Pipe music workshop for any instrument

Subject: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 04:54 AM

Vicki Swan's Scottish smallpipes workshop at the Lewes Saturday Folk Club on Saturday 14th. November is now open to any instrument, and the music is ready to be sent out by email. The workshop will cover piping styles and how to adapt the characteristics of smallpipes music to other instruments. There will be the opportunity to try some harmony arrangements (duets and trios) and detailed advice about the use and production of gracenotes in pipe music. Full details and a booking form follow my signature. In the evening Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer perform at the Lewes Saturday Folk Club.

If you would like to look at the music in advance before making a decision, please contact me (allowing for the fact that tomorrow is Bonfire Night) either by phone on 01273 476757 or home email: valmaigoodyear at aol dot com.

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Lewes Saturday Folk Club Workshop No 119

VICKI SWAN WORKSHOP: SMALLPIPES MUSIC FOR ANY INSTRUMENT
Saturday 14th. November 2009
10.45 a.m.- 4.45 p.m. Places £25
Elephant & Castle White Hill Lewes BN7 2DJ UK    www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/
                  
            Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer are young performers currently taking the folk world by storm. They both sing. Vicki plays Scottish Smallpipes, Swedish nyckelharpa, flute & electric double bass; Jonny plays guitar, accordion & low whistle. They play British traditional, Swedish & new music.

Vicki has a Royal College of Music degree & is a much-respected smallpiper who has studied under Hamish Moore, Davie Taylor & Gary West. The workshop has now been extended to all instruments and will cover piping styles & repertoire, playing together in harmony (duets & trios) & also a gracenotes surgery. The music is now ready to be sent by email.

IN THE EVENING VICKI SWAN & JONNY DYER PERFORM AT THE ELEPHANT & CASTLE (admission £6; advance tickets available from address at end of this form)

Provisional Timetable

10.45   Registration & coffee; order lunch (refreshments not included)
11.00   Characteristic styles, tuning, bellows technique, posture, hand position & practice technique.
12.30   Lunch
13.30   Playing together in harmony, duets & trios.
15.00   Tea/coffee break
15.15   A gracenotes surgery covering their use & how to select which to use.
16.45   Finish

N.B. Booking is recommended as numbers are limited. Music will be sent in advance & maps & accommodation lists on request.

VICKI SWAN SMALLPIPES WORKSHOP

Saturday 14th. November 2009

BOOKING FORM

I would like to attend the workshop. I enclose a cheque for £25.00 for workshop fees (refreshments not included).



Name:



Address:









Telephone:



E-mail address:



Tick for map:       Tick for accommodation list:



No. of tickets for evening performance:

(£6 each, include SAE for these)





Please make cheques payable to Lewes Arms Folk Club (that's right) and send with this booking form to:

Valmai Goodyear, 20, St. John's Terrace, LEWES, East Sussex BN7 2DL

Tel. [phone]

www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 04:09 AM

N.B. For non-pipers: music will be available in more user-friendly keys than the piper's normal key of A, which wouldn't be a problem to fiddles and English concertinas but could cause some distress among Anglo and melodeon players.

Again, I'm heavily involved today in setting fire to things and blowing them up, so you might not get a great deal of sense out of me until tomorrow.

Valmai

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 06 Nov 09 - 06:50 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 07:50 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 09 Nov 09 - 01:24 PM

We've now got an interesting mix of instruments coming to the workshop including English concertinas, Northumbrian pipes, flute, whistle, fiddle and possibly a recorder.

Valmai

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 06:28 AM

Last night at Concertinas Anonymous we tried out a couple of Vicki's two and three-part arrangements for the workshop on Anglo and English concertinas (Dusty Pipes and Lullaby for the Sleepy).

The harmonies are very exciting and rich in modal thrills, being dictated by the range of the pipes. We're in for a good day on Saturday.

Valmai

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 04:19 AM

It looks as if we may be getting a serpent as well.

Valmai

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Will Fly
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 05:46 AM

Valmai - I hope it's a great day. I have an evening gig to do on Saturday and some other musical stuff before that, so can't - regretfully - make it. At any rate, you're spared a tenor guitar and mandolin butting in!

When are you starting to take bookings for Ben Paley's fiddle workshop next year? That's a must, as far as I'm concerned.

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 06:26 AM

We start taking formal bookings for any workshop about four months in advance, but I keep an Interested list from the moment it's announced. People on the Interested list get first crack at booking. I'll put you down for Ben. (So to speak.)

Valmai

Subject: RE: Pipe music workshop for any instrument
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 08:22 AM

Vicki & Jonny's workshop was a cracker. As well as playing formal duet and trio arrangements of pipe tunes, they had us working up little snatches of harmony and counter-rythms to a common repertoire tune picked at random (Captain Leno's Quick March, but not in the usual key).

We all had a go on the variety of bagpipes they'd brought with them; my already considerable respect for pipers increased dramatically as I found myself completely incapable of co-ordinating pumping with one arm, squeezing with the other, and waggling the fingers about on the chanter. How do they manage to march while playing? Or even breathe? Next time you think about starting a conversation with a piper who's piping on the grounds that he isn't using his mouth for anything, bear in mind that only his immense self-control stands between you and the kick in the nadgers you so richly deserve.

We had a go on the magical nyckelharpa, as well ... I want one ... but my poor neighbour would probably shoot himself, if he didn't pause for thought first and shoot me instead.

Jonny also got us writing a dance tune to a formula - something which everyone present managed in a matter of minutes, with quite passable results. It's the sort of thing you occasionally think about doing if you've had a bit of inspiration, but using the formula in the absence of inspiration somehow gets the juices flowing and the ideas begin to develop under the fingers and on the page. Several of us will probably be putting in further work on the tunes we produced and releasing them experimentally into the wild.

I thoroughly recommend Vicki and Jonny as stimulating, creative and informative workshop leaders.