Apr
21
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with a new block of fully online materials.
Technique and tunes are taught through video tutorials which are added to weekly and can be accessed indefinitely after that so you can work at your own pace.
For those who enjoy the live environment, there are weekly Fiddle Practice sessions and tunes taught live on Zoom each Wednesday evening for the five weeks of the block. These are great fun, and a good way to keep up with playing your fiddle regularly, whilst improving your technique and learning some core repertoire tunes.
Check out the NEFS website for full details, see which tunes are being taught this block by myself and Melissa Whitehead, and you can book online through the website: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
Apr
28
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with a new block of fully online materials.
Technique and tunes are taught through video tutorials which are added to weekly and can be accessed indefinitely after that so you can work at your own pace.
For those who enjoy the live environment, there are weekly Fiddle Practice sessions and tunes taught live on Zoom each Wednesday evening for the five weeks of the block. These are great fun, and a good way to keep up with playing your fiddle regularly, whilst improving your technique and learning some core repertoire tunes.
Check out the NEFS website for full details, see which tunes are being taught this block by myself and Melissa Whitehead, and you can book online through the website: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
May
5
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with a new block of fully online materials.
Technique and tunes are taught through video tutorials which are added to weekly and can be accessed indefinitely after that so you can work at your own pace.
For those who enjoy the live environment, there are weekly Fiddle Practice sessions and tunes taught live on Zoom each Wednesday evening for the five weeks of the block. These are great fun, and a good way to keep up with playing your fiddle regularly, whilst improving your technique and learning some core repertoire tunes.
Check out the NEFS website for full details, see which tunes are being taught this block by myself and Melissa Whitehead, and you can book online through the website: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
May
12
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with a new block of fully online materials.
Technique and tunes are taught through video tutorials which are added to weekly and can be accessed indefinitely after that so you can work at your own pace.
For those who enjoy the live environment, there are weekly Fiddle Practice sessions and tunes taught live on Zoom each Wednesday evening for the five weeks of the block. These are great fun, and a good way to keep up with playing your fiddle regularly, whilst improving your technique and learning some core repertoire tunes.
Check out the NEFS website for full details, see which tunes are being taught this block by myself and Melissa Whitehead, and you can book online through the website: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
May
19
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with a new block of fully online materials.
Technique and tunes are taught through video tutorials which are added to weekly and can be accessed indefinitely after that so you can work at your own pace.
For those who enjoy the live environment, there are weekly Fiddle Practice sessions and tunes taught live on Zoom each Wednesday evening for the five weeks of the block. These are great fun, and a good way to keep up with playing your fiddle regularly, whilst improving your technique and learning some core repertoire tunes.
Check out the NEFS website for full details, see which tunes are being taught this block by myself and Melissa Whitehead, and you can book online through the website: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
May
21
Fri
May Workshops 2021
Play-along Session in Harmony for Mixed Instruments
This will be a Zoom call open to intermediate players (and above) of any instrument. Notation will be provided in advance for all the tunes, together with suggestions for basic chords and a harmony line, but feel free to join in by ear! You can play the tune along with Stewart, play an accompaniment with a bass line, chords or a harmony (your own or follow the suggestions) or enjoy playing the tune whilst Stewart plays a harmony. If you wish to join in on an instrument with a different range from the fiddle, or with specfic key requirements, please get in touch before booking.
Zoom Workshop
Friday 21st May, 19:00 – 21:00
A single workshop is £20, attend two for £35 or all three for £50.
Bookings will be open soon.
If you haven’t attended a music workshop on Zoom before, here is a page of Zoom Workshop Tips to get the most out of your experience. A strong and reliable internet connection, plus headphones or an external speaker are recommended. A recording of the live call will be available for those who experience technical difficulties, or who find themselves unable to attend the live Zoom call.
May
22
Sat
May Workshops 2021
Fiddle Workshop 1
Zoom Workshop
Saturday 22nd May: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
A single workshop is £20, attend two for £35 or all three for £50.
Bookings will be open soon.
If you haven’t attended a music workshop on Zoom before, here is a page of Zoom Workshop Tips to get the most out of your experience. A strong and reliable internet connection, plus headphones or an external speaker are recommended.
May Workshops 2021
Fiddle Workshop 2
Zoom Workshop
Saturday 27th March: 14:00 – 16:00
A single workshop is £20, attend two for £35 or all three for £50.
Bookings will be open soon.
If you haven’t attended a music workshop on Zoom before, here is a page of Zoom Workshop Tips to get the most out of your experience. A strong and reliable internet connection, plus headphones or an external speaker are recommended.
Jul
9
Fri
Fiddle Technique
9th – 11th July 2021
Rydal Hall, Ambleside LA22 9LX
**Covid-19 Update
This course is scheduled to run in person, but is subject to the Steps out of Lockdown proceeding as planned and any further mitigations that are placed upon groups meeting together indoors or by the venue. Those people who have signed up for a previous course that has been cancelled have had their bookings rolled forwards to this course, and will have first offer of the available places. Further bookings are not currently being taken, but an Interest List is being kept in case of spaces being available. Once the course is confirmed as going ahead, this list will be contacted in order and offered places. Please email Ali if you would like to be added to the Interest List for this course.
~ ~ ~
Join Stewart in the beautiful setting of Rydal Hall in the Lake District, for a weekend of intensive fiddle tuition. The workshop will typically take between 10 and 15 people from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon.This course can accommodate a broad range of experience and ability, ranging from competent beginner to upper intermediate, but is not suitable for absolute or early beginners. All tuition, resources, accommodation, food and daytime refreshments are included. Sheet music and mp3 files of the tunes covered are sent out in advance, and recordings of exercises from the course are sent on to you afterwards.
These courses are centred around the technical issues that come with playing fiddle music, with as much emphasis on the how as there is on the what. Focusing on left-hand and bowing technique, with stylistic interpretation of the music a key feature, these workshops delve deep into the tunes, extracting exercises to improve technique and allow its application to a wider repertoire. Tunes are carefully selected for their technical or stylistic content whilst also baring in mind practical considerations such as their usefulness in folk music sessions or as dance repertoire. The tunes are taught ‘as if by ear’, meaning they are taught phrase by phrase at a tempo and with sufficient repetition to enable learning without recourse to reading notation, but with notation available at any point should that be desired or necessary. This encourages the development of aural pattern recognition and general musicality, enhancing musicianship and the enjoyment of playing music in social settings.
For further information or to express your interest in this course, please email Ali (jsarts@stewarthardy.co.uk)
Standard Level courses are aimed at fiddle players with a broad range of experience and ability, from competent beginner to upper intermediate, but please note they are not suitable for absolute or early beginners. We would expect players to have most of the following skills:
- – playing simple dance tunes at steady to mid tempo (e.g. reels and jigs at 50-80 beats per minute)
- – able to clap in time to a tune
- – have basic control of the bow on the string
- – able to slur notes together
- – comfortable in the keys of G,D and A major and familiar with their note names
- – familiarity with C major
- – able to play basic scales without notation
- – able to play at least 2 tunes without notation
In addition fiddlers who attend these courses often have some of the following experience:
- – attend other fiddle workshops
- – play with a community folk music group
- – join in folk music sessions
- – receive tuition on the fiddle/violin
Recordings
Facebook Feed
This year the Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering is taking place online, with a mix of YouTube and Zoom calls. You can visit their page and look at the programme for all the events. Here's the link for the Saturday evening concert with a recorded video spot (including a guest appearance from Emma and Yannik!) It will go live on YouTube on Sat 10th April at 7.00 pm.youtu.be/LoEEw_U4WsE
The event is not ticketed, but you can donate here to support the festival: gofund.me/bc3d36f4This event will be available online from the scheduled time on Saturday 10th April. The YouTube link will be youtu.be/LoEEw_U4WsE . The concert has international connections - Glowan were filmed at home in Canada, while the singers of Tonbande are from the Louis Braille Blind School at Dueren in Germany. Tonbande were recorded at the Bridge Folk Club in Newcastle in June 2019 when they came as guests of the Gathering, later singing at the Chantry. (Thanks to Eric, Peter and Mike at the Bridge for the video)
For links and information on other Online Gathering events see the Morpeth Gathering Facebook page or visit www.northumbriana.org.uk/gathering . If you would like to support this year's free Gathering online events, please consider making a donation at gofundme.com/f/morpeth-northumbrian-gathering .
Huge thanks to Wil Walker (ExileFM) for including 'White Jock' on his Take on Tradition playlist for this week. It's available for one week from 6th April, so check out the link - what a great line up!www.mixcloud.com/WilWalker
If you like the track, the album is available to download from the website 😊
www.stewarthardy.co.uk/product/tods-assembly-download/Snow, and maybe other April surprises - in this week’s podcast, available now to stream or download via the Media tab at exilefm.com for one week from 6/4/21, with:
1. Si Barron - Singing Lovely Nancy
2. John Kennedy - Reels: Snow In April/Craig's Crossroads
3. Ben Lennon and Tony O'Connell - Murphy's/The Smoky Chimney
4. Bróna Mcvittie - A Pity Beyond All Telling
5. Harbottle & Jonas - Black Is The Colour
6. Robbie Greig Music - Blàr Inbhir Lòchaidh
7. Maurice O’Keeffe - Molly Morrissey's/Tom Billy’s
8. Bryan O'Leary Music & Mikey O'Connor - Boat to Bofin/Tom Billy's Waltz
9. Sliabh Notes - Polkas Medley: John Collins’ Fancy/Eileen’s Polka/Ned Kelly’s Polka
10. The Lomond Ceilidh BAND - Marches
11. Stewart Hardy Music - White Jock
12. Jim Eldon - Queen Of Tavendor
13. Johnny Handle - Alwinton Show
14. David Faulkner & Steve Turner - The Auld Goodman/Any Second Now
Also on Mixcloud at www.mixcloud.com/WilWalker