Guidelines for Assessing your Skill Level

with permission, modified from British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop guidelines

Beginner: You have a few basic skills. You can strum, pick or bow, and change basic chords slowly but have little experience playing with others. If you are brand new to playing an instrument, some lessons to get a few basics down will greatly improve your experience at camp.

Intermediate: You can generally keep rhythm and play a few basic melodies in slow jams. You know some basic chord shapes and have some understanding of what chords are common in a few keys. You may be beginning to sort out fingerpicking and flatpicking. You are competent with basic chords: A, Am, B7, C, C7, D, Dm, E, Em, G, and G7. You can sing and strum at the same time easily and learn chords to simple tunes fairly quickly.

Advanced: You have no problems with an F chord, you can hear I, IV, and V chords and usually recognize a circle of fifths. You can fingerpick, play a few tunes smoothly and usually learns from friends or tablature. If you make own arrangements they are usually fairly simple, with an alternating bass line or a few bass runs. If you are flatpicking you can play a few melodies smoothly clear through and may be starting to improvise leads. You know there is life above the fifth fret and have been there with barre or four-finger (partial) chords. You can keep a steady rhythm.

Combined Level Classes: Please use your best judgment as to whether you are on the "beginner" end of intermediate or the "advanced" end of intermediate. On the first day, if you feel you are in the wrong place we will work to get you in the right class. We want you to have the best possible experience.

Harmony Singing: There are no prerequisites

Copyright © KMBF