Adult Fiddle

WHERE: All classes currently conducted over Zoom

WHEN: Wednesday 7.30pm - 9.00pm

INSTRUMENT HIRE: This service not currently available

TERM DATES, ENROLMENT AND COST: See Membership page

GFW Playing Together – Wednesday Warm Up

Which Class?

We have 12 Levels of fiddle classes.Don’t overthink it. Glance down the bullet points on the class descriptions and try and gauge which level seems to fit with where you’d like to be in 12-18 months.

Which Tutor?

Student numbers is the key factor in hiring tutors. Tutors own circumstances during Covid-19 will also impact which tutor will be available at your level. It is possible you will not get your favourite tutor, as we will hire tutors to match student numbers. We can say for certain that you will get one of Scotland’s top tutors. Please support GFW in this tricky time and sign up for your class now.

FIDDLE CLASS	GENERAL DESCRIPTION	CLASSWORK
Absolute Beginners Sally Simpson FAB	This class is for people who have never played the fiddle before.	tuning your fiddle holding your fiddle & bow correctly bowing the strings fingering & naming notes learning by ear learning simple tunes
Beginners 1 Rua McMillan FB1	This class is for people who know how to hold a fiddle and play a few notes, and are ready to learn playing tunes.	holding your fiddle & bow bowing the strings fingering & naming notes learning by ear playing simple tunes playing simple time signatures e.g waltz or march enjoying an introduction to traditional music e.g waltzes, reels, marches, jigs, hornpipes, strathspeys etc.
Beginners 2 Bernadette Kellermann FB2	This class is for people who have completed Beginner 1 level, know how to hold a fiddle and play a tune or two hesitantly and are ready to learn playing more tunes	holding your fiddle/bow comfortably using your bow more confidently improving fingering/naming notes playing simple tunes by ear playing tunes using basic time signatures learning simple scales and arpeggios enjoying an introduction to traditional music e.g waltzes reels, marches, jigs , hornpipes, strathspeys
Beginners 3 Finlay Allison FB3	This class is for people who have completed Beginner 2 level, know how to hold a fiddle and play a tune or two hesitantly and are ready to learn playing more tunes.	playing a range of different time signatures playing simple tunes faster and more fluently leaning/practising simple ornamentations learning more scales/ arpeggios practising simple bowing techniques (eg string crossing) increasing knowledge of traditional music
Improvers 1 Sandie Forbes FI1	For those who have already completed Beginners 3 level class. You should have a bit more confidence with fiddle and bow and be able to play a few simple tunes at a slow pace.	playing your fiddle & using the bow more confidently playing tunes by ear improving your tone increasing your repertoire e.g waltzes, reels, marches, jigs , hornpipes, strathspeys learning simple sets improving your technical skills learning scales /arpeggios At least 3 or 4 new tunes per term
Improvers 2 Dan Thorpe FI2	For those who have completed Improvers 1 and have moved to being able to play a few tunes with reasonable confidence at a slow pace.	improving tone using effective tuning increasing repertoire increasing knowledge of different time signatures playing more complex tunes e.g waltzes, reels, marches, jigs , hornpipes, strathspeys playing ‘sets’ of tunes improving technical skills/ornamentation improving fluency revising scales/arpeggios At least 4 or 5 new tunes per term
Improvers 3 Fiona Cuthill FI3	This class will work a little faster than those at Improver 2 level and will find the repertoire of tunes a bit more challenging than at the previous level.	playing at a faster speed increasing repertoire increasing knowledge of different time signatures playing more complex tunes playing sets improving technical skills/ornamentation improving fluency revising scales/arpeggios At least 5 or 6 new tunes per term
Progression 1 Trish Strain FP1	This class is for those able to learn simple tunes comfortably by ear and play them fluently with simple bowing and good tuning.	playing different types of tunes waltz, marches learning different genres of trad fiddle e.g Border, Highland etc widening range of keys playing tunes in different time signatures increasing range and fluency improving bowing techniques using ornamentation building repertoire enhancing technical skills playing sets using simple harmonies At least 4 or 5 new tunes per term
Progression 2 Graham McKenzie FP2	This class is for those who feel comfortable with the previous classes and can play a wide range of tunes with confidence, in tune and with fluent bowing style.	playing confidently by ear play range and variety of tunes developing fluent bowing style developing traditional style of playing using more difficult key signature using more difficult time signatures bowing techniques using ornamentation building repertoire of sets enhancing technical skills playing sets using harmonies At least one new tune per week
Progression 3 Ryan Young FP3	This class is for those who feel comfortable with the previous classes and can play a wide range of tunes with confidence, in tune and with fluent bowing style.	playing confidently by ear reading music skills play sets of tunes at appropriate speed playing in different keys using fluent bowing style understanding different traditional styles of playing using harmonies playing varieties of tune types playing complex sets using more difficult key signature using ornamentations playing arrangements using dynamics musical invention and composition At least one/two tunes per week

Progression 4 Jamie Smith FP4	This level is for students who have a wide knowledge of technique and repertoire specific to the Scottish traditional style. You should be able to learn easily by ear and have some reading ability.	playing by ear confidently playing complex tunes using different fiddling styles playing in several key signatures using bowing styles confidently using ornamentations confidently playing tunes using different traditional styles of playing playing for performance increasing range and fluency creating harmony using complex bowing using ornamentation enhancing technical skills At least one/two new tune per week

PLEASE NOTE

It is not expected that students will automatically move up a class level each year/term. Students should remain in the same class until they feel ready to move up to the next level. Speak to either your own tutor or a Senior Tutor for advice on which level would suit you best. We ask that Students refrain from moving class after week 3 of term to minimise disruption to other learners.