a California Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Corporation – EIN 99-3474773
a California Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Corporation – EIN 99-3474773
Instructor(s): Dan Eubanks
The class will cover the how to’s of standard bluegrass bass playing as well as basic music fundamentals (basically the same thing conceptually) that the player will find useful in playing the standard repertoire they are likely to encounter in jam or band situations. There will be notation and handouts to act as a structural component, but it is not necessary to be able to read music on the spot. There will be about 50/50 demonstration and hands on, I will basically explain something and play it, then play with the class and possibly individually for those comfortable with that. The class will be structured in a way that covers pretty much everything typically expected of bluegrass bass players and a few extra topics such as slapping or soloing can be an option, and questions are welcome as long as they are related to the current topic in the moment.
This class is open to any bass instrument, if you have an electric instrument of some kind you will need to have an amplifier and a cable. Everyone should have a tuner as well and be tuned before we start. A music stand would be a good idea as well although you can probably get by using extra chairs etc, your choice. I try to tailor the class to the middle of the pack, absolute beginners will have a harder time, so buyer beware. Having some familiarity with your fingerboard, knowing where notes are located at least in the lower register, perhaps being able to play a few one octave major scales and the ability to function playing through standard bluegrass songs will be helpful.
Dan Eubanks is best known to the bluegrass and acoustic music world as a bass player and vocalist in Special Consensus, the widely touring, Grammy nominated, and IBMA award-winning band led by Greg Cahill. Dan appears on the last six Special Consensus recordings, including 2018 IBMA Album of the Year and Grammy Nominee for Best Bluegrass Album “Rivers and Roads.” In his tenure the band has racked up eight IBMA awards a Grammy Nomination. Before joining “Special C” in 2013, he freelanced and toured with various artists out of Nashville, and also recorded several independent record projects, mostly with jazz, blues, latin jazz, rock, and americana artists as well as releasing his own recordings.
Dan has a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies, and spent many years serving as an adjunct instructor at several colleges and universities in the St. Louis area before moving to Nashville TN in 2004. In the past 10 years he has taught bass at the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, Walker Creek Music Camp, Camp Nimble Fingers, and Midwest Banjo camp as well as his current adjunct professor duties in the music departments of East Tennessee State University (online only) and live at University of Missouri St. Louis, in the St. Louis Mo. area where he currently resides.