Mar
20
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with another block of fully online materials, plus a single day workshop in-person that will be held this block on Saturday 16th March.
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. Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith will each be providing a Video Tutorial for this block.
For those who enjoy the live engagement, there are weekly Fiddle Practice sessions and tunes taught live on Zoom each Wednesday evening for the five weeks of the block, plus a play-along session on Weds 3rd April. 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. Join Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith for the Fiddle Practice and Live Teaching Zoom calls.
Check out the NEFS website for full details and you can book via the NEFS Shop: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
Mar
22
Fri
JSArts Fiddle Technique
22nd – 24th March 2024
Shepherds Dene, Riding Mill, Northumberland NE44 6AF
4.00 pm start and finish time.
£398 fully inclusive (except bar drinks)
Bookings for this course are open – please email Ali (music@stewarthardy.co.uk) for a form.
Join Stewart for a weekend of intensive fiddle tuition at this beautiful location in Northumberland. The workshop will take a maxiumum of around 14 participants and will run from 4 pm on Friday until 4 pm on 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. Accommodation is in single occupancy rooms, 8 of which are en suite and these are allocated as required, and then in order of booking. Sheet music and mp3 files of the tunes covered are sent out in advance, detailed worksheets are provided, 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.
Shepherds Dene is a small retreat centre, situated not far south of the A69, about 20 mins drive from the A1 with free parking at the venue. Riding Mill railway station is the closest, and transport can be arranged for those needing a lift to or from the station.
For information this or future courses, please email Ali (music@stewarthardy.co.uk)
**Covid-19 Update
This course will be run in accordance to our Covid-secure Music Workshop Guidelines, and is subject to any restrictions applicable at the time, and any coronavirus protocols from the venue. Please do not travel to the venue if you feel unwell or have cold-like symptoms.
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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
Mar
27
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with another block of fully online materials, plus a single day workshop in-person that will be held this block on Saturday 16th March.
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. Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith will each be providing a Video Tutorial for this block.
For those who enjoy the live engagement, there are weekly Fiddle Practice sessions and tunes taught live on Zoom each Wednesday evening for the five weeks of the block, plus a play-along session on Weds 3rd April. 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. Join Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith for the Fiddle Practice and Live Teaching Zoom calls.
Check out the NEFS website for full details and you can book via the NEFS Shop: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
Apr
3
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with another block of fully online materials, plus a single day workshop in-person that will be held this block on Saturday 16th March.
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. Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith will each be providing a Video Tutorial for this block.
For those who enjoy the live engagement, there are weekly Fiddle Practice sessions and tunes taught live on Zoom each Wednesday evening for the five weeks of the block, plus a play-along session on Weds 3rd April. 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. Join Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith for the Fiddle Practice and Live Teaching Zoom calls.
Check out the NEFS website for full details and you can book via the NEFS Shop: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
Apr
6
Sat
Apr 6 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
WILLIAM SHIELD: Northumbrian Fiddler and Piper??
Presentation by Dr Amélie Addison with Stewart Hardy (fiddle)
My friend, Dr Amélie Addison, will be giving a presentation at The Chantry Bagpipe Museum as part of the Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering on 6th April. She is the leading authority on local composer William Shield, a man with close ties to the fiddling and piping traditions of the North East, and I am delighted to be illustrating her talk with some tunes on the fiddle.
Tickets £5 adult / £2 school-age
Apr 6 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering
Winners’ Concert – Special guest singer Benny Graham, plus winners of the 2023 music, song and reciting competitions, Town Hall Ballroom.
Including performances from Stewart Hardy & Ali Say (fiddle duo), and the Tyneside Fiddle Alliance.
Apr
12
Fri
April Workshops 2024
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 12th April, 19:00 – 21:00
£20
April Workshops 2024: £20 each.
Buy any two for £35 or all three for £50. The discount will be applied in your basket – visit the Shop.
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.
Apr
13
Sat
April Workshops 2024
Fiddle Workshop 1
Zoom Workshop
Geordie’s Rant (George Mitchell)
One of many fabulous tunes to emerge from the creative melting pot of The Cheviot Ranters.
Learn a tune steadily, taught phrase by phrase with detailed instruction for any useful techniques that can be taken away for use in all your fiddle playing.
Saturday 13th April: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Aimed at Competent Beginner to Upper Intermediate level
£20
April Workshops 2024: £20 each.
Buy any two for £35 or all three for £50. The discount will be applied in your basket – visit the Shop.
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.
April Workshops 2024
Fiddle Workshop 2
Zoom Workshop
Shrewsbury Lasses
One of the classic country dance tunes of the English repertoire.
Learn a tune steadily, taught phrase by phrase with detailed instruction for any useful techniques that can be taken away for use in all your fiddle playing.
Saturday 13th April: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Aimed at Intermediate to Advanced players
£20
April Workshops 2024: £20 each.
Buy any two for £35 or all three for £50. The discount will be applied in your basket – visit the Shop.
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.
Apr
19
Fri
Phoenix Folk are organsing their ‘Spring Thing’ on the weekend on 19th – 21st April. This is a their annual weekend get-together in Newcastle, aimed at tune players and singers, with a mix of sessions, singarounds, ensemble playing, performance, outdoor activity and social events.
Stewart Hardy & Ali Say have been invited to provide an informal concert on Saturday evening where we’ll be sharing a selection of our fiddle duets.
Get in touch with Phoenix Folk if you’d like more information.
Recordings
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🎧🎻🎹 Our next set of Zoom workshops is this weekend, on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th April. Each workshop can be booked individually, and all will be available on-demand after the weekend. Book now on the website!There will be lots of favourite tunes with harmonies and chords provided for the Friday evening play-along session. All instruments are welcome, and alternate clefs or keys for transposing instruments can be provided on request. Then on Saturday in the fiddle workshops, we'll be looking at a fabulous north east tune by Geroge Mitchell of the Cheviot Ranters, call Geordie's Rant, in the morning. In the afternoon, it will be the turn of Shrewsbury Lasses, one of the classic country dance tunes of the English repertoire. Full resources including audio files and a worksheet are provided.
Visit the website for more info and bookings 😃
There will be lots of fascinating facts and insights into the life and times of William Shield, presented by Dr Amélie Addison on Saturday afternoon, illustrated with a few fiddle tunes! We'll be at the Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum at 4pm.Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering
(Disclaimer: more recent photos are available!)
It was lovely to play this tune again with Grace Smith Music. Thanks for the invitation to be a part of this fabulous project!