Fiddle - Get Started
The next ten-week class begins on Thursday, October 05, 2010
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 to help you learn to play the fiddle, even with no previous musical experience.  You will learn the basic fingering and bowing skills used in all styles of fiddle music.   You will then sharpen those skills by learning simple, folk tunes in the keys of A, D, and G.  You will also learn a few popular fiddle tunes, such as waltzes, jigs and reels. Handout materials and a play-along CD-ROM are included.

The Class
This class is designed for students who have never before played the fiddle and who do not yet know how to read music.  Students with previous experience will have an opportunity to improve their skills using the same exercises as the beginners.  The first lesson is an overview of basic skills and includes playing your first simple tunes.  Later lessons cover the skills in more depth and add new tunes appropriate to current skill levels.

Equipment
A "fiddle" and a "violin" are the same instrument.  The terms refer to the style of music being played.  Students must own or rent their own instrument.  Rental information is available on the Chinook website.  A shoulder rest is highly recommended.  A “chromatic” electronic tuner, such as a Korg CA-30, is useful 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 lesson, 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 should expect to invest some time in practicing each week.

Tunes
We start with simple well-known folk tunes, like “Hot Cross Buns”, “Au Clair de la Lune”, “Mary Had A Little Lamb” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.  If you already know the tune, it makes it much easier to play, as your ears will tell you if a note sounds right or wrong.  As your skills develop, we’ll add easy songs, waltzes and slow airs.  In later lessons, we’ll introduce 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 clear, melodic notes.  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 notes.  You will learn to use your fingers and your ears together to make music that both you and your listeners will enjoy.

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

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

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 some classes.   Playing in a group with other instruments is a good way to improve your listening skills.

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’ll work on confidence-building exercises to help you prepare for solo performances.

Amateur Night
At the end of each semester, all the Chinook music classes get together for a concert 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 music classes.