Intro

INSHORE FIDDLING
Introduction

Inshore Fiddling is a series of instructional CDs with accompanying booklets that take the learner from a standing start through to basic competency on the fiddle. The series uses fiddle and accordion tunes of Newfoundland and Labrador to teach the basic technical principles of playing the instrument, and builds a repertoire of tunes in the process. The method is tied in to the school curriculum. The teacher will find that most of the required concepts are explained or reinforced in Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the method. The CD indexes describe which concepts are addressed in each item.

I hope eventually when time, finances and circumstances permit to produce a video with much of the information in Volume 1. The video will be an aid to assist the teacher in instructing various fiddle techniques. The teacher can then choose whether to view the video in class or to absorb the material her/himself and then instruct the class. In the meantime, short video clips of forming a bowhold, left hand position, and playing position can be viewed in the Teachers Manual CDRom.

The series can also be used for self-instruction by adults and teens, or as a method for private studio teaching.

Christina Smith
Inshore Fiddling

Each volume consists of two CDS and an accompanying booklet with diagrams, pictures, advice, information, and musical scores. A classroom set comes with an accompanying CDRom Teachers Manual, containing detailed indexes of the CDS, suggestions for assignments, video clips, teaching and motivational ideas, games, and handouts.
Volume 1

CD 1 introduces an ergonomically sound approach to manipulating the instrument and the bow. Detailed audio instructions for all exercises are accompanied in the background by the fiddle music, most of which is to be learned in this and following volumes.

CD 2 covers tone production, string crossing, basic concepts of beat and rhythm, ascending and descending, motion by step or skip, the scales and arpeggio of A, ear training, and coordination of left and right hands using simple traditional melodies of 4 - 8 bars duration.
Volume 2

CD 1 covers more advanced ear training, the relationship between resonance and intonation, link bows, playing at the frog of the bow, slurs, “barring” the strings, the “low 2nd finger” pattern, and the “high 3rd finger” pattern, and the concepts of keys and modes, form, and syncopation.

CD 2 is a repertoire CD of Newfoundland “single” (2/4) and “double” (6/8) tunes in order of difficulty, which relate to the techniques taught on CD 1.
Volume 3

CD 1 will cover advanced techniques: ornaments such as cuts and drones, advanced string crossing, and facility.

CD 2 will be a repertoire CD of Newfoundland single, double, and “triple” (4/4) dance tunes in order of difficulty, which relate to the techniques taught on CD 1.
Note Reading for Fiddlers
(Projected date of publication – fall 2008)

An enjoyable book which incrementally teaches note-reading on a need-to-know basis.