May
13
Sat
May Workshops 2023: Fiddle Workshop 2 @ Online - on Zoom
May 13 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

May Workshops 2023

Fiddle Workshop 2

More details and bookings coming soon!

Zoom Workshop
Saturday 13th April: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Intermediate to Advanced players

April Waltz (Selma Kaplan)
I learnt this gorgeous waltz, composed by the contradance pianist, Selma Kaplan, from the legendary Alistair Anderson – a great man to whom so many folk musicians owe so much. It’s worth learning just for the sheer beauty of the melody but it also makes a great vehicle for looking at ornamentation.

You can have a listen to the tune on The Tune Vault.

£20
May Workshops: £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.

Sep
1
Fri
JSArts Fiddle Foundations 2023 @ Rydal Hall
Sep 1 – Sep 3 all-day
JSArts Fiddle Foundations 2023 @ Rydal Hall | Grantham | United Kingdom

Fiddle Foundations

1st – 3rd September 2023
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 intensive fiddle tuition. The workshop will typically take between 10 and 15 people from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. The residential weekend fee of £375 covers all food, tuition, daytime refreshments and two nights single occupancy accommodation, most of which is en suite.

The Fiddle Foundations workshop is a standard level technique course and is being run as an opportunity for fiddle players to look at, in some detail, the fundamental building blocks that Stewart uses to create stylistic interpretations of tunes. He will be teaching some of the basic bowing patterns that help to bring out the distinctive flavour of the most common tune forms. For the left hand, he’ll be concentrating on hand frames and melodic motifs (those note patterns that occur again and again in folk tunes), as well as an approach to ornamentation which is designed to help players access ornaments in a way that is both natural for them and appropriate for the tunes.

This course can accommodate a broad range of experience and ability, 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.

For further information or to express your interest in this course, please email Ali (music@stewarthardy.co.uk)

We would expect participants 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
Oct
7
Sat
October Workshops 2023: Fiddle Workshop 1 @ Online - on Zoom
Oct 7 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

October Workshops 2023

Fiddle Workshop 1

Zoom Workshop
Saturday 7th October: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Competent Beginner to Upper Intermediate level

The Wild Rose of the Mountain  (John Mason)
As co-founder and musical director of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, John Mason wrote over 600 tunes. I learnt this one from Willie Taylor in a workshop back in the ‘80s. It seems to be making a bit of a comeback and why not? It is such a beautiful and accessible melody, great for focussing on tone and intonation as well as bow control.

£20
October Workshops: £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.

October Workshops 2023: Fiddle Workshop 2 @ Online - on Zoom
Oct 7 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

October Workshops 2023

Fiddle Workshop 2

More details and bookings coming soon!

Zoom Workshop
Saturday 7th October: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Intermediate to Advanced players

Young Scottie (Charlie Sherrit)
This fabulous jig, along with his other masterpiece The Quarryman, is firmly embedded into the Northumbrian tradition and has made the name Charlie Sherrit a familiar one among traditional musicians in the North East of England. Both tunes were championed by The Shepherds and their friends and you will still be called on to play this one for dancing and in sessions. It makes a great vehicle for exploring ways to incorporate ‘lift’ and ‘lilt’ into your playing of jigs.

£20
October Workshops: £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.

Nov
3
Fri
JSArts Fiddle Technique @ Shepherds Dene
Nov 3 – Nov 5 all-day
JSArts Fiddle Technique @ Shepherds Dene | Grantham | United Kingdom

JSArts Fiddle Technique

Fully Booked (please enquire to go on the waiting list)

3rd – 5th November 2023
Shepherds Dene, Riding Mill, Northumberland NE44 6AF
4.00 pm start and finish time.

Join Stewart for a weekend of intensive fiddle tuition at this beautiful location in the Lake District. The workshop will typically take a maxiumum of 14 participants and will run from 3 pm on Friday until 3 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. 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.

This course is fully booked. For information about future courses or to go on the waiting list, 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.

~ ~ ~

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
Dec
16
Sat
December Workshops 2023: Fiddle Workshop 1 @ Online - on Zoom
Dec 16 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

December Workshops 2023

Fiddle Workshop 1

The Bottom of the Punchbowl 
An old scots measure which can be heard played as a rant, a reel and even a hornpipe – a truly versatile tune for sessions and ceilidhs alike!

Zoom Workshop
Saturday 16th December: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Competent Beginner to Upper Intermediate level
£20

December Workshops: £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.

December Workshops 2023: Fiddle Workshop 2 @ Online - on Zoom
Dec 16 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

December Workshops 2023

Fiddle Workshop 2

Ice on the Road (G. Townsend)
A Canadian classic by the wonderful Graham Townsend, Ice on the Road – hopefully in no way prophetic (but being on Zoom at least we don’t have to travel!)

Zoom Workshop
Saturday 16th December: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Intermediate to Advanced players
£20

December Workshops: £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.

Feb
24
Sat
February Workshops 2024: Fiddle Workshop 1 @ Online - on Zoom
Feb 24 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

February  Workshops 2024

Fiddle Workshop 1

Zoom Workshop
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 24th February: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Johnny and Dorothy Livingstone’s March (Mairi Campbell)
Written by one of Scotland’s finest fiddlers, it is no surprise that this beautiful and lyrical tune fits the instrument like a glove.
Aimed at Competent Beginner to Upper Intermediate level
£20

February 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.

February Workshops 2024: Fiddle Workshop 2 @ Online - on Zoom
Feb 24 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

February Workshops 2024

Fiddle Workshop 2

Zoom Workshop
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 24th February: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Sunshine Schottische (Grégory Jolivet)
This joyful tune was picked up in a JSArts session and it was an instant hit. It swings, it sings and there is so much that can be done with it.
Aimed at Intermediate to Advanced players
£20

 

February 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.

Mar
22
Fri
JSArts Fiddle Technique @ Shepherds Dene
Mar 22 – Mar 24 all-day
JSArts Fiddle Technique @ Shepherds Dene | Grantham | United Kingdom

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.

~ ~ ~

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