Evening Activities
The main evening activity, most evenings, is making music together. Sit down, and play. If it’s as easy as that for you, great. If a little more structure might serve you well, check out some of the options on the menu for each night below.
If you want to make something else happen for part of the evening, shoot Andrew an email at the Choro Camp address and we’ll add it to the offerings.
Check back here every day as evening approaches to see what’s on tap.
Wednesday
Facilitated Roda with Dominique Gagné
7 – 8:30 / Dining Hall Stage
Dominique will be hosting a slow roda from 7:00 to 8:30 Wednesday and Thursday. She’ll adapt her offering to the group, but the starting point will be Core Repertoire and choro standards.
Slow Rodas
1st floor – rm 1
We will designate at least one room — more, if needed — in the Rice-Aron Library for “slow rodas”, Wednesday through Friday. The bame is borrowed from old-time and bluegrass events, where folks sometimes meet for “slow jams”. But there’s more to it than just how fast you play. In these spaces, participants are invited to take the time they need to choose a tune to play, maybe ease into it with a walk-through, then find a tempo that works for “really” playing it. These rodas are self-facilitated, so you are invited to get it right for yourselves.
1st floor – rm 3
There’s so much opportunity for communication and expression when we’re not buried in our charts! Come play what you really know (whether that’s 1 tune or dozens). Any choros are welcome; call what you can find harmonic and/or melodic support for.
7 – 8:30 / 1st floor – Rm 2
We recommended two sets of Additional Repertoire you might want to learn for evening rodas. This is one of them, which we called “Tocando com Jacob”. See the linked page for the tune selection. Come play some or all of them! (This roda can be repeated on Thursday if there’s interest.)
Basic Concepts and Techniques for 7-string Guitar – Roberto Fischer
7:00 – 8:30 / 2nd floor – rm 2
Before adding counterpoints left and right, there are several concepts and techniques for the 7 string guitar that define its style in choro, as recorded by Dino, Valter, Valdir, Luizinho and others. This class will focus on the requirements to build a foundation before even thinking about adding counterpoints.
- Intro: Foundations of the 7 strings pyramid, with harmony on the base, inversions in the middle, counterpoints at the top
- Right hand technique
- Left hand technique
- Approach to chaining inversions
- Adding counterpoint over inversions
7 – 8:30 / 1st floor – rm 4
Dive into the unique repertoire and swing of the rabeca (folkloric fiddle) in forró pe de serra, from Brazil’s northeast. Bowed string-centric, but all welcome!
On Friday night, and at the Saturday bandão, we’ll be singing sambas, forrós and choros cantados. Mariana and Mauro have offered to lead this evening session in which anyone can come sing through some, if not all, of the songs those on the vocal track are learning.
Thursday
Facilitated Roda with Dominique Gagné
7 – 8:30 / Chase Dining Hall
Dominique will be hosting a slow roda from 7:00 to 8:30 Wednesday and Thursday. She’ll adapt her offering to the group, but the starting point will be Core Repertoire and choro standards.
Slow Rodas
1st floor — Rms 1 or 2
We will designate at least one room — more, if needed — in the Rice-Aron Library for “slow rodas”, Wednesday through Friday. The bame is borrowed from old-time and bluegrass events, where folks sometimes meet for “slow jams”. But there’s more to it than just how fast you play. In these spaces, participants are invited to take the time they need to choose a tune to play, maybe ease into it with a walk-through, then find a tempo that works for “really” playing it. These rodas are self-facilitated, so you are invited to get it right for yourselves.
Roda Sem Partitura (Roda Without Sheet Music)
7 – 8:30 / 2nd (top) floor — Rm 2
There’s so much opportunity for communication and expression when we’re not buried in our charts! Come play what you really know (whether that’s 1 tune or dozens). Any choros are welcome; call what you can find harmonic and/or melodic support for.
Tunes That Aren’t in Chediak
7 – 8:30 / Floor 1 — Room 3
Paul Faatz has put together a book of tunes that are not included in the Choro Songbooks. Come read through some good tunes in good company.
On Friday night, and at the Saturday bandão, we’ll be singing sambas, forrós and choros cantados. Mariana and Mauro have offered to lead this evening session in which anyone can come sing through some, if not all, of the songs those on the vocal track are learning.
Friday
Roda de Samba and Forró
7:30 — whenever
2nd (top) floor of the library
Tonight we’ll sing and play the sambas and forrós we’ve been working on in the Special Topic classes. There are roles for instrumentalists, lead singers…and EVERYONE is a member of the chorus.
Saturday
Faculty Concert
7:30 – 9
Dining Hall
