Fiddle - Develop Your Skills
The next ten-week class begins in February, 2011
Instructor: Barrie McCombs, bmccombs@ucalgary.ca
Telephone: 289-4227

Chinook Learning Services - Music Classes
Chinook Learning Services is the adult education department of the Calgary Board of Education.  They offer a variety of music classes in the fall, winter and springs semesters.  For further information, visit their website.

Introduction
This class is designed for adults who have taken the "Fiddle - Get Started" class or have equivalent experience.  Prospective students should be able to play simple tunes in the keys of D, A and G.

Equipment
Students must own or rent their own instrument.  Rental information is available on the Chinook website.  A shoulder rest is recommended.  A “chromatic” electronic tuner (e.g. Korg CA-30) is suggested for tuning your fiddle and helping you play notes at the correct pitch.

Fiddle Music
Fiddle music is “fun music” and brings to mind images of kitchen parties, pub sessions and country dances, where the local musicians gather together to enjoy playing together and to entertain their neighbours.

Expectations
During the first lessons we will review each student’s musical expectations.  This will determine the tune selection in later classes.  If you wish to play the fiddle well, you must invest some time each week in practicing.

Tunes
In early lessons, you will learn some easy ballads, waltzes and slow airs.  In later lessons, we’ll add faster tunes like jigs, reels and polkas, with emphasis on tunes that are commonly played at local sessions.  Let the instructor know if there is a particular tune that you would like to learn during the class.

The Fiddle
You’ll learn how to hold the fiddle properly, without over-tiring your neck and shoulder muscles.  You’ll also learn the how to tune and care for the instrument and what to look for when purchasing a new fiddle.

The Bow
Bowing is what makes a fiddle tune come alive.  You’ll learn how to hold the bow correctly and how to play notes cleanly and clearly.  As your bowing improves, you’ll learn how to emphasize notes by moving your bow faster or slower.

Left Hand Fingering
It takes time and practice to learn exactly where to place the fingers on the strings to produce clear melodic notes.  You will learn to use your fingers and your ears together to produce music that both you and your listeners will enjoy.

Reading Music
You do not need to know how to read music.  The first tunes will be taught using fingering charts.  You will eventually want to learn tunes from sheet music, so we will devote a little time in each class to learning how to read music. 

Ear Training
Your ears are as important as your hands when playing the fiddle.  The early lessons will focus on training your fingers, but we’ll also do exercises to train your ears to listen to what you are playing.  We will teach some tunes “by ear” and discuss how to learn tunes by listening to recordings or other musicians.

Playing With Other Musicians
If you play another musical instrument, such as a guitar, mandolin or penny whistle, you are welcome to bring it to class.   Playing in a group with other instruments is a good way to improve your listening skills.  You’ll learn tricks for “faking it” when other musicians are playing a tune that is new to you.

Playing Alone
When you are learning a new instrument, it takes a while to develop the confidence to play in front of an audience.  We will  work on confidence-building exercises to help you prepare for solo or small group performances.

Amateur Night
At the end of each semester, all Chinook music classes get together to share what they have learned.  Each group plays two or three of their favorite tunes.  This is a great opportunity to meet other musicians and to learn about other Chinook music classes.