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Fiddle Workshops
""Chris is a brilliant and inspirational teacher, getting everyone playing in a completely fear-free environment and structuring his presentations very carefully so we were taken from the very simple to the- well- rather complex without ever losing us. "-John Shayler, European String Teacher's Association
"A huge thanks for...delivering your expert knowledge to us all down here in Wiltshire in such an interesting and informative way" - Karen Cannings, Wiltshire ESTA
"One of the best training days I have ever attended... the programme was exciting and refreshing and delivered with a balance of passion, authority and sensitivity, successfully embracing a mixed group of students and teachers uniting us into feeling like a band of folk and rock musicians for the day.”-Wiltshire ESTA
"I was at your Bluegrass Fiddle Workshop today, which was absolutely brilliant! I really really enjoyed it, and your explanation and history of the music was really helpful by putting it into context for me."- Grenville Horner, London Fiddle Convention
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I am an experienced leader of fiddle workshops. I have taught at the folk and traditional music course at Newcastle University, and at Middlesex and Brunel Universities, at Wigmore Hall and for Bedfordshire Music Services. I teach regulalry at the Hands On Fiddle weekends at Witney, at the London Fiddle Convention, and at the Fiddle Festival of Great Britain. I have also led workshops at the Brigg Fiddle Festival and Sidmouth folk festival. I give workshops at ESTA events (European String teachers' association) and at Schott, my publishers.
With seven fiddle books published so far, I have detailed knowledge of many aspects of fiddle playing, ranging from rock violin to jazz, klezmer, bluegrass. country fiddle, Irish fiddle and many other topics. Feel free to get in touch for more information on the workshops below, or if you are interested in booking me for an event.
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Sunday 7th Feb 2106, at Primrose Hill Community Centre,
29, Hopkinsons Place, Fitzroy Rd, London NW18TN. 2.30-5.30
Irish Fiddle workshop. An intermediate level workshop introducing polkas, jigs, reels and hornpipes, along with appropriate ornamentation and style.
2.30 to 5.30
To book contact Sheila@estastrings.org.uk
Costs: ESTA member £25; ESTA non member £35; ESTA Student member; £15; ESTA Student non member £25
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Sunday 14th Feb 2016; London Fiddle Convention
No need to book in advance. Tickets available on the day. I will be doing two workshops;
French Fiddle Tunes. 12.45-1.45 An introduction to the regional fiddle styles of France, and a look at some fascinating crooked and modal tunes from Alsace, the French Alps, and Brittany.
Gypsy Jazz. 2.00 till 3.00. An easy and practical approach to playing gypsy jazz violin, using simple scales and licks.
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Sunday 20th March 2016; Assembly Room, Devizes Town Hall, Wiltshire. 10.am till 4.30. Two workshops, each of two and a half hours, on folk fiddle and rock fiddle . Organized by Kandrcannings@aol.com, for ESTA. (European String Teachers Association). Open to all.
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26-30th April 2016. Ljubljana, Slovenia . ESTA European conference.
Lecture on "fiddling across Europe", and a workshop on Folk Fiddle. Details and times TBC.
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PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS:
Sunday 15th Feb 2015; London Fiddle Convention
No need to book in advance. Tickets available on the day
Klezmer fiddle workshop1 ; repertoire (intermediate) Storrow. 12.45-1.45pm In this workshop we will answer the question “what is klezmer?” and summarise the different types of tune which make up the repertoire. We will try, from sheet music, tunes including a freylekhs, bulgar, hora, nign, wedding march and sher.
Klezmer fiddle workshop 2; style and technique (intermediate /advanced) Bar. 2-3.00 pm In this workshop we will look at how to give a “Yiddish accent” to your playing. Ornaments include the krekhts, glissando, vibrato trill, ghost harmonics and double stops. We will look at intros and outros, the shout chorus, and how to play second fiddle. 2015;
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Friday 20th Feb 2015 ROCK VIOLIN WORKSHOP with Chris Haigh at Schott Music in central London.
It takes place at the Schott offices at 48, Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7BB between 6 and 9.00 pm.
It will be in two parts; the first simple and the second more advanced. The cost is £5, and this covers one or the other, or both parts. You don’t need to have the book to participate, but it will be available on the night at a special discounted price of £10.
For Full details and to book go HERE
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20th-26th April 2015; Klezmorimalta
I will be giving workhops on klezmer fiddle at Valetta in Malta. Details to be confirmed
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TWO WORKSHOPS AT THE ESTA SUMMER CONFERENCE IN CHELTENHAM IN AUGUST 2015
Thurs 13th August 2015 ; Chris Haigh Exploring klezmer fiddle workshop
Klezmer is the traditional dance music of the Jewish communities of eastern Europe. It is emotional and passionate music with an immediate attraction even for those with no experience or connection with the tradition.
In this workshop we will examine the repertoire of the klezmorim- the professional musicians who led a hand-to mouth existence performing for Jewish weddings in the shetls and ghettos of Russia, Bessarabia, Romania, Poland and Ukraine.
We will look at the modes or scales which make these tunes sound so exotic- the Ahava Raba, Mi Sheberakh, Adonoi Molokh, and Mogen Ovos, and show how they are used in the construction of melodies. Finally, we will try out the distinctive ornaments and techniques which give these tunes their distinctive Yiddish accent; krekhts, harmonics, drones and double stops, trills, grace notes, bends, slides and arpeggios.
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Thurs 13th August 2015 ; Chris Haigh Gypsy Jazz workshop
Jazz violin can be extremely intimidating for the outsider. The traditional approach to teaching jazz improvisation is to learn from the outset which scale or mode goes with each chord. Since the first 8 bars of your first tune may contain 8 or more chords, this strategy is enough to put many people off improvisation immediately and forever.
In this workshop we will look at a completely different approach, and one which will yield immediate results. Many jazz fiddlers, not least Stephane Grappelli, repeatedly call upon a repertoire of “licks” or “riffs”- short melodic patterns which can be adapted to suit any key or any melody.
We will look at one or two straightforward gypsy jazz “standards”, and show how sections of melody can be replaced at will by any one of these licks, and how a whole solo can be created from these simple building blocks. We will also try the simplest approach to improvisation without using licks- the major blues scale which can very easily deal with any of the chords used on a diatonic chord sequence.
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Friday 18th September 2015; Chris Haigh Klezmer violin workshop
Chris Haigh’s latest book, published by Schott, is “Exploring Klezmer Fiddle”. It looks at all the aspects of klezmer including the history, geography, repertoire, scales, techniques and ornamentation.
On Friday 18th September Chris presents a workshop based on music from the book. It takes place at the Schott offices at 48, Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7BB between 6 and 9.00 pm. It will be in two parts; the first basic and the second more a little more advanced. The cost is £5, and this covers one or the other, or both parts.
You don’t need to have the book to participate, but it will be available on the night at a special discounted price of £10.
Klezmer 1: (Intermediate). 6.00-7.15. In this workshop we will answer the question “what is klezmer?” and summarise the different types of tune which make up the repertoire. We will try, from sheet music, tunes including a freylekhs, bulgar, hora, nign, wedding march and sher.
Klezmer 2: (Intermediate to advanced). 7.30-9.00. In this workshop we will look at how to give a “Yiddish accent” to your playing. Ornaments include the krekhts, glissando, vibrato trill, ghost harmonics and double stops. We will look at intros and outros, the shout chorus, and how to play second fiddle.
For details and to book, contact Lana Thompson lana.thompson@schott-music.com
or go to Eventbrite;
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Chris Haigh is a London-based fiddle player, session musician and writer. He has played on over 70 albums, and worked with artists including All About Eve, Morcheeba, Alison Moyet, David Soul, Michael Ball and The Quireboys.
