If you have been thinking about signing up for the live Zoom fiddle workshops this month, but weren’t sure about how Stewart goes about teaching tune, you might want to check out this video tutorial recorded last July. It’s a lovely, bouncy English jig, and Stewart introduces different types of bowing patterns with short exercises…
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Fiddle Foundations 5th – 7th September 2025 Rydal Hall, Ambleside LA22 9LX 3.00 pm start and finish time. Join Stewart in the beautiful surroundings of Rydal Hall in the Lake District for a weekend of...Oct3Friall-day JSArts Ensemble Playing for Mixe... @ Shepherds DeneJSArts Ensemble Playing for Mixe... @ Shepherds DeneOct 3 – Oct 5 all-dayEnsemble Playing for Mixed Instruments 3rd – 5th October 2025 Shepherds Dene, Riding Mill, Northumberland NE44 6AF 4.00 pm start and finish time. Join Stewart in the beautiful retreat venue of Shepherds Dene, for...Nov7Friall-day JSArts Fiddle Technique @ Rydal HallJSArts Fiddle Technique @ Rydal HallNov 7 – Nov 9 all-dayJSArts Fiddle Technique 7th – 9th November 2025 Rydal Hall, Ambleside LA22 9LX 3.00 pm start and finish time. £402 fully inclusive (except bar drinks) Join Stewart in the beautiful surroundings of Rydal Hall in... Facebook Feed
🎶 One of my favourite Scots (aka ‘Scotch’) measures is heading for The Tune Vault!I taught 'The Farther ben the Wilkemar' at the last JSArts Advanced Fiddle course to a lovely group of players. It’s an absolute cracker and significantly different from the currently better known Shetland version. Well worth a look, particularly for fans of Nathaniel Gow’s 'Lady Mary Hay’s Scotch Measure'.
The Farther ben the Wilkemar
The Farther ben the Wilkemar | The Tune Vault
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The Farther ben the Wilkemar (Further Been the Welcomer / Da Farder Ben da Wylcomer)- The Tune Vault by Stewart HardyI was first introduced to this tune by ...
Niles Krieger is joining us on Saturday for the North East Fiddle School Summer Workshop Weekend. He’s a great guy and an outstanding fiddler. One of his projects is playing with my old pal Jed Grimes, who was a musical partner and mentor of mine back in the 1990s. He taught me a great deal and shared some fabulous tunes, not least Carolan’s 'Baptist Johnston' which is heading for The Tune Vault 🎻🎧Baptist Johnston [Planxty Johnston] (Turlough O’Carolan)
A beautiful, lively tune written for the one-time High Sheriff of County Monaghan, who went on to be the MP for the borough of Monaghan. I learnt this version from Jed Grimes, who, in turn, had it from Mick Doonan, from his days playing with Hedgehog Pie and The Doonan Family Band.
Baptist Johnston [Planxty Johnston] (Turlough O’Carolan) | The Tune Vault
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Baptist Johnston [Planxty Johnston] (Turlough O’Carolan)- The Tune Vault by Stewart HardyA beautiful, lively tune written for the one-time High Sheriff of C...
☀️ Happy mid-summer weekend - it looks set to be a scorcher!Tyneside Fiddle Alliance, Phoenix Chamber Folk Ensemble, Hexham Village Band and The Redheughers are getting together on Sunday to share their music with each other. We are really looking forward to it. A big shout out to Robin Dunn who is stepping down as the leader of The Redheughers after what must be nigh on thirty years. He is one of the great servants of the North East folk music community and we are all lucky to have him. Cumberland Nellie is a tune I learnt from him and taught to TFA. We’ll be sure to play it on Sunday but in the meantime, here it is for The Tune Vault.
Cumberland Nellie | The Tune Vault
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Cumberland Nellie (Cumberland Nelly)- The Tune Vault by Stewart HardyHere’s a very old English tune dating back to at least the latter half of the seventeen...