Feb
22
Fri
Mixed Instruments Workshop – Fully Booked @ JSArts
Feb 22 – Feb 24 all-day
Mixed Instruments Workshop - Fully Booked @ JSArts | Grantham | United Kingdom

Mixed Instruments Workshop with Stewart Hardy
Fully Booked

The workshops typically take between 7 & 10 people for three days of instruction. The cost covers all food, tuition, refreshments and overnight accommodation.The course cost for weekend (Friday Lunchtime through to Sunday evening) includes everything by way of meals and refreshments, so no need to spend another penny on anything once you are here. Vegan and vegetarian diets are catered for, as are lactose and gluten intolerance.

There are on average 6 hours of workshops daily. Dinner is followed each evening by an informal session led by Stewart. These help reinforce the techniques learned during the day, give you a chance to hear and learn new tunes and teach others some of your own favourites.

Your tutor is available to you from breakfast until bed-time for questions and advice.

Mar
22
Fri
Fiddle Techniques Workshop – Fully Booked @ JSArts
Mar 22 – Mar 24 all-day
Fiddle Techniques Workshop - Fully Booked @ JSArts | Grantham | United Kingdom

Fiddle Techniques with Stewart Hardy
Fully Booked

Tunes are carefully selected to work as exercises demonstrating particular techniques, whilst at the same time providing a melodic stimulus. Exercises are extracted from the tunes to facilitate applying the technique to other tunes. Many of the tunes are suitable for multi-level workshops, with the teaching of a variety of techniques, requiring greater or lesser technical experience, applied to them. Subject matter includes: bowing technique, left hand technique and general fiddle well-being. In the choice of repertoire emphasis is given to stylistic aspects of the music. A number of considerations are given to the selection of tunes, including their interest to Stewart in his studies, their interest to the general musical community, their demonstration of particular stylistic nuances, and as being representative of a composer’s style.

All sheet music and mp3 files of all the tunes covered are provided and included in the price. Plus recordings of exercises from the course where these are helpful.

The workshops typically take between 7 & 10 people for three days of instruction. The cost covers all food, tuition, refreshments and overnight accommodation.The course cost for the weekend (Friday Lunchtime through to Sunday evening) includes everything by way of meals and refreshments, so no need to spend another penny on anything once you are there. Vegan and vegetarian diets are catered for, as are lactose and gluten intolerance.

Over the weekend there are 10 * 75 minute workshops. Dinner is followed each evening by an informal session led by Stewart. These help reinforce the techniques learned during the day, give you a chance to hear and learn new tunes and teach others some of your own favourites.

Your tutor is available to you from breakfast until bed-time for questions and advice.

Apr
10
Wed
Bottle Bank Band in Morpeth @ St George's URC
Apr 10 @ 12:30 pm
Bottle Bank Band in Morpeth @ St George's URC

Bottle Bank Band return to perform a Wednesday Lunchtime concert at St George’s URC in Morpeth. These events are very well attended and a pleasure to perform at.

Doors open at 12 noon with tea, coffee & biscuits available and tickets are just £3 on the door.

Jun
6
Thu
Bottle Bank Band at the Swaledale Festival @ St Oswald's Church, Askrigg
Jun 6 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Bottle Bank Band at the Swaledale Festival @ St Oswald's Church, Askrigg

Excited that Bottle Bank Band are to be a part of the brilliant Swaledale Festival.

“Infectious jigs, reels and hornpipes brilliantly played by a quartet from the North-East of England – a region which enjoys a centuries old tradition of fiddle playing. The glorious sound of the four fiddles, rich in harmony and captivating arrangements, is underpinned by an instinctive understanding of traditional playing.”

Jun
7
Fri
Fiddle Techniques Workshop – Fully Booked @ JSArts
Jun 7 – Jun 9 all-day
Fiddle Techniques Workshop - Fully Booked @ JSArts | Grantham | United Kingdom

Fiddle Techniques with Stewart Hardy
Fully Booked

Tunes are carefully selected to work as exercises demonstrating particular techniques, whilst at the same time providing a melodic stimulus. Exercises are extracted from the tunes to facilitate applying the technique to other tunes. Many of the tunes are suitable for multi-level workshops, with the teaching of a variety of techniques, requiring greater or lesser technical experience, applied to them. Subject matter includes: bowing technique, left hand technique and general fiddle well-being. In the choice of repertoire emphasis is given to stylistic aspects of the music. A number of considerations are given to the selection of tunes, including their interest to Stewart in his studies, their interest to the general musical community, their demonstration of particular stylistic nuances, and as being representative of a composer’s style.

All sheet music and mp3 files of all the tunes covered are provided and included in the price. Plus recordings of exercises from the course where these are helpful.

The workshops typically take between 7 & 10 people for three days of instruction. The cost covers all food, tuition, refreshments and overnight accommodation.The course cost for the weekend (Friday Lunchtime through to Sunday evening) includes everything by way of meals and refreshments, so no need to spend another penny on anything once you are there. Vegan and vegetarian diets are catered for, as are lactose and gluten intolerance.

Over the weekend there are 10 * 75 minute workshops. Dinner is followed each evening by an informal session led by Stewart. These help reinforce the techniques learned during the day, give you a chance to hear and learn new tunes and teach others some of your own favourites.

Your tutor is available to you from breakfast until bed-time for questions and advice.

Jun
29
Sat
Bottle Bank Band in Amble @ The Dovecote Centre
Jun 29 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Bottle Bank  Band in Amble @ The Dovecote Centre

Join us at the new home of the Northumberland Theatre Company in Amble for a concert in the north of Northumberland.

Please contact the Dovecote Centre on 01661 713655 for tickets (£10 / £5)

Jul
12
Fri
Advanced Style & Repertoire (Mixed Instruments) @ Ushaw College, Durham
Jul 12 – Jul 14 all-day
Advanced Style & Repertoire (Mixed Instruments) @ Ushaw College, Durham | Grantham | United Kingdom

Advanced Style & Repertoire (Mixed Instruments)

12th – 14th July 2019.
Ushaw College, Durham, DH7 9RH

Join Stewart in the beautiful surroundings of Ushaw College in Durham, for a weekend of intensive tuition. This workshop will focus on compositions by Stewart himself, with a chance to learn some of his traditional style tunes, their groove and nuances. Advanced Courses are open to proficient players of any instrument (including transposing instruments) who possess good to high technical competence. Participants may have some of the following experience and skills:

  • – playing folk tunes at dance tempo
  • – attending folk music sessions and joining in or leading sets of tunes
  • – playing for dancing and/or in concert bands
  • – teaching music
  • – attending other advanced tutorials/workshops

The workshop will typically take between 8 and 12 people from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. 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.

Places on Advanced courses are available on application. For further information or to express your interest in this course, please email Ali (jsarts@stewarthardy.co.uk)

Jul
13
Sat
30 Years Collection – Book Launch Concert @ Ushaw College
Jul 13 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm

30 Years Collection – Book Launch Concert
Saturday 13th July, 8 pm (doors 7.30 pm)
The Presentation Room, Conference Wing, Ushaw College, Durham DH7 9RH

The 30 Years Collection is a brand new book of original compositions, covering Stewart’s 30 Years as a professional musician. To celebrate, there will be a small, informal concert in Ushaw College, with spots from Stewart with Frank McLaughlin, and guest a appearance from Bottle Bank Band, among others. The new books will be on sale, and do bring your instruments for a small session afterwards. Tickets £5 on the door, but seats must be reserved in advance please.

The book will be available to purchase on the website from Monday 15th July. You’ll be able to pay online and choose to have the book posted to you, or select Event Collection to pick up your copy at no extra cost from Stewart at an event or workshop. Cash is also acceptable in person!
www.stewarthardy.co.uk/shop

Aug
11
Sun
Bottle Bank Band in Alnwick @ Alnwick Music Festival
Aug 11 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Bottle Bank Band in Alnwick @ Alnwick Music Festival

Bottle Bank Band is heading up to Alnwick on Sunday, 11th August to join in the festivities at the Alnwick Music Festival. We are particularly thrilled to be sharing the billing with two of our favourite musicians, Alistair Anderson and Dan Walsh. It’s a cracking line up for the whole weekend, so do check out their website and come along.

Sep
6
Fri
Fiddle Technique @ Ushaw College, Durham
Sep 6 – Sep 8 all-day
Fiddle Technique @ Ushaw College, Durham | Grantham | United Kingdom

Fiddle Technique
Standard Level

6th – 8th September 2019
Ushaw College, Durham

Join Stewart for a weekend of intensive fiddle tuition in the beautiful surroundings of Ushaw College in Durham. The workshop will typically take between 8 and 12 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