Peter Parnham – Page 10 – Kiwigrass – NZ's own national bluegrass festival

Can I sneak out for a smoke?

As musicians who love that sweet high-lonesome sound, we just want to say right off the bat that we discourage smoking in general. It’s really bad for your vocal cords.

If you must smoke, please use the designated smoking areas and dispose of your butts responsibly. Throwing them on the ground is littering, and we all want to be tidy kiwis, don’t we?

Vaping. No vaping inside the Don Rowlands Centre or within 10 meters of any entrance or outdoor performance venue. Dispose of used capsules in proper waste bins.

Kiwigrass Academy: Will I have to audition?

No audition necessary. You must have a basic proficiency on your instrument, which means knowing basic chord shapes and be able to strum along with a 3 chord song.

Being able to sing is a bonus, but absolutely not required!

Familiarity with bluegrass music will help. We recommend Dr. Pete Wernick’s “Let’s Pick!” Jam Basics as the most comprehensive, user friendly introduction to bluegrass and bluegrass jamming.

Will I benefit if I am not really a bluegrass player?

Yes. The skills are the same, the notes are the same, the techniques are the same, it just the style and songs that are bluegrass. You will learn skills that cross over to all sorts of music. Many of the players play other style of music as well, but at a bluegrass festival, well, the focus is on umm.. bluegrass.

What if I haven’t played in a band before?

Don’t worry about it. Just download some bluegrass backing tracks off YouTube, and play along with them so that you get used to playing in time with other people. Oh and make sure you have a tuner. If you play in time and in tune and stay quiet when you are lost, you are 90% there (in any genre not just bluegrass).