Instrumental Tune Writing
- In-Person Classes
- Instrumental
THIS IS AN IN-PERSON CLASS
This class is for anyone who loves to play instrumental music (“tunes”) and has the desire to write their own tunes and find their unique voice as a tune-writer. We will be listening to great tune writers and examining what makes their tunes great, and then learning ways to incorporate these elements into our own music. Each week we will study a unique angle from which you can write tune – things like limiting yourself to certain rhythms or notes, interesting places to look for tune writing inspiration, and compositional tricks to turn that small seeds into a full grow tune – and each week we will go home and write that tune!
Prerequisites: No tune writing experience necessary. Students should be comfortable playing a handful of tunes (all style/levels of difficulty welcome, just general experience with playing tunes), familiarity with basic harmony/melody relationships and the Nashville number system (1, 4, 5 etc).
Class Schedule
Mondays: Jan 12, 19, 26, Feb 2, 9
Time: 8:00-9:15pm ET
Location: Passim School of Music, 26 Church Street, Cambridge, MA(Classrooms are located on the second floor; unfortunately, there is no elevator.)
Ages: 18+
Please Note:Pre-sales are highly encouraged! Online sales end 2 hours before the class begins. A minimum of 4 students is required for the class to run. If canceled due to low enrollment, you will be notified and receive a full refund.
Maxfield Anderson
- Bluegrass
- Roots
Maxfield Anderson is an American roots multi-instrumentalist, teacher, writer and music director, currently living in Somerville, MA. As an artist, Maxfield aims to bring new light to honored traditions and to share the joy of making music with others.
Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Maxfield’s home was filled with an array of musical styles. After years of playing violin, his attention was taken hold by bluegrass and western swing fiddle, quickly leading him to discover the mandolin. He moved to Boston to study mandolin and American roots music at Berklee College of Music. Additionally, Max is a proficient guitar player, and after a year of isolation, finally broke down and added clawhammer banjo to the repertoire.
Teaching music has always been a big part of Max’s artistry. He believes that traditional music is an excellent vessel for understanding an instrument and finding your own voice as a musician. Teaching at Club Passim since 2020, Max has taught group courses in Beginner & Intermediate Mandolin, Bluegrass Ensemble (co-taught with Trevin Nelson), and Intro to Tune Writing. He also offers private instruction on mandolin, fiddle, guitar, music theory, and tune writing out of his home studio.
In addition to performing and teaching, Maxfield recently wrote and music directed the ‘Homegrown Stringband’ roots trio at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH. The trio performed authentic bluegrass, folk, and old time string band music throughout the summer season of 2022.
Maxfield graduated from Berklee College of Music with a BFA in Music Performance. He is an active gigging musician in the Boston music scene, and has toured throughout the Northeast playing listening rooms, ball rooms, bar rooms, back rooms, front porches and festival stages.
