Nov
7
Fri
JSArts 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 the Lake District for a weekend of intensive fiddle tuition. The workshop will take a maxiumum of around 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. Accommodation is in single occupancy rooms, almost all of which are en suite. 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.
For information and a booking form for this course, 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
Nov
15
Sat
Nov 15 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tyneside Fiddle Alliance and Phoenix Chamber Folk Ensemble present Music in our Roots 2025
A further celebration of new and old folk melodies from the North East and beyond, by two of the region’s leading community folk ensembles.
Tickets £7.50 (U18s free) available now from Phoenix Folk
Dec
21
Sun
Woolsington Strings will be sharing a short, informal concert of folk tunes with a winter connection, arranged for fiddles and viola on Sunday 21st December at 3.15 pm in Wall Village Hall. Free event!
A short performance followed by tea/coffee and mince pies at around 4.00 pm. No need to book, just come along. Doors open at 3.00 pm. Donations welcome for the village hall.
Wall Village Hall
Wall, NE46 4DX
https://goo.gl/maps/ajmEbNhhnjChfSST8
Head for St George’s Church in Wall, and you can park on the grassy areas next to the roadway, or anywhere around the village. If it’s busy, the road out of the village to the north usually has spaces next to the playing field. Then walk down the path from the church to the Village Hall (it’s the cowshed at the bottom of the path) – the hall isn’t accessible from the roads to the south as some sat navs indicate.
Recordings
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Woolsington Strings will be sharing some of our tunes with a winter connection, arranged for fiddle & viola, in December. Save the date - there will be mince pies! 😃Our lovely string ensemble are planning a short concert of some of our winter-themed tunes in the village hall - followed by mince pies! Free event, just come along.🎻🎶
Woolsington Strings will be sharing a short, informal concert of folk tunes with a winter connection, arranged for fiddles and viola on Sunday 21st December at 3.15 pm in Wall Village Hall.
Free event! A short performance followed by tea/coffee and mince pies at around 4.00 pm. No need to book, just come along. Doors open at 3.00 pm.
Our 12-piece string ensemble enjoys creating and playing arrangements of folk tunes in a variety of styles, under the guidance of the wonderful Stewart Hardy Music. We enjoyed our little concert in June, and thought we would open our doors again and share some seasonal music with friends and the local community. A retiring collection will be made for Wall Village Hall funds. We hope you can join us.
🎻🎄 NEFS Winter Residential 2025We are delighted to be holding another Winter Residential Weekend at the lovely Shepherds Dene Retreat Centre on 5th – 7th December 2025. We are planning a relaxed social weekend, with lots of fiddle playing, including our regular Saturday Workshop day with Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith.
Stewart and Grace will also be with us all weekend, joining in with the sessions, providing inspiration and support, and teaching extra workshops on the Sunday morning.
You can come just for the Saturday workshop, or add dinner and the evening sessions, the Sunday morning workshops, and bed & breakfast on either or both nights - entirely up to you! Details of all the options are on the website. We hope you can join us 🥰