Some of My Favorite Tunes with Seamus Connolly
Instructor: Seamus Connolly
All Levels; All Instruments
Join Seamus as he plays some of his favorite tunes. This is part performance, part story telling.
Song Writing
Instructor: Joni Harms
All Levels; All Instruments
Joni Harms has 13 (Lucky 13!) studio produced albums under her country-western belt. She is widely hailed as an excellent singer-songwriter. Come to this workshop to learn how she approaches the art of songwriting. Bring your own ideas and leave with new inspiration and tools to turn your snippet into a finished piece.
Making Music for a Living
Instructor: Joni Harms
All Levels; All Instruments
How to Manage the Band and All Their Personalities
Instructors: Joni Harms; Erica Brown
All Levels; All Instruments
Are you trying to pull a band together or HOLD a band together? It can be very difficult. Joni and Erica will tell you how they have handled this task over a successful career.
Communications with the Sound Technician
Instructors: Eric Weest Johnson; Bill Olson
All Levels; All Instruments
Bring up the mids! Do you have a DI box? Do you know sound technician lingo? Do you know how to talk with the sound guy? Eric, along with Bill, will demystify the this topic. This will be a very interesting and useful class for anyone who ever uses sound equipment!
Our Heros: Seamus Connolly and Don Roy Talk and Play
Instructors: Seamus Connolly; Don Roy
All Levels; All Instruments
Performance/Lecture
It’s difficult to imagine that our own musical heros also have their own heros. During this hour, Seamus and Don will talk about who influenced them and who they looked up to at the start of their respective musical journeys. You’ll hear these two recipients of the National Heritage Fellowship award join together to trade tunes and stories from their humble beginnings.
An hour with Seamus Connolly
Instructor: Seamus Connolly
All Levels; All Instruments
Performance/Interview
Spend this hour with National Heritage Fellow and recent recipient of the Gradam Ceoil TG4 honours for a Lifetime Achievement Award, Seamus Connolly. Seamus is a beloved performer and story teller and this is a rare opportunity to enjoy an intimate hour soaking up his knowledge and presence.
Cape Breton Reel Technique
Instructor: Mairi Rankin
All Levels; Fiddle
This workshop sends you home with a new reel to play. Mairi will offer insight to the driving force behind the Cape Breton reel as well as specific reel techniques that give this style of tune its infectious energy.
Cape Breton Jig Technique
Instructor: Mairi Rankin OR Wendy MacIsaac
All Levels; Fiddle
While the jig style is ubiquitous across many genres, the Cape Breton jig stands out with its particularly Cape Breton touches. Learn from one of two of Cape Breton’s finest teachers. This class is so nice, we are listing it twice!
Playing for Dances
Instructor: Wendy MacIsaac
All Levels; All Instruments/Fiddle
Wendy comes from the land of the ceilidh, where dances are plentiful. Her insight into how playing for a dance differs from playing in other scenarios is steeped in experience. Learn the nuances involved in communicating with the dance caller, as well as reading the room for the type of dancers present. Consider the art of the dance set list, and how to prepare for the unexpected. Playing for dances is high energy, infectious fun!
Putting Sets Together
Instructor: Wendy MacIsaac
All Levels; All Instruments
What elements are considered when putting tunes together to make a compelling set? Discover the crossroad at the science and art of this endeavor. Some artists approach this from a purely musical theory point of view, others group like styles together (all reels for example) still others will select tunes by their titles, to tell a story that way. In both Scottish and Cape Breton traditions there is the MSR formula, for a march, strathspey, reel combination. Learn how a seasoned recording and performing professional has approached this lingering question, and bring your own tunes to play with and contemplate.
Cape Breton Strathspey Technique
Instructor: Wendy MacIsaac OR Mairi Rankin
All Levels; Fiddle
We are offering this class at two different times, with two different masters of the style. Maybe you just learned a strathspey (see Learn a Strathspey with Wendy MacIsaac) or you already have a few-or a lot!- in your repertoire. This class will focus on refining the specifics of this style that make it truly unique. Strathspeys are known for their complex timing along with ornamentations (the Scottish snap for one) that give this style of tune a unique feel. Learn how to harness these techniques from some of the most admired fiddlers from Cape Breton and elevate your own strathspey playing.
Learn a Strathspey
Instructor: Wendy MacIsaac
All Levels; Fiddle
Strathspey is unique to the Cape Breton and Scottish repertoire. Wendy will teach a tune in this unique style, adding particular Cape Breton embellishments.
Just How Old Are These Tunes Anyway? A Brief Historical Overview of the Fiddle Tune Repertoire
Instructor: Paul Wells
Lecture
There is widespread misconception about how far back in time the repertoire of tunes that we all know and love extends. One often hears that today’s fiddlers play tunes that are four or five hundred years old, when, in reality, the very oldest tunes still in common circulation date from the mid-to-late 18th century. The internet—which can be a wonderful resource—unfortunately is rife with misinformation. In this talk I will give a short survey of some historical materials regarding the development of the “modern” fiddle tune repertoire.
Wicked Good Fiddling: Traditional Music in Maine in the Era of Statehood
Instructor: Paul Wells
Lecture
A look at tunes drawn from published and manuscript sources of the 1820s that illustrate connections–or not–to present-day tradition.
Backing-up fiddle tunes and songs that you have never played before
Instructor: Fred White
All Levels; Rhythm/Guitar players
Learn how to back-up tunes and songs that you have never played before…even if there is no sheet music on hand. Identify some common tune/song forms, keys, chord progressions, and learn the secrets to using a handy-dandy (literally) number system to guide chord selection. A basic chord vocabulary is helpful, but not required. Practicing strategies learned in this course in jam sessions at Fiddle-icious Traditions (& elsewhere) is recommended for best results.
Piano Accompaniment Styles Listening Class
Instructor: Neil Pearlman
All Levels; All Instruments
Although it is less widespread now, the piano has been a traditional accompaniment to the fiddle for many years– longer than the guitar, in fact! Join Neil Pearlman for a tour of piano styles from a variety of fiddle traditions. In this lecture/discussion class we will listen to and break down a selection of recordings and videos featuring pianists who run the gamut from classic old school traditional to modern and innovative. We will track the development of several traditional piano styles and listen to many of the most important players who exemplify and have shaped their styles.
Accordion Tunes and Techniques
Instructor: Neil Pearlman
All Levels; Accordion
Learn one or two of Neil’s favorite tunes to play on the accordion along with specific tips for ornamentation, style and fingering on the instrument.
New Techniques for Piano Accompaniment
Instructor: Neil Pearlman
Intermediate/Advanced Levels; Piano
In this class we will explore some alternative techniques and rhythmic patterns that can be used to accompany fiddle tunes. Neil has spent a great deal of time developing new ways of accompanying fiddle music on the piano by looking at other accompaniment instruments like guitar, mandolin and bass as well as drawing on piano styles in other genres of music. Come expand your vocabulary on the instrument!
Adding Improvised Variations and Fills to your Tune Playing
Instructor: Neil Pearlman
Intermediate/Advanced Levels; All Instruments
So you know a bunch of tunes but what now? How do you keep them fresh, interesting and exciting as you delve into them? In this class Neil will share some of his favorite techniques for adding spontaneous variations and fills to the fiddle tunes you know and love. We’ll cover a variety of ideas from adding occasional “jazzy” runs to re-purposing the ideas already present in the tune to give it an extra kick!