Playing for dancing

Рет қаралды 1,899

2 жыл бұрын

Fiddlers often play for dancing, whether it's Contra Dance, Western Square dance, Irish Step Dance, Irish Set Dance, Ceili, Scottish Ceilidh, English Country Dance or Morris Dance. I look at all these dance traditions from the musician's point of view, and show how some understanding of the history , practise and context of the dance makes it easier to make a good job of accompaniment. I offer practical tips for the dance musician, and some suggestions for situations best avoided. I have played for everything from line dance to Riverdance, and know some of the disasters that lie in wait for the unwary fiddle player!
Below are details of further fiddle resources from Chris Haigh
1. Patreon
2. Books
3. Subscription video courses
4. Website
5. Email to request pdf’s.
1. PATREON
This is a platform where anyone can help support creative artists and get closer access to their work. You can join me on Patreon at three levels, for £4, £10 or £40 per month.

At the lowest level you get access to all my pdf’s and tune collections, plus many exclusive tuition videos not available to the public.
At level 2 you can join also me once a month for a group Zoom chat, and can request a backing rack once a month.
Level 3 gives you all the above plus a free lesson once a month, and access to all my backing tracks.
You can find me on Patreon at
/ thefiddlechannel
2. BOOKS
I have seven fiddle tuition books published by Schott, all widely available from the publisher, from Amazon, and many other outlets. All come with audio tracks illustrating the tunes and exercises.
Exploring Jazz Violin
Beginning Jazz Violin
Discovering Rock Violin
Exploring Folk Fiddle
Exploring Klezmer Fiddle
Hungarian Fiddle Tunes
French Fiddle Tunes
Exploring Country and Bluegrass Fiddle (due out October 2021)
You can order from
bit.ly/31ZWmgm
3. VIDEO SUBSCRIPTION COURSES
I have three video subscription courses
MUSIC GURUS- Exploring Jazz Violin. Based on my Schott book
Parts 1 and 2 are each £26 for 26 lessons, covering the first and second halves of the book
Part 1; tinyurl.com/49tfk5ef
Part 2 tinyurl.com/23atebfc
-MUSIC GURUS Discovering Rock Violin. . Based on my Schott book
£35 for 46 lessons
tinyurl.com/2ua2kuxh
ACADEMY OF FOLK
Includes a folk fiddle primer course, with introductions to basic techniques and concepts plus an Irish Fiddle Course and Scottish fiddle course. A monthly sub of $9.99 gives access to all lessons
academyoffolk.com/
4. WEBSITE
My website is probably the most extensive and detailed summary of fiddle styles on the web, as evidenced by the range of top hits on Google for many fiddle styles.
www.fiddlingaround.co.uk
________________________________________________________________________
TO REQUEST PDF’S, or ask any questions, CONTACT ME AT
haighchris@hotmail.com

Пікірлер: 13

@AntonBregolas 4 ай бұрын

Another possibly unintentional omission is the sean-nós dance - literally “the old way” of step dancing, particularly that of the western Irish region of Connemara. Sean-nós dancing has been undergoing a renaissance for quite some time, it’s hugely popular among the younger generation across Ireland and worldwide, counting some of the top musicians among its ranks. It is also the type of step dancing you’d most likely see in an informal setting in a pub these days. (This is true for both Ireland and some other countries where Irish music is played informally in pubs but maybe not Britain - you’d know better). Playing for the sean-nós dance, which at its core is an improvisational step dance made up of pre-learned combinations of steps, is a very different experience to that of the competition step dancing. Expressiveness is encouraged - even at some competitions - and the interaction between the dancer and the musician is at its tightest, directly proportional to the abilities of both. Unlike the formalised and the performance-type step dances, the sean-nós dance is all about the individuality of the dancer and no two great dancers are alike (unless they’re siblings or long-taught by the same person of course). Given its informal nature, the sean-nós step is not an unwelcome sight at some of the set-dancing ceilis and other such events although it’s probably most “at home” at intimate venues as opposed to huge halls. P.S.: A curious aside, there’s also such a thing as the old-style step dancing, referring to the Co. Kerry style of step dancing that notoriously became formalised as part of the Gaelic League drive for creating national dances. The old-style step dancing, while still not the same as the Connemara sean-nós, can be less uptight and more informal.

@josephcosmos2962 2 жыл бұрын

I had a great laugh when you were talking about fiddling for a dance competition. It brought up an old conversation I had while attending The Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop West Virginia. I was chewing the fat with an older guy who has previously played for the dance competition. In our conversation he explained what he had to do for the dance. And it sounded boring as hell. He had to play the same tune, with the same rhythm, the same tempo, the same ornaments and the same bow pattern for each dancer. WHAT! He said any variation in rhythm, tempo and bowing would be unfair for other dancers. To make the judging fair for each dancer his playing had to be monotonous! He said could you imagine playing a tune like Arkansas Traveler thirty some odd times the exact same way each time. I felt so bad for the guy, I let him have a pull from my flask. He then goes to say towards the end of the competition he was just praying for it to be over. He was playing outside in the heat and the humidity and was bored as hell. Like an answered prayer. During his umpteenth time playing Arkansas Traveler his fiddle blew apart. The neck slipped out of the neck joint, the end pin broke, the back plate broke loose and the whole fiddle broke when it hit the ground with him holding the neck and his bow. He laughed so hard at this point. Said he was heart broken he fiddle was finished but he was so glad to be done having to play for competition. They event organizers went and got another sucker. And he got to go home. He then pulls out a mason jar of Apple Pie moonshine lets me have a pull and says for the life of him, " I hope I never have to play for a dance competition ever again!" Even years later, he won't play Arkansas Traveler. I laughed so hard. And I never forgot talking to that guy. Thanks Chris for sparking this memory.

@TheFiddleChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Great story. Thanks Joseph!

@tullochgorum6323 Жыл бұрын

At folk festivals in Devon they have step dancing competitions, usually accompanied by a solo concertina or fiddle. Not only do they have to play precisely the same tune 30-40 times - they have to play with their back to the dancers so they won't favour people they know. This normally involves staring at the canvas of a marquee for hours on end. Whatever they are paid, it isn't enough...

@dalemcgregor3925 2 жыл бұрын

Good explanation Chris of many of the dance styles and how to navigate them One good tip the old time fiddlers taught us was to watch a couple of good dancers on the floor and match their tempo and lift.

@TheFiddleChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Good tip! That's basically what Chris Leslie told me about playing for Morris dancing.

@Channel-ke7vh 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Chris - a pleasure as ever to watch and listen to your engaging mix of history, humor, and musicological insight.

@TheFiddleChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@AntonBregolas 4 ай бұрын

Jaysus, Chris, you’re certainly filling up the vacuum of in-depth educational videos on traditional music on KZfaq! Great writing and delivery. A couple corrections for this one if you don’t mind. At 5:15 I believe you’re conflating the group/social set dances (as in, descendants of quadrilles) and solo step dances set to a particular tune of a particular length - which are also confusingly called set dances. All the names listed as internationally known are indeed step dances which are largely danced by step dancers at competitions or in concert settings and would rarely, if ever, be seen at set dancing ceilis (where dances in groups of eight - or 4 pairs of dancers - and a few other group dances and couple dances make up the bulk of the programme). A more appropriate list of well-known set dances could perhaps be sourced from Bill Lynch’s website. Broken down by the dominant tune type (which also depends on the region), I’d perhaps name the Sliabh Luachra, the West Kerry, the Borlin Valley and the Baile Bhúirne Polka Set as some of the most well-known “polka sets”, the Clare Lancers, the Caledonian, the Clare Plain, the Corofin Plain and the Connemara Reel Set as the popular “reel sets” and the Jenny Lind, the Televara and the Baile Bhúirne Jig Set as the oft-danced “jig sets” (despite the common name, the latter is danced exclusively to slides). Another popular jig dance at ceilis is Hurry the Jug though it’s more accurately referred to as a figure dance rather than a set. Some of the favourites at the ceilis I used to play for also included the fairly recently created the Antrim Square Set and the Dublin Set. Full disclosure: Not a dancer, but I played for the sets for just over 10 years while in Russia and we’re about to “revive” this tradition in the emigree community in Serbia (This is going to be fun). P.S.: Another potential confusion worth noting for the uninitiated watching this video is the “céilí dances” (a particular list of group dances formalised by the Gaelic League) vs. “céilí / ceili(s) / ceilidhe” (a dance party in general, both for set dancing or céilí dances). The thing is, as it currently stands, the vast majority of ceilis refer to set dancing parties (= quadrilles) while céilí dances (athletic and graceful formal dances in soft shoes) can more often be found in either formal events and competitions or particular regions such as Donegal where some of these dances are native to. Long story short, the Dance Hall Act didn’t work, it just sent the popular set dancing into “the underground” state for a while - but those dances were brought back in full force thanks to the sets revival of the last quarter of the 20th c.

@TheFiddleChannel 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Anton, for bringing clarity to the confusion!

@johntait491 2 жыл бұрын

Nice playing of "Spey in Spate" Chris. Playing for dances can be a lot of fun, but if there is a "puritan" amongst them, then the band's life can turn into hell. A strong and knowledgeable Dance Caller is required to state "the rules" to both parties, and subsequently avert and avoid the inevitable disasters, and mayhem. 😉