle and bass).  Some scholarships will be available for those instruments, based on need.  More info on www.DrBanjo.com. 

For MerleFest 2009, the Bluegrass Jam Camp will take place on April 20 through 23 at the lovely Herring Ridge YMCA Camp located in Boomer, NC about 12 miles from the festival site. Special accommodations and meal packages will be available.

For more info or to sign up, please visit  www.DrBanjo.com

For Jam Camp and MerleFest lodging info at Herring Ridge, please visit  www.campharrison.org/Jam Camp.cfm.

" I attended the MerleFest edition of Pete Wernick's Jam Camp last month and found it to be profoundly helpful to me both in terms of my development as a banjo player and in learning to play with others. "
-- T.L., NC

"Thanks so much for offering the jam camp and for coaching us through the course.  It was a great experience for me!  I think you're doing a huge service by getting us novices comfortable in the shallow end of what could be a very deep and intimidating pool."
-- T.L., MA

"Jam camp was everything I had hoped for.  It was fun, educational and motivating.  Most importantly it has helped get me out of the psychological shell I had created.  The voice that says "you're not really good enough to play music with other people" has been replaced by a new voice saying, "you aren't that good but this is so much fun who cares...you'll get better". 
-- H.L., TX