Category: Uncategorized

Classes remain online until the end of October

Following this week’s governmental rulings about meetings of groups of six or more, we will not be meeting in person for classes.  After much mental wrangling, I think that the best and safest thing to do is to keep our classes online.  We’ll reassess at half term, which is the end of October.  I’m really disappointed but don’t think I can justify the risk to all of you or to myself.  Please keep safe, and if you’re not on the list for the Zoom invite, let me know and I’ll email it to you.

Bonus post: two note chords on the fiddle

Here are some videos talking about how to play accompanying chords on the fiddle, as requested last week.  The first two videos are explanations, there are then some hastily drawn chord shapes, and finally some ACapella videos demonstrating the chord sequences and rhythms in context.

Video one – basic chords and rhythms, using Step Back as a reference:

Video Two – slightly more difficult chords and some other things to consider, using Idbury Hill as a reference.  Also, I turned the lights on.

 

Here are some pictures of the chord shapes:

 

And finally, the shuffle ideas in context:

 

 

New term!

The new term will start again on September 16th, in our usual venue and at the usual time of 7:15.  Prices are going up to £9 per session, as they’ve been at £8 from at least 2017, if not before!  Those of you paying for the whole year up front will be charged £8 per session.  I look forward to seeing you all soon!  Debx

Arrangements for May 27th concert

Here are the arrangements for the May 27th concert at Gunnersbury Park.  We’re playing 2:00 – 4:00 (with an interval), and I’m hoping we can get in before that to have a rehearse and to settle into the space.  We will do a concert spot of our arrangements and a ceilidh spot playing for some dances that I’ll call (I’ll put list up later in the week, though it’ll all be things we did at the Ealing Folk Dance Club).  We may also be joined by a local Morris team, though I need to finalise the details with my contact as Gunnersbury and with the team themselves.

There are full details on the Gunnersbury House page here, including the address and transport links, and details on how to reserve tickets: http://www.visitgunnersbury.org/west-london-folk-band-summer-concert-2/.  Spread the word – tickets are free but you can book, just in case we get inundated!

 

This week’s class – informal concert

This week we’ll spend the first half of the evening upstairs learning some basic arrangments of tunes from this term before coming down to the bar and sharing them in an informal concert, after which we’ll have a bit of a session.  Here is a file of the arrangements, for anyone who wants to try them out or print them beforehand.

For the following two weeks we’ll have guest tutors Beth Gifford (April 1st) and Dave Delarre (April 8th).  There will then be a break for Easter, with classes resuming on April 29th.