Learning in a Group | The Various Groups | Pub Session | Dates and Times
Young People's Group | Group Photo Gallery
Learning in a Group
Group lessons are designed to enable players of similar ability to learn new tunes and play together with others in a relaxed, comfortable and friendly environment.
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"Can I be the first to say that your classes are great!!. I started the fiddle from scratch 2 years ago and I have loved every minute of it. I like the fact that the group classes are so On/Offable i.e. you can learn at your own pace, without feeling that you've fallen behind. Most of all, the group session are a good laugh!" |
Groups are held weekly throughout the year and are for any melody instrument. There are various groups suitable for beginners through to experienced players, a young person's group and a morning group followed by lunch at the pub! See below for details of each group.
There is no need to book the evening groups which are £5 per person - just turn up when you want to. This way you will be able to play when it suits you and you will often meet new people in the groups when you do come. Once a month there is a "session lesson" at the Black Horse Pub instead of my house. - see dates and times.
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"From my point of view I think the best thing about the fiddle groups and Hibernia, apart from learning a wealth of tunes, is the chance to play with other people, which is a skill in itself and which improves your playing as well as being fun. I also found the supportive and encouraging atmosphere very important as a complete beginner with no knowledge of Irish music. And you can quote me on all that!" Catherine - Librarian - aged 37 |
- for details of dates see dates and times in the left hand column
- for details of tunes see tunes in the left hand column
Thursday evening 7.00pm-8.30pm - Complete Beginners - £5 per person
Suitable for whistlers who have not touched a whistle before, and fiddlers (violin players), English concertina/mandolin/banjo/flute players who have had a couple of private lessons. Bring something to record the tunes.
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"I remember being captivated by a performance of Irish fiddle music years ago but never imagined I would play. I particularly enjoy learning the fiddle tunes in a group. Playing them with other people is great fun and even as a beginner the pace is exhilarating at times!" Lindsay - Botanist - aged 46 |
Tuesday evening 7.00pm-8.30pm - Intermediate with music/tab/whistle fingering provided- £5 per person
Suitable for any melody instrument. Players will be encouraged to learn by ear but the music, tab for mandolin and 4 string banjo, and whistle fingering is provided if necessary during the evening, and to take away at the end. Tunes should be recorded on a personal recording device. We warm up with a couple of tunes everyone knows, we then learn the new tune, and then play through some previously learned tunes. This way the repertoire is slowly extended and practiced.
Tuesday evening 8.30pm-10.00pm - Intermediate - more by ear than music - £5 per person
Suitable for any melody instrument and with a similar format and ability level to the earlier group - but learning by ear is preferred. This provides more scope for learning a variety of new tunes. If players do not already know the tune learned in the earlier group we may learn that, or just take home the music after recording the tune, to learn at home. The pace of learning will be dependant on the class but it will not be much, if any, quicker than the earlier group. The aim is to go away with a new tune - not to be frustrated because the class was too quick.
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"I have now progressed to the 'Advanced' group: that is, we can learn a new tune quite quickly, and it is a matter of great satisfaction to have literally dozens of tunes at my fingertips (not perfectly executed I'm afraid!). The group session is lubricated by a nice cuppa to start with and has a very happy atmosphere. 'Bum notes' are referred to as 'improvisation' or 'harmonising'!" Bob Bailey - Music Shop Proprietor - aged fairly mature (in years) |
Thursday evening 8.30-10.00pm - Advanced - by ear only - £5 per person
Suitable for any melody instrument, we play a lot of tunes in an evening! - We may learn up to three or four new tunes as we go along - and recap on several at a slower pace.
Monday afternoon 3.45pm - 5.00pm - Young People's group
You need to book for this group and the fee (see fees) is divided by the number of participants. This group is suitable for young people (8-15)who already know the notes in the first position. We play/learn a variety of tunes - some with music - some very simple improvisation - some harmony playing. It is all meant to be fun. We are not doing any exams in this group - we are making music.
Morning Group - usually Monday fortnightly - 11.00am - 1.00pm
Intermediate standard - any melody instrument. You must book in to this class as the fee (see fees) is divided by the number of players and can sometimes determine the length of the class. After the group those who are available go across to the Black Horse for lunch.
At The Black Horse
Wednesday evening once a month - Black Horse "session lesson" - £5 per person - see dates and times
Once a month all the groups get together for a session of music at the Black Horse in Clapton in Gordano.
There are further group lessons available on Saturday mornings at the Hibernia Centre where you can also play with musicians who are learning other instruments.
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"I'm an occasional student at Hibernia group fiddle lessons and in a way that's what I like about it, the fact that I can drop in on a Saturday morning when I'm passing by and enjoy a few hours of music making without being tied in to a particular teacher or a course for weeks and weeks and without booking ahead. There'll always be a new tune or two to show for it, a range of abilities or technical issues to choose from and knowledgeable people to answer queries." Shirley - IT Technical Author - aged over 50 |