For one week you can learn how to play fiddle in the Scottish style, but there are also courses for guitar, cello or bagpipes, and the fiddle style of Cape Breton. A lot of emphasis is placed on bowing and ornamentation in this course and several less familiar keys are played including E Major and G Minor. His native Orkney is naturally well represented in Mason’s work. A father plays second fiddle and his son double bass. “The Reel of Kildinguie” is the name of a well on Stronsay, reputed to cure the ills of those who drink its water. The school has served the Scottish fiddling community for the past 33 years in an intimate and peaceful setting in the … SC310900, How it all began for the SFO in Aberdeen in 1980, Blair speaks about the SFO 2020 Tour rescheduling, Postponement of The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra North American Tour 2020, SFO Concert analysed by half-time pundits, The Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, The Tam o’ Shanter and Cutty Sark Overture (one of John Mason’s longer compositions). After a strenuous night on the Fiddlers’ Express in July 1983, the orchestra were taken aback to arrive at their London hotel around midnight to find that newly-installed computerisation had made a shambles of their room reservations. The Advanced Scottish Fiddle Techniques course is for those who are fairly confident players who would like to improve their musicality. We support learning this style of music through scholarships to our annual workshop, and through free memberships with access to our music library, and open monthly meetings and music sessions. Similarly, other instruments are welcome in fiddle classes, but players are responsible for working out whatever compatibility issues they may encounter without placing undue demands on the … See more ideas about fiddle player, fiddler, violin players. Scotland has so many musicians, included many talented fiddle players and tutors. Originally from Tasmania, Australia, his family roots lie in Scotland with his forebears coming from Kirkhill near Inverness, Caithness, Kyle of Lochalsh, Ayrshire and Dumfries. When John was 12, his father was appointed Sheriff Clerk in Wigtown, where country dancing was popular but fiddle players were few. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra at the Music Hall, Aberdeen. However, sections of the orchestra have managed to respond to invitations to the Western and Northern Isles and, in 1981, farther afield to Texas. Nevertheless the orchestra was in fine musical form the next day at a concert in the Royal Albert Hall. When the Mod was held in Oban in 1970, George McHardy, the conductor, and Jessie MacLeod, the secretary of the Oban and Lorne Strathspey and Reel Society, had the idea of collecting all the competitors for a public concert in the Corran Hall on the Saturday evening. In 1967, John settled in Troon and in the Seventies he was invited to join the Kilmarnock Caledonian Strathspey and Reel Society by the late Willie McCulloch, a fiddle player and founder member of the society. Fiddlers choose one primary level, and may change this level during the school week. This is in keeping with the evolution of the Strathspey and Reel Societies. Virtuoso Scottish fiddle player. The progress of the annual “Fiddlers’ Express” from Glasgow to London sounds sedate by comparison unless you are one of the crowd of orchestra fans who make the journey every year, as much for the night-long feast of music on the train as for the concert in the Royal Albert Hall. Workshop: The club sponsors and organizes the annual Scottish Fiddle weekend workshop with Alasdair Fraser (fiddle) and Natalie Haas (cello) at Camp Casey, Whidbey Island, held in January, on Martin Luther King weekend. We swap tunes the way other people tell each other jokes or the latest news – ‘Have you heard this one?’ ‘What do you think of this – I picked it up from an old sailor?’ ‘My goodness, it’s years since I heard that one!’. The late Jimmy Thomas, also of that area, was the SFO’s first piano accompanist. This is the text of an article – “Fiddling for Scotland” – which appeared in the Scots Magazine in April 1987 (by Margaret Henderson). As the train pulls out, an impromptu band will be playing and it won’t be long before there are groups of musicians coming down the corridors and popping into compartments to play requests.”, A group enjoying the sun before the morning rehearsal at the Royal Albert Hall. A special video of unseen footage from some of Scotland's leading fiddle players including Catriona Macdonald, Paul Anderson, Graham Mackenzie, Lauren MacColl, John McCusker, Patsy Reid and Douglas Montgomery. You can find details about joining the SFO as a playing member here. Every year in August there is a Scottish Fiddle School on the Thompson Island close to Boston. Clearly, an Ayr and Prestwick Strathspey and Reel Society was needed, and its formation in 1972 gave John Mason an opportunity to develop his talents as a conductor. Born and brought up in Kirkwall, he was introduced to the fiddle at the age of seven by his uncle, John Muir. The Rev. John got together a dance band and spent his teenage years expanding his repertoire of old dance … Ryan Young's traditional Scottish fiddle playing will take you on … We also pick tunes or old sets to review throughout the session. Scottish fiddle player, singer and composer Isla Ratcliff is a Scottish fiddle player, singer and composer with a background in classical violin and piano. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra was less than a year old when first invited to play in the New Year on Radio Scotland’s Hogmanay Show on 31 December 1980. For their repertoire, they had the traditional tunes of anonymous composition and the work of the great fiddle composers of the 18th and 19th centuries – the Gows, William Marshall and Scott Skinner. The rest represent the whole spectrum of Scottish society – housewives, physicians, surgeons, a miner, crofters, a policeman, an architect, an accountant, a shepherd, a butcher, a banker. It was a great night and a super audience. Some of the best fiddle players in the Scottish tradition have been put together on this album - a real feast for fiddle fans. The family connections extend to the numerous spouses who help with the sale of records, copying music, looking after the music library and making travel arrangements. The cost of transporting an orchestra of this size inevitably restricts the SFO as far as touring beyond the mainland of Scotland is concerned. You don’t need any prior background with Scottish music or practice learning by ear. When he was studying law at Edinburgh University, he gained further musical experience with dance bands and groups in and around the city. after that the rest is history the bigger society’s claimed the title ? I clicked on the leg then, and he didn’t say another word.”. Selected now by audition, they are our largest amateur orchestra and the first permanent national orchestra in Scotland specialising in traditional fiddle music. Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music. Interested? Members have access to sheet music (through the website) so you can learn the music … Official website of Lauren MacColl - fiddle player with RANT, Salt House, Rachel Newton and Calum Stewart. On the website of the Scottish Fiddle School you can find lists with the tunes played every year as well as a compilation of sheet … Click on that day, and meeting location will be available there! John Turner is founder and director of the Jink & Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling, a two-week, four-session, resident summer programme for musicians of all ages, ability levels and styles who have an interest in preserving the traditions of Scottish fiddle music. The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra inspires that sort of fierce loyalty, though its more mature fans have, so far, managed to avoid Jason’s particular line in supportive action. However, with the growing recognition … The orchestra’s bagpiper spends most of his playing time in the first fiddles, his daughter is in the bass section, and his 13-year-old son, in the second fiddles, is the youngest member of the orchestra. They dances they played for were packed to the door of the new community hall and, at one of them, the density of the crowd that took to the floor for a rousing Highland Barn Dance led one of the fiddlers to remark that, from his viewpoint on the platform, the scene resembled “a pun o’ mince going round in a big pan.”, Travelling in Orkney involves much loading and unloading of luggage and instruments on inter-island ferries, At one concert, the local priest, Father MacLellan, was visibly moved when the orchestra struck up John Mason’s composition in his honour, “Callum MacLellan of Barra.”. The proceeds of all their concerts go to charity. “The Academician” is a polka written for the centenary celebrations of Ayr Academy. Senior citizens and teenagers give up their free time to practise and play; the rest of us make up the audience. This young Scottish musician has been hailed as one of the finest fiddle players in the country and is already making a huge impact on the traditional music scene. A number of our best-known performers have appeared with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra including. Adam was joined by Marc Clement on guitar and this recording was from a concert held in St Margarets, Braemar, during the 2018 North Atlantic Fiddle Convention. When the Coronavirus pandemic started, most musicians saw the bulk of their work disappear. Impoverished Scottish Highlanders, Gaelic-speaking descendants of the Celtic tribes who once roamed northwestern Scotland, flooded into Cape Breton in the early 19th century. The idea of a national fiddle orchestra was born at one of the rallies of massed fiddlers which had been part of the Gaelic mods since 1970. “We play in the dressing rooms, on coaches, in the train, in concert hall corridors, at the ceilidhs which follow all our concerts: everywhere. Founded in 2006, Northwest Scottish Fiddlers’ was founded by renown fiddler, Calum MacKinnon. Some are musicians by profession, teachers or students. Taught by the great Donald Riddell CBE, Bruce’s style encapsulates the finest points of Highland fiddle music – bold and rugged at times, lyrical and beautiful at others. It was worth coming to school today,” was the tribute from Jason’s more civilised neighbour, Melissa. Over the last few months many have started offering online teaching. They may audit other levels as long as they do not appreciably change the pace of those classes. Choose from 42 of the best local professional violin players. Glasgow based fiddle, bouzouki player and singer Malcolm Bushby is considered to be one of the UK’s finest folk musicians of his generation. Like some Scottish fiddlers (which tends to use a short bow and play in a more straight-ahead fashion), some Donegal fiddlers worked at imitating the sound of the highland pipes. Whether it's classical violin for a wedding ceremony or an electric violinist for a party we've got you covered! “You really are the greatest players in the world.”. The main collections of Scottish fiddle music are housed at The National Library of Scotland, The British Library, The University of Aberdeen, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Glasgow, The A. K. Bell Library (Perth), Dundee Public Library (Wighton Collection), and The Bodleian Library (University of Oxford, Harding Collection). “For me, an SFO concert is the ultimate,” he says. Twice winner of the Scottish National Fiddle Championship, he also began to notice the connection between speech patterns and musical expression, especially among Gaels and the Doric speaking players in the north-east, and incorporated this into his fiddle style. Among his many students are Aly Bain and Catriona Macdonald. “We are fortunate to have emerged at a time when Scottish traditional music is growing in status. April 1987] has 52 first and 43 second fiddles, 9 cellos, 11 double basses, 7 accordions, electric guitars, percussion, woodwind, piano and, for some performances, the concert harp. Scottish violinist Ryan Young was inspired to play the fiddle after seeing Aly Bain perform on the BBC Hogmanay show and subsequently by the playing of fiddler Eilidh Steel from Helensburgh. “Brenda’s Box” is dedicated to Brenda Maxwell, an accordionist from Stronsay, with whom touring members of the SFO have played many a tune. “Nellie Inkster’s Peedie Polka” is dedicated to his mother-in-law who has attended concerts as far away as London, though she lives on the island of Stronsay. On the right, waving to the camera, is SFO secretary Dr Gerry Crean, “It’s an addiction,” explains Gerry Crean, a consultant physician at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, who plays in the first fiddles and acts as the orchestra’s secretary. Aiden is now one of Scotlands finest musicians , very proud . The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra at the Music Hall, Aberdeen. Our mission is two-fold: To learn all styles of Scottish music, and to share (through sessions and our annual Whidbey Island workshop) traditional Scottish fiddle music. The proceeds of all their concerts go to charity. John is a lawyer in Troon. John Mason recalls stopping the bus as they were on their way from Kirkwall at the end of the tour. Now fiddle classes are part of musical education and in the last few years junior fiddle orchestras have been established. James Currie says, “From the first notes of our signature tune, ‘Fiddlers to the Fore’, to the final bars of ‘Caddam Wood’, with which we always finish, everyone is united, young and old, audience and players, in glorious sound.”. For this, somebody in the television world coined a new name: they called it a Fiddlers’ Rally. We are committed to accepting and supporting musicians of all ages from diverse ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds. Monthly Club Meetings: Learn new tunes by ear,  and jam with fellow fiddlers! He was one of a class of nine-year-olds who presented their letters of appreciation to the SFO musicians before they flew home. In the years since their inaugural concert at Aberdeen Music Hall on 22 March 1980, the SFO and its conductor and musical director, John Mason, brought to fiddle music a new respectability in its native land and, through their appearances and recordings, a wider public interest in this part of our national heritage than it has ever enjoyed. Soon, Strathspey and Reel Societies all over Scotland were organising their own rallies, more often than not including other instruments besides the fiddle. “If the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra continues to attract young people with the abilities and enthusiasm of those we have in the orchestra now, the popularity of Scottish fiddle music will be assured for many years into the future.”, lovely evening last night usher hall 13-6-20115, Thank you. The early Seventies fast pace on their way from Kirkwall at the end of Scottish! 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