WE REPORTED BRIEFLY on the last Snowdon weekend, held in September (see Jan 2000 page 5, Cuttings). Reportedly it was a "very good do" and one wonders can these things be repeated? What follows isa distillation of comments from several people.

"The weekend was very well run and well organised at The Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel." This was thought to be a great venue, with many small rooms - ideal for sessions and tuition. "It was a course for instruments but mainly banjo. But not only instrumentally: it was mostly musical theory, which was an enormous help and opened up a new light. There was a great emphasis on chord structure, how to find inversions, when to use the various chords, sevenths, etc. How to work out the inversions at different positions on the fingerboard."

"It was in Wales, and it was great - I thoroughly enjoyed it!" one commented. "The pub sessions too. The Friday night jam session was likethe Horse & Jockey; the same tunes - at the proper speed, but not too fast. The balance definitelyswung towards the beginners."

What about the group sizes? "Perhaps the groups were too big?" was a concern. "Possibly smaller groups will give better value viamore personal attention. More tutors will be needed if the event grows."

These Helsby-influenced events tend to be insular in that the teachers usually come from within the clique, but here "It was good to have an 'outsider' - Tom Degney - teaching. Tom is a well-known, respected musician from outside the HOP influences" someone commented.

So those are the general thoughts, but was the organiser happy? Could it be as good as the first? "Of course it could and better!" said David Brightmore. "The Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel, at the edge of the village, is opposite Llyn Cwellyn and Mynydd Mawr - a fine setting for 'mountain music' for some 45 students and 9 tutors of all the Bluegrass instruments, with Old-Time sessions as well.

"A welcome pick in the Hostel, which provided all the meals, was followed by dinner at a nearby Hotel. The session continued there and at the hostel until 3... such a start augured well for the weekend.

"Amazingly, no one missed breakfast and then it was into the real business: the workshops."

The workshops centred on the talents of Baker's Fabulous Boys - Stuart Williams (guitar, banjo, fiddle), Russ Williams (bass, mandolin), Jon Hulme (banjo) andLorraine Baker (bass) who weresupported by Bryn Williams (banjo), Tom Degney (mandolin, banjo, dobro), James Dewdney (18) and Bill Jones (guitars) and Eleanor Cross (16, fiddle). John Les and Gill Williams (Highly Strung) provided the Old-Time sessions. "If you had asked any one of the tutors they would have said that it had been a tough day!" said David. The workshops covered beginners and intermediates and there was an excellent 'band dynamics' session led by BFB.

Following evening dinner there were further picking sessions at both the hotel and the hostel. The latter finished at 5 a.m.after bluegrass music joined with blues, folk and rock & roll with the 50+ year-olds jiving as much as their arthritis would let them!

"After Sunday breakfast and lunch came a final pick before we left after a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. The hostel landlords were fantastic and look forward to our return sometime in October."

The weekend was a really good opportunity for many who usually play either by themselves or with a few friends, to mix with others. "It was like a mini-festival and hopefully has provided a little more playing confidence," said David. "Our intention will be to build on this next time to show that bluegrass music really is all the better when it is shared." So at a cost of £50 for the weekend (£20 for one day) including all classes, lunch and dinner (all good food) and with an excellent atmosphere, David is onto a winner, despite the "expensive beer!" (as someone gently put it...)

DB, Chester.

23rd April 2000