Murphy Method Intermediate Banjo Camp
April 21-23, 2023

Level: Intermediate
Tuition: $575 [Price does not include lodging. Lunch on Saturday and Sunday is included.]
To Register: Print this form and mail it back.

Join us for our twelvth annual intermediate Murphy Method Banjo Camp, April 21-23, 2023, in Winchester, Virginia. A weekend of all banjo all the time is just what you need to kick your playing up to the next level! Our camp is different from any other camp you’ve gone to. It will be 100% Murphy Method instruction. We’ll do more playing, less talking, and the small class size will allow plenty of individual attention.

Murphy Henry and Casey Henry will be your instructors throughout the weekend. We will focus on making you a better, more rounded banjo player. In response to overwhelming student feedback we will focus on playing with other people and improving your jamming skills. Other topics will likely include: improvising, improvising up the neck, playing in C position, playing in D position, and dealing with “off chords.” There will be lots and lots of playing.

Venue and Lodging

We make our camps ones that WE would want to attend! Our camp classes and activities will be held in the conference rooms of the COURTYARD by Marriott, Winchester Medical Center, and we have arranged a special camp rate for hotel rooms. You will have access to the classrooms after hours for jamming.

COURTYARD by Marriott - Winchester Medical Center
300 Marriott Drive
Winchester, VA 22603

T 540-678-8822 

Call the hotel directly, or use this direct registration link, to book your lodging for camp. Our camp rate for 2023 is $119 + 8.8% tax. You must book at least 30 days prior to camp to get the special rate. You are not required to stay in the hotel and may make other arrangements.

Private lessons with Murphy are available befire camp if scheduled in advance.

If you have any questions at all or need more information please feel free to email Casey at themurphymethod@gmail.com.

Prerequisites:
These songs are absolutely required:

• Banjo In The Hollow (on Beginning Banjo Volume 1 / New Beginning Banjo 1)
• Boil Them Cabbage Down (on Banjo for Misfits / New Beginning Banjo 1)
• Cripple Creek (on Beginning Banjo Volume 1 / New Beginning Banjo 1)
• Do Lord (on Banjo for Misfits / New Beginning Banjo 2)
  
• Foggy Mountain Breakdown (on Beginning Banjo Vol. 1 / New Beginning Banjo 2)
• Blue Ridge Cabin Home (on Kickstart Your Jamming / New Beginning Banjo 1)
• Bury Me Beneath The Willow (on Kickstart Your Jamming / New Beginning Banjo 2)
• You must know your F shaped vamp chords and be able to vamp to the above tunes. (on Vamping: Beginning Banjo Backup and included with the songs on New Beginning Banjo 1 and 2)
• Must be able to use the capo in A (two frets) and C (five frets) and vamp to songs there.

Highly Recommended - Essential for higher level class:

• Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms: FROM THE DVD "Jam Session Standards" (we need Earl's all-important first and last lick, which are the same, and which I call the "Roll in my sweet baby's arm" lick. NO substitutions!
• Old Joe Clark--played in A. So practice it WITH YOUR CAPO at the second fret. Learn and practice vamp chords in A. This is on New Beginning Banjo 3 _or_ the old Beginning Banjo Vol. 2
• Extra credit: Lonesome Road Blues (high break). If you can't get to the high break, learn the low break which is on our Improvising: The First Stage DVD.
• Extra credit: All the songs on Beginning Banjo Volume 1 / New Beginning Banjo 1
• Extra credit: All the songs on Banjo for Misfits / New Beginning Banjo 2
• Extra credit: From Beginning Banjo Vol 2: All songs except Salt Creek and Fireball Mail 
  OR
  From New Beginning Banjo 3: All songs except Salt Creek
• Extra credit: Improvising: The First Stage: First two songs or three songs

FAQs

How serious are you about the pre-requisites? 
We are serious about our “absolutely required” songs. We start our teaching from this point and we can't catch you up. If you don't know these songs you'll be behind from the start. Our camp works best if everyone is at about the same level and knows at least the same core body of songs. You’ll be able to participate more fully and easily if you can play most of the material under “highly recommended” as well, but these are not deal breakers. Vamping is a must. Being able to play the songs all the way through is a must. We don't care about "perfect," but you need to be able to recover from your mistakes and keep going. Being able to improvise even a little bit will help, but is not a must. We know you will be nervous about playing with others and in front of others and we will work on this. But we will NEVER push you to play a solo by yourself unless you want to.

Can my significant other come along? 
Of course! If your non-banjo-playing partner wants to come along they are welcome. $30 will cover lunches for Saturday and Sunday, plus attendence at the evening concerts. If they play, too, they are welcome to bring their instrument and they can join in on the jamming! Here are some things they can do in the area while we are banjoing!

When should I arrive? 
We’ll start class at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, so a Friday morning arrival is fine.

When should I leave? 
Classes will end at noon on Sunday, and then we eat lunch, so you can plan for a mid-day departure.

What level player do I need to be to attend this camp? 
This will be an intermediate level camp (see the pre-requisites and highly recommended DVDs). If you still have trouble playing straight through your tunes and have never tried to play with anyone else before, you might consider our Beginner Camp in October.

What is the closest airport?
Washington-Dulles (IAD) is about an hour drive away. Most people fly there and rent a car. Reagan National is somewhat further but still doable. And BWI is about the furthest convenient airport.

Will private lessons be available?
Murphy will be available for private lessons before the camp. These should be arranged individually with her. (Murphy: murphybanjo@gmail.com)

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