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Timetables and Tunes 2023
Tuesday 7pm Irish Class
Tunes for Irish Session Tuesday 8.00pm
Wednesday 5.30pm Beginners Class
Wednesday  6.30pm Improvers Class
Tunes for Steady Session Wednesday 8.00pm
 
 
A-Z Tunes  Substantial Resource of Recordings and Visual Aids
 
 
  Beginners Advice  Help and Tunes
 
 
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Back to Beginners Help Index Page
Beginners First Tunes
Contact Jill - jillyelliot@gmail.com and come along to a group for a free taster session.  Complete beginners class is Wednesday evening at 5.30pm, and the follow-on Slow and Steady class is on Wednesday at 6.30pm.  Play tunes we are learning at the session on Wednesday evenings at 8.00pm
Welcome to learning a musical instrument !  This page will help you to get started with playing and develop effective listening skills.  

To play music, you must be able to use your ears and not your eyes!  It is important to relate the sound of what you hear when playing, to the sound you wish to hear and that is what I can help you with in the classes.  

Visual aids can be useful for some and learning to read sheet music is another useful skill - but don't confuse the ability to read with the ability to play - reading from a page will hinder creativity and lessen the pleasure interpreting a tune.
Bonding in a group with others in the same learning situation happens quickly - even via zoom, and is more fun than learning just on your own.  There is always a progression with "fiddlelessons" and some players have been coming along for nearly 25 years!  Some of the new musicians we welcome weren't even born then!!   
Group members have access to hundreds of tunes with recordings to play along with.  These resources are found on the A-Z Tunes page which is accessed via your username and password. There are special slower recordings for beginners to play along with.

The Introductory Fee for 5 classes plus access to all the resources for a year is £50.  Thereafter the fee is £10 per week for any classes or sessions you attend in that week.  Only pay in weeks you attend.  

You are welcome to come along for a free taster session - the zoom code is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88960263597?pwd=QnM5U2ZiU0tnVkhNNXBkTDczSDBUdz09 and the Passcode is 545084

 

Click here for tunes learned at the Falfield beginners group (to March 2020) 

Click here for tunes learned at Yew Tree Cottage Wednesday beginners group (to March 2020)

Click here for Thursday morning beginners class September-November 2020
Click here for complete beginners classes timetable - or simply click on the link in the left column for Wednesday Beginners

  

KEY

1.Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises and join in 3. Try to play the whole tune with sol fiddle play along with fiddle and guitar Visual aid for exercise see all exercises  fiddle tab for simplified tune manuscript for simplified tune

 

It is essential to listen to the recording of the tune and sing along to it.

Exercises - You must be able to sing each exercise phrase before trying to play it.

Try to sing the tune out loud or in your head as you play it, as it will help you find the right notes.

 

See below for a few exercises, then access the A-Z page for other tunes we will learn.
Sometimes a dance has its own specific tune which is played throughout the dance.  At other times we play tunes in sets of 2, 3 or 4 tunes one after the other, each being repeated a certain number of times. 

When using the main "Tunes A-Z Index" go to the column to find out the tunes we play together in a set.
Tune 1 Tune 2 Tune 3 Tune 4
Astley's Ride D Davy Davy Nick Nack  Rochdale Coconut em  
Uncle Bernard's D Winster Gallop G Tip Top Polka D Rakes of Mallow G
Seven Stars D      
Buttered Peas G      
Bear Dance em      

 

Astley's Ride D

1. Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises then play them by ear  Visual aid for exercises 3. Try to play the whole tune - very slow recording Visual Aids
see all exercises  fiddle tab manuscript for simplified tune
Ex 1 Ex 1
Ex 2 Ex 2
Ex 3 Ex 3

Bear Dance

Slow Recording - 4 beats to start  Fiddle Tab Quiz - Fill in the missing notes  Play along using first finger on D string, open A string or open G
 

Buttered Peas

Davy Davy Nick Nack

1. Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises then play them by ear Visual aid for exercises 3. Try to play the whole tune - very slow recording Visual Aids
see all exercises fiddle tab manuscript for simplified tune
Ex 1 Ex 1

1st half extremely slow

2nd half  faster than first half 

exercises 1-4

exercises 5-7
Ex 2 Ex 2
Ex 3 Ex 3
Ex 4 Ex 4
Ex 5 Ex 5
Ex 6 Ex 6
Ex 7 Ex 7

Rakes of Mallow

1. Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises then play them by ear Visual aid for exercises 3. Try to play the whole tune - very slow recording Visual Aids
see all exercises fiddle tab manuscript for tune
Ex 1 Ex 1

Simplified

Slow recording with scales 

exercises 1-3  simplified version

exercises 4-6 with scales

simplified version

version with scales

  

version with scales
Ex 2 Ex 2
Ex 3 Ex 3
Ex 4 Ex 4
Ex 5 Ex 5
Ex 6 Ex 6

Rochdale Coconut Dance

1. Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises then play them by ear Visual aid for exercises 3. Try to play the whole tune - very slow recording Visual Aids
see all exercises fiddle tab manuscript for simplified tune
Ex 1 Ex 1

1st half very slow

2nd half  very slow 

exercises 1-3

exercises 4-7
Ex 2 Ex 2
Ex 3 Ex 3
Ex 4 Ex 4
Ex 5 Ex 5
Ex 6 Ex 6
Ex 7 Ex 7

Seven Stars

1. Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises then play them by ear Visual aid for exercises 3. Try to play the whole tune - very slow recording Visual Aids
see all exercises fiddle tab manuscript for  tune
Ex 1 Ex 1  

 

 

exercises 1-3

exercises 4-6
Ex 2 Ex 2
Ex 3 Ex 3
Ex 4 Ex 4
Ex 5 Ex 5
Ex 6 Ex 6
 

Tip Top Polka

1. Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises then play them by ear Visual aid for exercises 3. Try to play the whole tune - very slow recording Visual Aids
see all exercises fiddle tab manuscript for simplified tune

 

simplified version for beginners

 Ex 1 Ex 1  

 

 

 

exercises 1-3

exercises 4a-5

exercises 6-7
Ex 2 Ex 2
Ex 3 Ex 3

Ex 4a

Ex 4a
Ex 4b Ex 4b
Ex 5 Ex 5
Ex 6 Ex 6
Ex 7 Ex 7

Uncle Bernard's D

1. Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises then play them by ear Visual aid for exercises 3. Try to play the whole tune - very slow recording Visual Aids
see all exercises fiddle tab manuscript for simplified tune
Ex 1 Ex 1
Ex 2 Ex 2
Ex 3 Ex 3
Ex 4 Ex 4

Winster Gallop

1. Listen first to the music 2. Listen to the exercises then play them by ear Visual aid for exercises 3. Try to play the whole tune - very slow recording Visual Aids
see all exercises fiddle tab manuscript for simplified tune
Ex 1 Ex 1  

 

 

 

 

 

exercises 1-3

exercises 4 -5
Ex 2 Ex 2
Ex 3 Ex 3
Ex 4 Ex 4
Ex 5 Ex 5