Here’s a tune to drive dull care away from Adrien Fontaine of Bishopton in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Thanks to Éric Favreau and Claude Méthé for keeping this one in circulation!
Reel de la p’tite misère (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=60]
Reel de la p’tiite misère (slow, mp3)[wpdm_file id=61]
Reel de la p’tite misère (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=62
In honor of Mardi-Gras and the powerful, dynamic music of Cajun Louisiana, here’s an old-time two step which has been widely played and widely recorded, starting with Dennis McGee and Sadie Courville. It goes by a number of names, including “Enterres-moi pas” (“Don’t Bury Me”) and “Tréville n’est pas pêcheur” (“Tréville isn’t a fisherman”) and has had various and unrelated song verses associated with it. There are as many versions as there are fiddlers and accordionists playing this tune, so plan on making up your own!
Devillier Two Step (fast, mp3)[wpdm_file id=191]
Devillier Two Step (simple melody, slow, mp3)[wpdm_file id=192]
Devillier Two Step (simple melody, sheet music)[wpdm_file id=200]
It’s going to be a great month of March here in Fiddleville! I’ll be offering a new class and doing some Quebec session workshops, team-teaching a fiddle and banjo duet workshop, and playing two local concerts. Read on for the details!
On the workshop front:
Fiddle and Banjo Duet workshops on Saturday, Mar. 2nd and 16th from 1-3pm: Back by popular demand after a hugely successful debut series last fall, banjo goddess and teacher extraordinaire Leela Grace and I will once again team up to offer a two-part workshop on the magic of playing fiddle and banjo duets. The workshops will focus on the basics of duet playing, on demonstration of techniques and tunes, separate fiddle and banjo instruction, and chances to play in smaller fiddle/banjo ensembles and try out the new music, with Leela and Lisa dropping in to visit and help as needed. Participants will have access to mp3s of the tunes before the first weekend. If you took the workshop series in the fall, please join us again! We will be offering all new tunes (key of G, standard tuning for fiddle). Sliding scale $45-90, pre-registration required. For more information and registration, click here.
Quebec Spring Tune Workshops: Mar. 24 and April 7, 2013
Spring into Spring with a bagful of great Quebec dance tunes! Six tunes in two sessions, plus access to downloadable mp3 recordings and sheet music. It is going to be a LOT of fun, focusing primarily on the repertory of eastern Quebec left-handed fiddler/composer/woodcarver/life-of-the-party Yvon Mimeault: jigs, reels, step dance tunes, some old, some new, some major, some minor modal. Yvon will be the featured Quebecois fiddler at the 2013 Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend–taking these workshops will give you a headstart on his music (or–if you can’t go to Fiddle Tunes–a great way to learn some Yvon tunes!). You can sign up for one , workshop for $30 or take both for $50 (that’s a bargain!).
WHAT: Quebec Spring Tune Workshops
WHEN: Sunday, Mar. 24 and Apr. 7, from 3:30-5:45pm
WHERE: My music studio in SE Portland
COST: One workshop for $30 or 2 for $50
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED click here (it’s easy!)
On the concert front:
Tuesday, Mar. 19th, 8pm at the Alberta Rose Theatre: Dan Compton and I will play the opening set for for Cape Breton Scottish trad divas Mary Jane Lamond (Gaelic singer) and Wendy MacIsaac (powerhouse fiddler, pianist, and step dancer). Wendy and Mary Jane are internationally renowned, award-winning musicians. A great evening awaits! You can purchase tickets on-line at the Alberta Rose Theatre website.
On Friday, Mar. 22nd, 7:30pm in Southeast Portland: I’ll be doing a house concert with the wickedly multi-talented and hilarious Betsy Branch and Leela Grace. A great evening of instrumentals and songs, new and old, from near and far, delivered up fresh. For more information and reservations, e-mail abbiew@froggie.com
On the classroom front:
Fiddle 2 Back-Up Harmonies and Chords (Part 2), Mondays, 6:30-7:30pm on Mar. 4, 11, 18, 25, April 1 and 8
By popular demand! This 6-week class will solidify and build on the previous 7-week session. You will become more skilled and comfortable playing back-up chord progressions and fills for tunes and songs in the keys of G, D, and A. We’ll work with old-time, Scottish, bluegrass, and Cajun repertories. As always, there will be opportunities to strengthen core technique: tone production, fingering, bowing, and string crossings. Downloadable recordings and hand-outs to support material covered in class will be posted to a class webpage.
Classes take place in my music studio in SE Portland (a cozy room with great ambiance!). If you did not take the first session, please contact me before registering. Cost: $100-130 sliding scale. Pre-registration required (don’t worry, it’s easy!) Just click here.