I'd like to go to Swannaoa this year, but I'm wondering how much one can get out of the classes - apart from lots of fun, of course. Could some people who've been there in previous years share their experience? I'm particularly interested in the fiddle classes.
What's the format of the classes? Do they teach more tunes or more technique? Or does this depend on the individual teacher? How much attention does the individual student get in a class of 15? Do you feel the week really helped you improve?
My impression from the fiddlers I've talked with at camp is that there's a lot of variation among the instructors as to the relative emphasis placed on tunes vs. technique. With a bit of digging, I'm sure you could communicate with instructors you're most interested in working with to see what approach they take. You probably already know this, but what makes someone a great fiddler doesn't necessarily make them a great teacher.
As for individual attention, I'm not sure how much you can realistically expect in classes of 15-20 people. In the guitar class last year (which was > 15), Johh Doyle would demonstrate something, and then you'd practice it while he went around to each student and listened to what you were doing. He'd offer pointers and correct you, but it would easily take him 15-20 minutes to work his way around the class.
The nice thing about Swannanoa is how approachable people are outside of class. It'd be a bit much to expect to get a private lesson while you're there (they work the staff pretty hard in terms of things they have them doing over and above classes), but I've yet to meet anyone in the two years I've gone who wasn't very generous with his/her time outside of class.
The major thing I've gotten from Swannanoa (in addition to making new friends and playing with new folks) is that I come away from camp with a better understanding of what I need to do and work on to improve as a player. The craic is good, and there's not a lot of "attitude" on the part of the faculty or students.
I've been there twice, the first time for dulcimer instruction with Ken Kolodner, the second time a few years ago for Uilleann pipes instruction with Kieran O'Hare. Its a wonderful place to spend a week, and the sessions go all night. I've been very pleased with the quality of the instruction I've received there, but you probably want to contact the instructors directly and ask them specifically how they teach their class and see if its a match for what you are looking for. I really like staying on Campus, the location is gorgeous, the food at the cafeteria excellent, and I always regret having to go home at the end of the week. John Doyle lives there in Asheville, stopped by to play in the sessions last time I was there... Pretty amazing, John Doyle, Tommy Peoples, Liz Carrol, and Kieran O'Hare sitting on a wall in the dark playing tune after tune.
This will be my third year at Guitar Camp. A newly created Fiddle Week is planned during the same week in the summer and my presumption is that in addition to the excellent instruction Swannanoa provides, there will be ample opportunities for jams late into the evening/wee hours and there will be plenty of guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle players to pull together a decent session each and every evening.
I can't tell you that you will leave Swannanoa a more skilled player, but speaking from myself experience, you will leave more inspired. It is a week long immersion into music that we adults (with day jobs) rarely have a chance to indulge in. The vibe is outstanding, egos are checked at the door, excellent players abound and as I read the Fiddler's classes, there is only one beginner class and most are intermediate or advanced. Bring some extra rosin and an extra bow -- you'll be busy playing.
The Celtic Week is another option for Swannanoa (I ahve not attended) -- I assume there will be fiddle classes that week as well. My impression from the catalog is that Fiddle Week might be far more concentrated for fiddle players (Scottish, Irish, Old-Time fiddle classes).
/tim alexander/
If you attend Fiddle Week, look me up -- I play guitar and have learned quite a few of the tunes on my tunelist for this expressed purpose -- celtic/trad jams at Swannanoa.
I have attended Swannanoa twice and it has been and continues to be one of the most inspiring experiences of my musical life. I am dominantly a fiddle player and classes with Calum MacKinnon are fantastic. He teaches very carefully in class and then is willing to spend additional out of class time with students who ask. If you are interested in harp, Billy Jackson's gentle and very outstanding classes (which I took because I originally signed up to late to take a fiddle class) inspired me to buy a harp and begin learning. I still keep in contact with many of the teachers and fellow students that I met at Swannanoa. I have never seen a more supportive environment for learning traditional music.
I went to Celtic Week in 2002 and from my experience, the answer to whether or not you will get anything from the classes depends on the instructor and your ability to make a connection to what they are doing. I found Tommy Peoples fascinating to watch and listen to, but I didn't get a tune out of it or much that would help my playing because he is so far advanced in his technique and I wasn't at that level. Now, even after 7 years of playing, I feel that I am a fairly competent player, but I still wouldn't get it...I just enjoy listening and watching to him. He's also very soft spoken and very difficult to hear and understand.
They assign you to classes and it's a bit too formal for me. I would have like to have had the fiddle teachers all at different times where I could pop in on any class. I missed Liz Carroll altogether and was very disappointed about that. Seamus Connolly's demeanor didn't sit well with me (while others just love him), so I didn't get much from his class either.
The best instruction I have ever received has been from Willie Clancy week in Miltown Malbay from James Kelly, Oisin Macdiarmada, Mick Conneely and Ben Lennon. Both James and Oisin were the best instructors I've had thus far, because of their teaching styles. They explain how to do things and I 'get' what they are saying. It really comes down to a dynamic between you and the teacher.
The other place I go is Lark Camp in Mendocino. It's camping at its best! A loosely structured camp where you check out the board for where the classes are and choose to attend all, some or none, and then there are happy hour jams and dances in two different parts of the redwoods. The variety of music is incredible and if you get tired of dum ta didely you can mellow out at middle eastern camp and watch the belly dancers, or head over to French camp and fill up on hurdy-gurdy sounds. The teachers there are wonderful as well. Maire Egan is a great teacher! She appeared last year and gave excellent understandable instruction on the fiddle. Athena is also a wonderful teacher, full of energy and knowledge, which she easily shares.
Swannanoa is a beautiful area and the dances are the best contras I've ever attended. Having John Doyle there is a pleasure and if LIz is back this year, you should definitely check out her class.
Swannanoa Gathering
Swannanoa Gathering
I'd like to go to Swannaoa this year, but I'm wondering how much one can get out of the classes - apart from lots of fun, of course. Could some people who've been there in previous years share their experience? I'm particularly interested in the fiddle classes.
What's the format of the classes? Do they teach more tunes or more technique? Or does this depend on the individual teacher? How much attention does the individual student get in a class of 15? Do you feel the week really helped you improve?
# Posted on March 23rd 2005 by heike
Re: Swannanoa Gathering
Heike,
My impression from the fiddlers I've talked with at camp is that there's a lot of variation among the instructors as to the relative emphasis placed on tunes vs. technique. With a bit of digging, I'm sure you could communicate with instructors you're most interested in working with to see what approach they take. You probably already know this, but what makes someone a great fiddler doesn't necessarily make them a great teacher.
As for individual attention, I'm not sure how much you can realistically expect in classes of 15-20 people. In the guitar class last year (which was > 15), Johh Doyle would demonstrate something, and then you'd practice it while he went around to each student and listened to what you were doing. He'd offer pointers and correct you, but it would easily take him 15-20 minutes to work his way around the class.
The nice thing about Swannanoa is how approachable people are outside of class. It'd be a bit much to expect to get a private lesson while you're there (they work the staff pretty hard in terms of things they have them doing over and above classes), but I've yet to meet anyone in the two years I've gone who wasn't very generous with his/her time outside of class.
The major thing I've gotten from Swannanoa (in addition to making new friends and playing with new folks) is that I come away from camp with a better understanding of what I need to do and work on to improve as a player. The craic is good, and there's not a lot of "attitude" on the part of the faculty or students.
Cheers,
Jeff
# Posted on March 23rd 2005 by jeff_willner
Re: Swannanoa Gathering
Hi Heike!
I've been there twice, the first time for dulcimer instruction with Ken Kolodner, the second time a few years ago for Uilleann pipes instruction with Kieran O'Hare. Its a wonderful place to spend a week, and the sessions go all night. I've been very pleased with the quality of the instruction I've received there, but you probably want to contact the instructors directly and ask them specifically how they teach their class and see if its a match for what you are looking for. I really like staying on Campus, the location is gorgeous, the food at the cafeteria excellent, and I always regret having to go home at the end of the week. John Doyle lives there in Asheville, stopped by to play in the sessions last time I was there... Pretty amazing, John Doyle, Tommy Peoples, Liz Carrol, and Kieran O'Hare sitting on a wall in the dark playing tune after tune.
Cheers,
Michael
# Posted on March 25th 2005 by Michael Eskin
Re: Swannanoa Gathering
This will be my third year at Guitar Camp. A newly created Fiddle Week is planned during the same week in the summer and my presumption is that in addition to the excellent instruction Swannanoa provides, there will be ample opportunities for jams late into the evening/wee hours and there will be plenty of guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle players to pull together a decent session each and every evening.
I can't tell you that you will leave Swannanoa a more skilled player, but speaking from myself experience, you will leave more inspired. It is a week long immersion into music that we adults (with day jobs) rarely have a chance to indulge in. The vibe is outstanding, egos are checked at the door, excellent players abound and as I read the Fiddler's classes, there is only one beginner class and most are intermediate or advanced. Bring some extra rosin and an extra bow -- you'll be busy playing.
The Celtic Week is another option for Swannanoa (I ahve not attended) -- I assume there will be fiddle classes that week as well. My impression from the catalog is that Fiddle Week might be far more concentrated for fiddle players (Scottish, Irish, Old-Time fiddle classes).
/tim alexander/
If you attend Fiddle Week, look me up -- I play guitar and have learned quite a few of the tunes on my tunelist for this expressed purpose -- celtic/trad jams at Swannanoa.
# Posted on March 25th 2005 by TCA_ASS
Re: Swannanoa Gathering
I have attended Swannanoa twice and it has been and continues to be one of the most inspiring experiences of my musical life. I am dominantly a fiddle player and classes with Calum MacKinnon are fantastic. He teaches very carefully in class and then is willing to spend additional out of class time with students who ask. If you are interested in harp, Billy Jackson's gentle and very outstanding classes (which I took because I originally signed up to late to take a fiddle class) inspired me to buy a harp and begin learning. I still keep in contact with many of the teachers and fellow students that I met at Swannanoa. I have never seen a more supportive environment for learning traditional music.
# Posted on March 26th 2005 by esfiddle
Re: Swannanoa Gathering
I went to Celtic Week in 2002 and from my experience, the answer to whether or not you will get anything from the classes depends on the instructor and your ability to make a connection to what they are doing. I found Tommy Peoples fascinating to watch and listen to, but I didn't get a tune out of it or much that would help my playing because he is so far advanced in his technique and I wasn't at that level. Now, even after 7 years of playing, I feel that I am a fairly competent player, but I still wouldn't get it...I just enjoy listening and watching to him. He's also very soft spoken and very difficult to hear and understand.
They assign you to classes and it's a bit too formal for me. I would have like to have had the fiddle teachers all at different times where I could pop in on any class. I missed Liz Carroll altogether and was very disappointed about that. Seamus Connolly's demeanor didn't sit well with me (while others just love him), so I didn't get much from his class either.
The best instruction I have ever received has been from Willie Clancy week in Miltown Malbay from James Kelly, Oisin Macdiarmada, Mick Conneely and Ben Lennon. Both James and Oisin were the best instructors I've had thus far, because of their teaching styles. They explain how to do things and I 'get' what they are saying. It really comes down to a dynamic between you and the teacher.
The other place I go is Lark Camp in Mendocino. It's camping at its best! A loosely structured camp where you check out the board for where the classes are and choose to attend all, some or none, and then there are happy hour jams and dances in two different parts of the redwoods. The variety of music is incredible and if you get tired of dum ta didely you can mellow out at middle eastern camp and watch the belly dancers, or head over to French camp and fill up on hurdy-gurdy sounds. The teachers there are wonderful as well. Maire Egan is a great teacher! She appeared last year and gave excellent understandable instruction on the fiddle. Athena is also a wonderful teacher, full of energy and knowledge, which she easily shares.
Swannanoa is a beautiful area and the dances are the best contras I've ever attended. Having John Doyle there is a pleasure and if LIz is back this year, you should definitely check out her class.
From another perspective...
# Posted on March 27th 2005 by banjobabe