Intermediate Band Lab
For intermediate players,
BandLab will focus on repertoire and skill development in a band setting. Working with material from bluegrass, and country traditions, we’ll take songs and tunes and workshop them from scratch in a band setting.
How do we develop a song for performance, whether it’s for the stage or for the living room? What are the roles of different instruments in the context of ensemble playing?
Fill, chop, roll, strum, sing. How do we sequence all the moving parts? How do we communicate with each other and work effectively in a band context? How does a solo player deliver “the goods”?
We’ll form bands within the class and work up songs and tunes from start to finish, collaborating with each other in a safe and supportive environment. The week will include a series of mini-workshops to give you tools to develop your skills as a solo and ensemble player, such as lead and vocal harmony, solo and backup playing, stagecraft, working the mic, and more!
Bill Humby
Since falling hard for bluegrass while attending his first NimbleFingers Workshop sometime around the turn of the century (BCBW back then), Bill has made it his mission to learn as many songs as possible. With a catchy harmony-driven repertoire, he spent the pre-covid years touring Western Canada as the lead vocalist and guitarist for Nomad Jones. Bill plays with The Humbuddies, a duo with his son Nico Humby. They have just released their first album Humbelievable.
Bill has a vast musical background that includes performing in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, playing trumpet for the Shrine Circus, drumming in a wedding band (check him out on the kit at the honky tonk dance!), and singing with his family on a French-Canadian reality television show.
