*When you purchase this course you will be redirected to a page where you can download the lessons and materials. This will happen within 24 hours of your purchase. if you have any questions please contact us.

Jenna Reid takes us on a journey to learn the Shetland fiddle style. You learn 6 tunes (3 reels, 1 march, 1 jig and a beautiful slow air). After studying these lessons with Jenna you will be a better fiddler. She concentrates on bowing, string positions, unisons etc that sound great in tunes. Included in this fantastic package is all the written music for download plus the unique opportunity to chat and discuss issues with the teacher through scheduled live web chats; what’s more, there is unlimited access to lessons and live text chats for 1 year so that you can learn at your own pace.

Check out more Shetland fiddle music CDs at footstompin.com. For more information on Scottish music why not read our Scottish music guide.

Course objectives:

• Understand the Shetland fiddle style
• Learn how to play 'ringing strings'
• Learn string crossing techniques and exercises
• Learn a Shetland slow air
• Play the tunes you learn in 2 sets.

Listen to a FREE fiddle music sample of Jenna playing.

Lesson Plan
Lesson 1: Traditional Tune – Da Fashion o da Delting Lasses.
This traditional tune is the key of D major and has 2 parts. Both repeated. For this tune we focused on ‘ringing strings’ and the use of the down bow giving the tune drive and ‘lift’. A great example of Shetlands traditional dance music and also a great example of the musical links between Shetland and Norway.

Lesson 2: Gideon Stove – ‘Willie be wast da Loch’
This is a tune in A minor and has two parts. It was written by Gideon Stove who was known as the ‘Shetland Violinist’ he was a great fiddler, as well as being a member of the Lerwick Orchestra. His tunes are written both in the traditional and contempary style, delving into position work, and other more complex techniques.

Lesson 3: Ian Burns – ‘Barbara Elmsie’
A jig in the key of D major. This time we’ve looked at the bowing used to make the jig swing, and we’ve done this by slurring bows over the bar. It’s a more of a contempary tune as jigs a relatively new to the Shetland tradition, however they are becoming very popular, as new compositions are written.

Lesson 4: Gideon Stove– ‘The Carnival March’
This march has 2 parts and is in the key of A major. This tune looks at several different disciplines. This includes 4th finger exercises and string crossing movements. Along side this we also looked at the position of both our left and right arms and the movement of our wrist on our right hand.

Lesson 5: Willie Hunter – The Slow Air – ‘The Love o the Isles’
The slow air is probably one of the most complex performance tunes within the tradition. In this 2 part tune in D major, we’ve covered many areas. Those included, keeping a smooth tone, and continual sound throughout the performance, without breaking the ‘curve’ of the music. Working on dynamics, 3rd position work – where necessary. The speed and conservation of the bow movement, both fast and slow. These are all areas that are to be taken on board when playing a slow air.

Lesson 6: Jenna Reid – ‘Courland’
This is one of my own tunes. It’s a reel in G major and has two parts. I’ve tried to write it in the traditional style, using techniques like ringing strings. Look out for the down bow as my basic rule is to play a down bow with a down beat, this will give you rhythm and ‘lift’ whilst playing.

Hailing from Shetland, Jenna Reid grew up immersed in the islands rich fiddle tradition. At the age of nine, she began to learn the fiddle, and was taught by the late Dr Tom Anderson. When fiddle tuition became available in schools, Jenna studied with the late Willie Hunter and was under his direction until the age of 13; during that time she was a prominent prize-winner in the 'Shetlands Young Fiddler of the Year Competition' and by the age of 14 had won both the intermediate and open sections of this annual competition. Through this success she was subsequently invited to compete in the Glennfiddich Fiddle Competition. Whilst still at school Jenna also took lessons from Trevor Hunter and Margaret Scollay. In addition to playing the fiddle, Jenna also studied classical piano.

For our online teaching to work you will have to have Windows Media Player installed on your computer. This comes with Windows. If you are a Mac user you can download it here. You will also need a fast internet connection (adsl, broadband), and speakers connected to your computer so you can hear it (these can take the form of computer speakers (connected from your sound card) or headphones). These lessons are not downloaded to your computer - they are streamed from our internet servers. If you have any questions please contact us.

Join Foot Stompin's mailing list and get 2 free mp3s!
Email Marketing You Can Trust

© Foot Stompin Records www.footstompin.com

Home Artists