| AFC Classes 2007> FIDDLE Bluegrass Fiddle I - (Brian Christianson) Fiddlers will learn basic bluegrass fiddle tunes along with their chord structures and arpeggios. Students will learn the shuffle bowing and the basic double stops of standard fiddle hoedowns, and will also work on how to pull a good, strong tone and get the best sound out of their instruments. In this class, students will work on learning tunes by ear but sheet music will be available. Bluegrass Fiddle II - (Brian Christianson) In this class, fiddlers will work on more advanced bluegrass fiddle tunes. Fiddle bowings such as the “shuffle” and “double shuffle” will be woodshedded as well as where to put slurs to make a fiddle tune sound like a fiddle tune and not a violin piece. Students will learn more advanced double stops, slides, slurs, and getting the most out of your fiddle within your bow. Tunes will be taught by ear so bring your tape recorders. Sheet music will be available upon request. Bluegrass Fiddle III - (Brian Christianson) This class is intended for more advanced players. Students will learn how to construct a bluegrass fiddle solo, work on more advanced double stops, and phrasing within fiddle bowings. This class will move along at a faster pace than Bluegrass Fiddle II. Students who are not up to this level of playing may still obtain valuable information by just sitting in and listening. No sheet music will be available for students in this class so bring your tape recorders. Good ear training skills are a must. Southern Old-Time Fiddling I (Kenny Jackson) This isn’t fiddle-from-scratch, so you need just a few basic skills such as how to hold the fiddle and bow, and how to get into standard tuning. Being able to scratch out a few basic tunes would be helpful. I will teach several easy old-time fiddle tunes, breaking them down into short phrases that you will repeat after hearing and watching me play them. In the process we’ll cover tuning, bowing, and fingering. This class will also be something of an introduction to the music itself and its sources and roots, so we’ll do some listening to recordings of old-time fiddlers, including field recordings. In addition we’ll cover jam session etiquette – an important skill! You should bring your fiddle, bow, rosin, extra strings, a notebook, and an audio recording device (indispensable). Video cams will be prohibited. Southern Old-Time Fiddling II (Kenny Jackson) Some familiarity with southern old-time fiddle styles, able to learn short phrases of music by ear, able to play maybe a dozen tunes in several keys with some confidence at moderate tempo, able to participate in jam sessions. I’ll teach one tune per day, by ear, phrase-by-phrase, and we’ll use both standard and cross-tuning. We’ll explore how the bowing and left hand work go together to create the melodic phrasing and rhythmic pulse, and work on playing at danceable tempos. Emphasis is going to be on listening to really good fiddlers both live and on recordings, listening to the music that gets into your head, and finally, listening to your own playing. You should bring your fiddle, bow, rosin, extra strings, a notebook, and an audio recording device (indispensable). Videocams will be prohibited. It will help if your instrument is set up for fiddling with a flatter bridge and strings that can withstand higher-tension cross tunings. Extra strings can be handy. Southern Old-Time Fiddling III (Kenny Jackson) For players who have good familiarity with southern old-time fiddling, a solid repertoire, who are able to play up to speed at danceable tempos, able to play in nonstandard tunings, adept at picking up musical phrases by ear, and able to lead at jam sessions. This will be a hands-on class, taught entirely by ear. We’ll work on one or two somewhat more challenging tunes per day, exploring them in detail starting with basic melody and phrasing, then we’ll progress to bowing and ornamentation. Tunes in both standard and alternate fiddle tunings will be taught. My approach is based on understanding and developing a vocabulary of traditional fiddling sounds to enable you to "speak the language" fluently, in your own voice, and with feeling. Rhythm and bowing are an important part of it. We'll also discuss various aspects of the fiddling life. You should bring your fiddle, bow, rosin, a notebook, and an audio recording device (indispensable). Video cams will be prohibited. It will help if your instrument is set up for fiddling with a flatter bridge and strings that can withstand higher-tension cross tunings. Extra strings can be handy. Irish Fiddle I (Rose Flanagan) I'll explain and demonstrate the basic tune types and what makes "Irish" music distinct from other types of fiddle music. Learn a few tunes, get advice on how to learn more on your own, and get a little one-on-one help with a tune you already know. Bring a recording device. Irish Fiddle II (Rose Flanagan) This class will focus on Irish rhythm and ornamentation. We will learn representative types of tunes - reels, jigs, polkas, hornpipes, slides, etc. Bring a recording device. Irish Fiddle III (Rose Flanagan) This class is for people already familiar with the basic techniques of Irish ornamentation - grace notes, bowed triplets, and rolls. We will focus on specific bowings, learn to incorporate ornamentation, swing into more difficult tunes, and explore the ways of varying tunes. Bring a recording device. |