Mar
15
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with another block of fully online materials, plus a single day workshop in-person.
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 engagement, 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.
There is a full day’s workshop on Saturday 18th March which is taught in person at Wylam Methodist Church and can be booked separately – a discount is applied if you book both.
Check out the NEFS website for full details, see which tunes are being taught this block by Stewart Hardy and Melissa Whitehead, and you will be able to book online through the NEFS Shop in the new year: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
Mar
18
Sat
This full-day workshop forms a part of the North East Fiddle School’s Block 2 offering, along with video tutorials and Zoom calls.
The in-person Workshop Day on Saturday 18th March will run from 10:00 until 17:00 at Wylam Methodist Church. There will be three workshops run by Stewart and Melissa, with a session to finish the afternoon.
Check out the NEFS website for full details and to see which tunes are being taught this block by Stewart Hardy and Melissa Whitehead.
http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
Mar
22
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with another block of fully online materials, plus a single day workshop in-person.
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 engagement, 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.
There is a full day’s workshop on Saturday 18th March which is taught in person at Wylam Methodist Church and can be booked separately – a discount is applied if you book both.
Check out the NEFS website for full details, see which tunes are being taught this block by Stewart Hardy and Melissa Whitehead, and you will be able to book online through the NEFS Shop in the new year: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
Mar
24
Fri
JSArts Fiddle Technique
– Fully Booked (enquire to go on the waiting list)
24th – 26th March 2023
Rydal Hall, Rydal, Ambleside LA22 9LX
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 course or to go on the waiting list, please email Ali (jsarts@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
Mar
29
Wed
North East Fiddle School returns with another block of fully online materials, plus a single day workshop in-person.
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 engagement, 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.
There is a full day’s workshop on Saturday 18th March which is taught in person at Wylam Methodist Church and can be booked separately – a discount is applied if you book both.
Check out the NEFS website for full details, see which tunes are being taught this block by Stewart Hardy and Melissa Whitehead, and you will be able to book online through the NEFS Shop in the new year: http://www.northeastfiddleschool.org.uk/
Mar
31
Fri
Mar 31 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
March/April Workshops 2023
Play-along Session in Harmony for Mixed Instruments
For more details, see the March/April Workshops 2023 page.
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.
Bookings open soon.
Zoom Workshop
Friday 31st March, 19:00 – 21:00
£20
March/April Workshops: £20 each.
Buy any two for £35 or all three for £50. The discount will be applied in your basket.
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
1
Sat
Apr 1 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
March/April Workshops 2023
Fiddle Workshop 1
For more details, see the March/April Workshops 2023 page.
Zoom Workshop
Saturday 1st April: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Competent Beginner to Upper Intermediate level
Tune details coming soon
Bookings open soon.
£20
March/April Workshops: £20 each.
Buy any two for £35 or all three for £50. The discount will be applied in your basket.
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.
March/April Workshops 2023
Fiddle Workshop 2
For more details, see the March/April Workshops 2023 page.
Zoom Workshop
Saturday 1st April: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Intermediate to Advanced players
Tune details coming soon
Bookings open soon.
£20
March/April Workshops: £20 each.
Buy any two for £35 or all three for £50. The discount will be applied in your basket.
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
5
Fri
Advanced Fiddle Technique
5th – 7th May 2023
Shepherds Dene, Riding Mill, Northumberland NE44 6AF
Join Stewart at the beautiful retreat centre of Shepherds Dene, in the heart of Northumberland, for a weekend of intensive fiddle tuition. The workshop numbers will be kept small and it will run from 4 pm on Friday evening until 4 pm on Sunday afternoon.
This course is aimed at proficient players with good to high technical competence, who are comfortable with their instruments and their repertoire and who may have some of the following experience and skills:
- – Playing folk tunes at dance tempo
- – Comfortable in key signatures of up to 3 sharps and 1 flat
- – Familiarity with key signatures of up to 4 sharps and 3 flats
- – Attending folk music sessions and joining in with the tunes
- – Leading sets of tunes in sessions
- – Playing in ceilidh and/or concert bands
- – Teaching violin and/or fiddle
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 by ear, 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. There will also be two evening sessions, allowing participants to play common repertoire together and to exchange tunes, picking new ones up by ear.
Places on Advanced Fiddle Techniques courses are available on application. For further information or to express your interest in this course, please email Ali (jsarts@stewarthardy.co.uk)
May
12
Fri
May Workshops 2023
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 May, 19:00 – 21:00
£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. 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.
Recordings
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Less than a month to go to our Arrangement Techniques course for mixed instruments, which will be my 100th residential JSArts course!* 🥳There is just one place left if you would like to join us. Get in touch quickly, so we can book you in with the venue - the beautiful Shepherds Dene near Riding Mill in Northumberland.
We will be learning a lovely selection of tunes, and choosing which to work on - exploring options for introductions & endings, varying instrumentation, creating harmony lines and different ways of accompanying the tune to produce alternate soundscapes and narratives. With a limited number of participants, there will be plenty of time to explore ideas from everyone. All instruments are welcome, and if you require notation in different keys or clefs, that can be provided. Dots and audio files are provided in advance, and any recordings from the weekend are sent on afterwards.
*There will be cake! 🎂😊
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Finally, a new tune for The Tune Vault, and to pick up where we left off, here’s another sparkling tune by Tyneside fiddle supremo, James Hill in the key of "F for vescence" 🤣Tykeside (James Hill) | The Tune Vault
youtu.be
Tykeside (James Hill)- The Tune Vault by Stewart HardyThis enigmatically titled reel in F major is another gem by Tyneside fiddling legend James Hill. No tr...
Happy May Day!Looking back, April had some very lovely moments...
At the Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering illustrating Amélie Addison's wonderful talk on William Shield and with cracking performances by Tyneside Fiddle Alliance, our April Workshops on Zoom, a trip to see the amazing Dudok Quartet Amsterdam, a duo gig with Ali Say at the Phoenix Folk Ltd. Spring Thing, the start of Block 3 at North East Fiddle School, and our JSArts Advanced Fiddle course at Rydal Hall. Happy Spring everyone 🎻