Chiff and Fipple Forums

Hey David, I really enjoyed your classes. I got a lot out of them: Two airs and a jig. Two whistle classes and one for flute.

You offered a generous sampling of ideas that went beyond the basic articulations most of us already use, i.e. taps, cuts & rolls. You showed aa number of new (to me) decorations/articulations, but the lessons were more conceptual than technical, i.e. how to apply the new ideas.

The airs provided a good vehicle for teaching these concepts. They are slow enough to give the student time to observe, apply and explore new ideas and how to apply them. Each class had maybe a dozen new pointers or elements, with explanations and demonstrations on how to apply them.

Beyond your classes, the Spanish Peaks Celtic festival was relaxed, warm and intimate.

In particular I enjoyed the show & tell seminars. What a treat to have Keven Burke and Paddy Keenan trading tunes and telling stories about Bothy Band days! The Old Blind Dogs concert was awesome, despite a muddy sound system. And the other guest artists were generous & lovely people. The weather and location were beautiful, even if the logistics were a little awkward. I would say that the sessions were a little scattered.

Great thread and something I was interested in too (and was about to ask!). I remember getting a workshop/lesson from Michael Tubridy back in the late eighties and he taught the class a tune. It wasn't particularly exciting as I half knew the tune at the time but it was great to learn the tune in his style and see how he phrased it. He also talked a lot about rhythm and the link between the music and its functional use for dancing which was quite informative.

I must admit that I'm never comfortable teaching workshops (for the reason asked by the very first questioner - is anybody getting anything out of this other than just a tune?) and so generally don't put myself forward for those types of things.

It's great to hear the positive comments on Noel Sweeney's teaching (from Ben Hall) as he's our local flute master and a lovely guy.

Tom

mcelvogue wrote:It's great to hear the positive comments on Noel Sweeney's teaching (from Ben Hall) as he's our local flute master and a lovely guy.

Please give him my warmest regards, Tom. Those two mornings with Noel have changed dramatically, and I believe permanently, the way I approach my music, both on flute and on fiddle. Fantastic musician.