HONESDALE, PA — RiverFolk Concerts will welcome back blues master Scott Ainslie on Sunday, January 17 at 5 p.m. at The Cooperage, 1030 Main St. Prior to the concert, Scott will also offer a workshop titled “Blues Give Me Your Right Hand” from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $45 and pre-registration is required.

While the fretting hand often monopolizes our attention, without a strong and sure grounding in right-hand/finger-picking techniques, all those fancy runs and chord changes fall short. In this class, participants will be examining and working through basic finger-picking techniques that enliven and anchor acoustic blues grooves. Think of this as a boot camp for your right hand and wear your sweats. Your thumb (and your listeners) will thank you.

When he was three years old, Ainslie’s mother found him at the family piano picking out melodies from the records she listened to during the day. He came of age during the Civil Rights era and cultivated a powerful affinity for cross-cultural exchange. He has studied with elder musicians on both sides of the color line—in the Old-Time Southern Appalachian fiddle and banjo traditions, as well as Black gospel and blues. He plays this music with affection, authority and power.

Armed with a variety of instruments and carefully chosen historical personal anecdotes of his encounters with senior musicians across the South, Ainslie brings the history, roots music and sounds of America alive.

The suggested donation is $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Call 845/252-6783 for reservations. BYOB.