Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle School

Very Beginners may have never played a violin before. They may be any age. They may or may not be acquainted with another instrument. They may or may not know lots of tunes in their head or on another instrument. This course is limited to 2-3 Very Beginners. In this course they will probably learn the A Major Scale and one or two very easy tunes in A, along with some rudiments of playing the violin. Most of the other fiddlers at camp will know or review these tunes, so the Very Beginners will always have someone to play with them and help them out outside of class.

Beginners have a few rudiments. They probably know the A Major Scale and possibly also the D Major Scale, their Triads, and the names of the notes on the D, A and E strings. They know how to bow down and up, and two-to-a-bow. They may know a few easy classical or folk tunes, or a few Scottish tunes such as Scotland the Brave, Lovat Scouts, Morag of Dunvegan, the 79th's Farewell to Aberdeen. The can probably learn a 1-bar phrase by ear with explanation and repetition, and remember it the next after after class review. In this course they will probably learn two or three easy session tunes at a very moderate tempo. Most of the other fiddlers at camp will know or review these tunes, so the Beginners will always have someone to play with them and help them out outside of class.

Intermediate I fiddlers probably know one-octave scales, broken 3rds and arpeggios in A, D, G and A minor, the two-octave scale in G, the names of the notes on all four strings, and have some familiarity with some basic bowing patterns. They can probably play about a dozen session tunes (or their equivalent in Classical or another folk tradition) slowly, such as Mrs MacLeod, Stool of Repentance, Fairy Dance, Spootiskerry, Captain Campbell. They can probably learn a 1-bar phrase by ear with repetition only, or a 2-bar phrase with explanation and repetition, and remember them the next day after class review. At camp they will probably learn/review one or two session tunes and one "new" (traditional or modern) tune, played slowly, from each teacher. The Intermediate II and Advanced fiddlers at camp will know or learn these tunes, so the Intermediate Is will have someone to play with them and help them out outside of class.

Intermediate II fiddlers have had two-octave scales, broken 3rds and arpeggios in the above keys and C, D minor, E minor and F. They are used to applying their own bowings and grace notes to tunes. They probably have a pretty good repertoire of most of the session tunes and some lesser-known traditional and modern Scottish tunes (or their equivalent in Classical or another folk tradition), played a bit below dance tempo. They can probably learn a 2-bar phrase with repetition, and a 4-bar phrase with explanation and repetition, and remember them the next day after class review. In this course they will probably learn 2-3 session tunes and 2-3 new (traditional or modern) tunes from each teacher during the week. The Advanced fiddlers at camp will know or review/learn these tunes, so the Intermediate IIs will have someone to play with them and help them out outside of class. Intermediate IIs might seek out fiddlers at lower levels and help them out.

Advanced fiddlers know 2-3-octave scales, broken 3rds and arpeggios in the above keys plus E, B minor, G minor, Bb, Eb. They have some familiarity with upper positions, and are comfortable with a variety of bowing patterns and grace notes. They probably have a wide repertoire of session tunes and less-familiar traditional and modern tunes, played at "session speed," and have some experience in combining tunes into sets. They can probably learn a 4-bar phrase after a few repetitions, and remember it after reviewing on their own after class. At camp they will probably review some of the camp session tunes taught at other levels, and will learn about one new (traditional or modern) tune per day from each teacher. Advanced players will probably be very helpful to fiddlers at other levels in learning and reviewing tunes at slower speeds.

All fiddlers are welcome to audit any of the fiddle courses, above or below their fiddle level. They should take care to not substantially speed or slow the level of the audited class. For those fiddlers "between" levels, or having strong points in more than one level, the teachers of each class can give some guidance; teaching styles differ among teachers and it's possible that fiddlers would attend more than one class level during the course of the week, depending on the material presented.

Other instrumentalists may audit the fiddle courses, and join in as appropriate and suggested by the teacher. And fiddlers are welcome to try the other instrumental courses after consultation with the teachers.

For some ideas of the common session tunes in the Boston area, go to the Tunes 03-07 page. In the northeastern U.S., musicians interested in Scottish music are encouraged to attend Lance Ramshaw's Slow Sessions, the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club, the New Hampshire Strathspey and Reel Society, the Gaelic Club, the Cameron Ensemble, various workshops and concerts, and/or find some kindred souls and create your own purpose-built sessions. A calendar of some of these activities can be found on Barbara McOwen's Events page, and/or links to these and others on the Links page. These can both prepare you for camp, and give you a place to play your beautiful shiny new tunes after camp.

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