Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Any recommendations for a fiddle camp, etc. for someone who has great passion for playing but only 1 year experience? The Ceilidh Trail School looks very interesting, but I'm afraid I'd waste my money from a learning POV due to inability to keep up. I can read music, learn by ear very slowly, and just barely keep pace with my local slow session. Perhaps I should wait another year?
TIA for any advice.
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Sunny, some fiddle camps have classes specifically for less experienced players. I know Linda Danielson has taught such a class at Valley of the Moon camp up by the Bay Area.
Most Irish fiddle camps tend to rely heavily on learning by ear, so it helps to be able to do this fairly competently. But maybe you can find a camp that teaches this skill.
I teach Irish fiddle at the Montana State Fiddle Camp, and I've had people with only 6 months on fiddle in my class. I suspect they worked harder than others to keep up with the group, but I also made every effort to help them along. And in they end, they said they really enjoyed the week and got a lot out of it.
One of the best take-homes from a good fiddle camp is oodles of inspiration and enthusiasm. And that alone can be worth every penny.
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
You mention the Ceilidh Trail School.... I am assuming you mean the one in Cape Breton? If you are going to be in CB over the summer and feel that the Ceilidh Trail school is a bit over your head, check out the Gaelic College. They have all kinds of classes from beginner to advance and everything in between. And it's not limited to just fiddling. There's step dance, piano accompianment, gaelic language, pipes etc.
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend also nurtures beginning fiddle players. Linda Danielson taught a beginner class there a couple of years ago, and they played for the dancers by the end of the week. Did a beautiful job, too. The camp fills up early, but maybe not as fast as Valley of the Moon. Big fun, excellent faculty.
You are probably going to be overwhelmed where ever you go, because that is the point. But so what? Pick one and go. You meet great people, learn so much, and get to find out just how long you can run on 2 hours of sleep and adult beverages.
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
I second fiddle tunes in Port Townsend. You can chose the workshops you want to go to each day (you're not locked into a schedule for the week) and there is an excellent tutoring staff that will do one-on-one as well as small group sessions. Finally, like Batlady says, you will meet great people and have lots of fun.
(PS - I heard that the Kane sisters will be there this year!)
Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Any recommendations for a fiddle camp, etc. for someone who has great passion for playing but only 1 year experience? The Ceilidh Trail School looks very interesting, but I'm afraid I'd waste my money from a learning POV due to inability to keep up. I can read music, learn by ear very slowly, and just barely keep pace with my local slow session. Perhaps I should wait another year?
TIA for any advice.
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by SunnySoCal
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Sunny, some fiddle camps have classes specifically for less experienced players. I know Linda Danielson has taught such a class at Valley of the Moon camp up by the Bay Area.
Most Irish fiddle camps tend to rely heavily on learning by ear, so it helps to be able to do this fairly competently. But maybe you can find a camp that teaches this skill.
I teach Irish fiddle at the Montana State Fiddle Camp, and I've had people with only 6 months on fiddle in my class. I suspect they worked harder than others to keep up with the group, but I also made every effort to help them along. And in they end, they said they really enjoyed the week and got a lot out of it.
One of the best take-homes from a good fiddle camp is oodles of inspiration and enthusiasm. And that alone can be worth every penny.
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
If you're a bad fiddle player, they send you off to the Fiddle Camps ...
and you never return. Fortunately there no camps here so I am safe
for now.
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by Hup
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
LOL, "fiddle gulag," eh?
Yeah, last June we were in snow and drinking vodka, might as well have been Siberia....
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by Miss Lonelyhearts
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
You mention the Ceilidh Trail School.... I am assuming you mean the one in Cape Breton? If you are going to be in CB over the summer and feel that the Ceilidh Trail school is a bit over your head, check out the Gaelic College. They have all kinds of classes from beginner to advance and everything in between. And it's not limited to just fiddling. There's step dance, piano accompianment, gaelic language, pipes etc.
http://gaeliccollege.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=38#disciplines
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by jsmith
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Are you looking for a short summer course? How about Willie Clancy Summer School in Milltown, in Clare?
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by RadagastTheBrown
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Tinto summer school
depends on age... here's the youtube vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H7AHeAb9lQ here's the website http://tintosummerschool.com/
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by WobblingFiddle
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend also nurtures beginning fiddle players. Linda Danielson taught a beginner class there a couple of years ago, and they played for the dancers by the end of the week. Did a beautiful job, too. The camp fills up early, but maybe not as fast as Valley of the Moon. Big fun, excellent faculty.
You are probably going to be overwhelmed where ever you go, because that is the point. But so what? Pick one and go. You meet great people, learn so much, and get to find out just how long you can run on 2 hours of sleep and adult beverages.
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by Batlady
Re: Fiddle Camps for Near-Beginners (1 yr experience)?
I second fiddle tunes in Port Townsend. You can chose the workshops you want to go to each day (you're not locked into a schedule for the week) and there is an excellent tutoring staff that will do one-on-one as well as small group sessions. Finally, like Batlady says, you will meet great people and have lots of fun.
(PS - I heard that the Kane sisters will be there this year!)
# Posted on April 28th 2009 by tacoman