Classes

NEFS 2025 Block 1: Jan/Feb 2025

2025 Block 1 Online will run from Wednesday 15th January to 12th February. We are delighted that Grace Smith will be teaching again alongside Stewart on Zoom, and we will have an in-depth video tutorial from both Grace and Stewart.

The Online block runs for five weeks with Zoom calls live on Wednesday evenings, which are also available as recordings on-demand, and video tutorials are published weekly for you to work through at your own pace.

The Saturday Workshop will be on Saturday 1st February, 10.00 am – 5.00 pm at Wylam Methodist Church. This is a stand alone event and can be booked separately from the Online Block. Bookings for both are now open.

Online – Zoom calls and Video Tutorials
with Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith
Weds 15th Jan to 12th Feb.

  • 5 week course of fully-online fiddle tuition, accessible on Zoom and YouTube from anywhere and at any time, with Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith
  • Two in-depth Video Tutorials, which include elements of technique, a tune taught by the phrase and a detailed look at bowing, ornamentation or stylistic interpretation.
  • Wednesday evening live Zoom calls, including Fiddle Practice and Tune Learning in the Zoom workshop, plus playing through previous tunes which form our core repertoire.
  • Recordings of all Zoom calls available for catch-up on demand.

Saturday Workshop

This full-day fiddle workshop on Saturday 1st February with Stewart Hardy and Grace Smith will contain four different teaching sessions containing in-depth, high-quality fiddle tuition. There will be three mixed-ability workshops and the chance to join in with a tutor-guided session.

Saturday 1st February
10.00 am – 5.00 pm
Wylam Methodist Church, Chapel Lane, Wylam NE41 8AA

  • 10:00 – 11:15 : Workshop 1
  • 11:15 – 11:45 : Morning break
  • 11:45 – 13:00 : Workshop 2
  • 13:00 – 14:00 : Lunch
  • 14:00 – 15:15 : Workshop 3
  • 15:15 – 15:45 : Afternoon break
  • 15:45 – 17:00 : Session

Tea and coffee will be provided during the morning and afternoon breaks (please advise us of any dietary requirements). Lunch is not included, so please bring a packed lunch, or there is a tea shop, a pub and a Spar a couple of minutes walk away. There will be a one hour break for lunch.

Details of the Online Block option:

Fiddle Practice Calls are available to all participants on a Wednesday evening (7.00 – 7.40 pm). These are held on Zoom and are an extra, regular way to practice along with learning the tunes in the video tutorials. They are a chance to play along with a tutor-led practice session, giving you 40 minutes of fiddle practice and ideas to take away for your own practice. There is also a Tune Surgery Q&A event which is held from Week 2 onwards at 6.45 pm (before the Fiddle Practice Call) to address any questions raised from the video tutorials, or fiddle playing in general. A recording of every call will be available on YouTube, and is included in the cost.

The Live Teaching calls will be on a Wednesday evening following the Fiddle Practice Call, running from 7.50 – 8.30 pm for the 5 weeks. These will focus on core repertoire using fundamental fiddle techniques, and will aim to be accessible to all from competent beginners upwards. This will include revision of the tunes previously taught, with full resources and recordings of past calls provided for those new to the Live Teaching element. There will also be new tunes to add to your core repertoire, taught be ear with full supporting resources available. Recordings of the Live Teaching calls will be available each week if you miss one, have technical difficulties, or prefer to work from YouTube and not Zoom.

All course materials are provided via a password protected webpage. Worksheets (pdf files) and audio files (mp3 files) are available to view/listen online or download. Video Tutorials and Recordings of live calls are provided as links to unlisted YouTube videos. New resources will be added each week, and then all materials will be available for you to access in your own time for as long as you need them.

NEFS workshops are aimed at improving fiddle players, and are not suitable for absolute beginners. We aim to introduce tunes that are accessible for a wide range of players (from Level 2, those able to play a simple tune steadily – see the Ability Level Guide for reference) for the melody and bowing suggestions. We then explore the tunes in greater stylistic detail and with suggestions for ornamentation for Level 3 players.

Please use the contact form if you have any queries. Payment (by bank transfer, cheque or PayPal) is required to confirm all bookings and can be selected through the Shop. Details for bank transfers and cheque payments will be sent to you after the booking is made.