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Fiddleicious Traditions

Fiddleicious Traditions

April 12 ~ 14, 2019
USM Lewiston Campus
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Music in its Raw State

January 14, 2019 By

Instructor: Greg Boardman

I love talking with people about the incalculable value of experiencing acoustic music in its raw state, both voice and instruments, without the aural distraction of sound equipment.READ MORE

Cape Breton Piano

January 5, 2019 By

Instructor: Troy MacGillivray

Cape Breton Piano is a distinct accompaniment style. Learn what makes this music so dance-able from a master!

Cape Breton Fiddle

January 5, 2019 By

Instructor: Troy MacGillivray

Troy will open the floor to questions and answers on the nuances of Cape Breton Fiddling. Bring a tune to share for a session portion of the class.READ MORE

Hearing the Chords

December 12, 2018 By

Instructor: Neil Pearlman
All levels, All Instruments

At sessions it’s not uncommon to be have a fiddler call out a key and start playing, but how does the accompanist follow along if they don’t already know the tune? Do guitarists and pianists have to develop an encyclopedic repertoire of tunes just to survive? Happily this is not the case.READ MORE

Jigs and Reels

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Andrea Beaton

Jigs and Reels are what we dance our square sets to in Inverness County, as well as the rest of the island. We’ll focus on the rhythm of the bow as it pertains to the Cape Breton dance style, and where we can place ornamentation and other things that aren’t commonly found “on paper” to give the tunes a lift.READ MORE

Fat Cats Going Down the Alley Eating Bugs

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Lauren Rioux
All levels, All Instruments

A crash course on easy ways to figure out keys and their key signatures, scales, arpeggios and chords so you can JAM and play music with people and be the best musician you can be. A good class for people who always groan when they hear the words ‘theory’ and ‘chords’, or people who are interested in how to teach this stuff in a fun, practical, hands-on manner.

Wicked Good Fills

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Lauren Rioux
Level: Intermediate-Advanced

Learn how to fill space when the vocalist isn’t singing. We’ll use the Flatt & Scruggs’ song “Don’t this Road Look and Rocky” to work on the conversational, emotional, rhythmic and theoretical components of supporting the vocalist.READ MORE

Improvising on a Fiddle Tune

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Lauren Rioux

So you can play the melody, and you even know the chords, now what? Learn fiddle vocabulary and see how fun it is to come up with your own versions and solos for a standard tune. This is a gentle way to dip your toes into this process.

Dow-ow-own Uh-up Down Uh-up, Down Up Down Uh-up Down Uh-up

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Lauren Rioux

The mystical magical bouncing bow of Old-Time fiddle. I’ll help unlock the pattern for you to unleash the beast.READ MORE

Basic Music Theory

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Barry Saunders
All levels, All Instruments

In this class we will cover how to use scales, keys and chords to build improvisations and comping for tunes.

Improv Development

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Barry Saunders
All levels, All Instruments

This class will dig a bit deeper into covering forms and structures when improvising. More fun improv games and the blues form will form the basis for this class. We will also cover community improv and sharing the joy of music.

Improv Basics

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Barry Saunders
All levels, All Instruments

This class will go over some of the fun ways to get your feet wet and create your own sounds! We will cover creative improv games and getting through the tinge of anxiety that can be there for some. We will also cover community improv and sharing the joy of music.

Guitar backing skills and techniques

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Matt Shipman

Backing up tunes in a session or in a band can really help lift the music. In this workshop we will work on skills to help us be a better backer of tunes. We will go over right hand technique in various time signatures such as 6/8, 9/8, 4/4 and waltz time.READ MORE

Strathspey and Reel

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Wendy MacIsaac

You will learn how to play a strathspey and reel in the Cape Breton style, learn about why the strathspey is almost always followed by a reel, and how to transition from one to another.READ MORE

Step Dancing the Basics

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Cindy Roy

Have you ever wanted to try stepdancing but the time is never right? In this class, you’ll learn very basics of steps to a simple routine you can use at a party or anywhere the music lifts you. It’s easier than you think! We’ll work on simple mechanics and you’ll be dancing in no time!!

Step Dancing

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Andrea Beaton

We’ll focus on the timing of the steps and the bounce/hop using a more relaxed body.  We’ll also look at the neatness of the feet, which helps tremendously with the timing aspect of the dance style.

Step Dancing: The Inverness Square

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Wendy MacIsaac

You will learn how to make steps sound percussive to match the tunes and then apply them to the Inverness Square set you will also learn. You’ll leave being able to attend the next dance in Cape Breton with confidence!

Dance Leadership and Dance Calling

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Bill Olson
All Levels

There are few better ways of building a musical community than to start a local dance, either regular or occasional. We’re talking a community dance or “barn dance” where everyone is welcome regardless of age or experience. To make this happen in your community you need musicians, a place to do it, and most of all a dance leader to teach and call the dances. READ MORE

Demystifying the “Dots on the Page”

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Pam Weeks
All levels, All Instruments

Are you used to trying to figure tunes out by ear but have no idea how to read music notation? Or you can sort of use the ups and downs of the dots music to jog your memory of a tune, but there’s a lot you don’t really understand? We will start at the beginning of what it all means, with the goal of sending you home with the understanding and tools you need for practicing and improving your music reading skills!

Timing is Everything!

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Pam Weeks
All levels, All Instruments

A class to exercise our “rhythm muscles”. We’ll be clapping, tapping, stomping, strumming, drumming, creating polyrhythm with the whole class, learning how to entrain our bodies with the beat of the music. We will explore rhythmic notation, how to count accurately using subdivision, and how to translate that to our instruments.

Healthy Hands: Techniques for Improving Your Fiddle Chops

January 5, 2019 By

Instructor: Pam Weeks

This class is designed to get you past whatever roadblocks are preventing you from improving your playing. We will start at the beginning with improving (LH) fiddle and (RH) bow holds, then will work on both LH and RH technique, using exercises and simple tunes to encourage body awareness while playing. Our goals will include improving tone, intonation, flexibility, speed, and ease in the body, working towards creating expressive playing at any tempo

Learning by Ear

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Pam Weeks
All levels, All Instruments

For folks who have been playing for a while but primarily from sheet music. Folk music is, at heart, an oral tradition, and it’s important to become comfortable learning by ear. This class will break down and de-mystify the process!

Tune Writing

January 5, 2019 By

Instructor: Pam Weeks
All levels, All Instruments

There’s a method to the madness of being creative that can give you greater success at writing your own music. We’ll take a little time analyzing common tune and chord structures, and and then spend the session brain-storming techniques to open up your creative well We’ll also check out alternatives to conventional music notation so you can remember what you’ve just composed!

 

Cajun Music

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Pam Weeks

In 1755 French people were expelled from Canada when the English gained control of Quebec and New Brunswick. Those who settled in SW Louisiana are the source of the vibrant, passionate Cajun music of today. We’ll learn a Cajun two-step and/or waltz and how to “second” (chordal accompaniment), concentrating on the markers that separate this music from other fiddling styles.

Sacred Fiddle and Song

January 5, 2019 By

Instructor: Greg Boardman
All levels, All Instruments

How might we come together as instrumentalists and singers of all levels of playing and singing ability, and of experience in this form of music, and then ply them all together in a grand chorus of gratitude, praise and lamentation?  This session will attempt to answer this question by an active involvement in that direction. One hoped-for outcome would be a sense of the possibility of organizing similar gatherings at home, as might meet the needs of the local community.

 

Tunesmithing and Songwriting

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Greg Boardman
All levels, All Instruments

This session will explore the various approaches to coming up with new tunes in the old style, suitable for old-time country dancing, and putting one’s own lyrics and music together in straight forward folk style.READ MORE

Creativity in Music

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Rob Flax
All levels, All Instruments

The most direct way to foster “creativity” is through “creating!” This workshop is designed to foster courage for improvisation and composition using the abstract musical structures fiddlers already know, and encourages participants to embrace simple constraints as strategies for inspiration. When creating new music there are no answers, only better questions.

 

Jazz Fiddle: Where To Begin

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Rob Flax
All levels, All Instruments

This is a 2-part class: Part 1 focuses on unpacking the underlying structure of the jazz standard “Ja-Da,” a simple melody from the pre-bop era, which features a ii-V-I progression that pops up in thousands of jazz tunes (and many other places).READ MORE

Improve Your Improv: Building More Compelling Solos

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Rob Flax
All Instruments

Multi-instrumentalist Rob Flax has a Masters degree in Contemporary Improvisation (“C.I.”), from the New England Conservatory, and in this workshop he shares secrets and insights from the C.I. program plus concepts developed over many years of performance. Participants will focus on deconstructing what makes a solo “compelling,” learning compositional strategies and exploring the importance of the human voice to craft better solos. Each participant will also have the opportunity to take a solo and receive feedback, masterclass style (but this is not required to participate!)

Using Pedals with Bowed Strings

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Rob Flax
All Instruments

The violin family of instruments has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years, a feat unmatched in any other realm of technology. But with the advent of instrument amplification the modern string player has access to a whole new world of sound possibilities.READ MORE

Tips, Tricks and Techniques For Fiddle

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Erica Brown
All levels, All Instruments

We will touch on a little bit of everything in this class: from exercises to improve your intonation and speed; vibrato; double stops and chords; chopping; slurs; and more!READ MORE

Play faster – sound better

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Elaine Malkin
All levels, All Instruments

This is a hands-on workshop on improving technique for both hands, tone and intonation tips, and fiddler tricks to make a tune come alive.

Learn a Québécois tune with the traditional style and ornaments

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Elaine Malkin

We will learn a tune from Quebec with the traditional style and ornaments.

Playing in a small ensemble

December 26, 2018 By

Instructors: Matt Shipman and Erica Brown
All levels, All Instruments

In this workshop we will work on the elements of playing with others in a small ensemble. Working with instruments different than your own is a great way to expand your musicianship and listening skills. We will work on arrangements, medleys and harmony.READ MORE

Phalanges Pilates

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Pam Weeks
All levels, All Instruments

This workshop will address habits to keep your hands healthy and strong, with the goal of increasing flexibility and dexterity on your instrument. It will include stretches, warm-ups, finger exercises on your instrument, and a discussion of general health, posture, and relaxation relating to the entire body for music playing.

Sound equipment

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Bill Olson
All Levels

Sound amplification is often needed for a concert or a dance, maybe to play for a large audience, or a noisy one (like at a dance). Or maybe for ensemble playing, with instruments that project differently (A mountain dulcimer tuba ensemble comes to mind.) There’s SO MUCH gear out there. New, used, big, small expensive, cheap…yikes. Where do you begin and what do you really need? We’ll try to dispel some myths and point you in the right direction.

Reducing Stress with EFT Tapping

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Karen St. Clair

Have you ever felt an overwhelming feeling of fear when you’re about to walk out on stage? Come to this class and learn how you can shift that fear to excitement as you share your gifts with the audience. EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Tapping is a research-based stress relieving technique that is simple to learn and profoundly beneficial for musicians. You’ll take away a very powerful tool that you can use in your everyday life.

Instrument Care and Maintenance

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Robert Miller

This workshop will cover how to care for your instrument and what you should and should not do, as well as when to see a luthier. Subjects for discussion will include (but not be limited to): basic instrument set up, types of strings, changing strings, keeping your bridge straight, re-setting your fallen bridge, when to re-hair your bowREAD MORE

The history and context of traditional music

December 26, 2018 By

Format: Panel Discussion

Designed to broaden the knowledge of traditional music by exploring subjects associated with the traditions. Learn about the history and context of the music you are learning and playing. Be introduced to some of the most important tradition-bearers of the music, and their favored tunes and techniques.

Sessions and Public Events

December 26, 2018 By

Format: Panel Discussion

How do you host a house concert? What is proper session etiquette? How do you market an event? Learn the answers to these and other questions you might have about “going public.”

An Island Music: the Cape Breton Fiddle Tradition

December 26, 2018 By

Instructor: Sally Sommers Smith
Format: Lecture

This talk will focus on the evolution of Cape Breton fiddle music, and will also highlight two important themes in this musical tradition: the making of music within families, and the strong connection between the music and community-based dancing traditions.

READ MORE

Public Performance

December 26, 2018 By

Format: Panel Discussion

Are you frightened to perform in public? Do you get tense from being on stage? Do you jumble your words when talking into a microphone? Issues like these will be demystified by our experienced staff.

Teaching Others

December 26, 2018 By

Format: Panel Discussion

Ever show a friend a new tune?  You just became a teacher if you did. It’s not difficult, and our instructors will help demystify the art of teaching traditional music.

Create a Community Orchestra

December 26, 2018 By

Format: Panel Discussion

How do you organize and teach a group with various abilities and experience? How are arrangements developed? How to keep all skill levels interested? How to work with beginners and integrate them into the group.

Becoming a professional musician

December 26, 2018 By

Format: Panel Discussion

What are the nuts and bolts of making a living with music? Learn how some successful players have been doing it for years. Get some questions answered on getting started like “How much do we charge” or “ How do we market the gig”. Learn some tips for negotiating a performance or event.

Copyright © 2019 · Fiddle-icious Traditions is part of Fiddle-icious, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization · site by iknow