Being born in the town or country doesn’t always mean your preference will remain with your birthplace. There are however a lot of people who don’t like the countryside at all or don’t want to stay there for long. Like medical emergencies often happening after 4 am, the urban itch usually kicks in after a predictable 18 months to two years. Many of our folk songs are about the countryside but many are now about every kind of place and person. You will see where this is going if you have a look at this: http://tinyurl.com/c37fyzh By the time you read this nonsense we should have written and performed our first draft of a song based on this story.
That said, whether town or country, not enough people get out and do things together as part of a community. Are we losing the knack of living together in a community? Judging by some of the dormitory villages we seem to have acquired in recent years that could be happening. Surely TV isn’t that good to keep you away from a good pub, choir, WI, or other communal activity? Sadly it often is, especially when some people will have spent up to 4 hours a day commuting to Cardiff, Swansea, or Worcester. Not mention the demands on those who work locally and especially during lambing, hay making and harvest times. The chance to get out for an evening would be a luxury. So, whether you live in a town or the country, we all need to get out more. Provided we can drive or can get a lift our rural location doesn’t stop us getting to all sorts of folk events of the sort listed below.
John and Jane
PS: this newsletter has taken so long to prepare it is going out now! Look out for the low flying typos.
Events:
Jim Neale tells us of a Food and Craft Fair at Broome Farm: on Sunday 2nd September, starts at 10.00am Free Entry Take the A49 towards Ross-on-Wye . Enter the village of Peterstow; the first LEFT turn (immediate) is to Peterstow Church; the second Left Turn (30 metres) is to Broome Farm. Down the lane for 200m and turn Right into the Farm...Stewards on duty. The Food and Craft fair A Swing Band plays mid morning. Fiddle Guitar and Double Bass.It was brilliant in previous years.
Singing Lessons in Garway
Individual tuition with experienced teacher
All ages and levels of ability welcome
Piano lessons (to Grade 3) and music theory (to Grade 5) also offered
For further information, or to arrange a no-obligation introductory lesson, contact: Jane Bovell, BA(Hons), Dip ABRSM Tel: 01600 750700 Mob: 07904 530641
Folk Evenings at the Crown Inn, Longtown: 3rd Tuesday of the month from 8.pm. All singers and musicians will be made very welcome at this sing around session. The next meet is Tuesday 18th September.
Harp Songs: Harp Inn, Glasbury 3rd Saturday of the Month: Next meeting 15th September:with a good contact through Phill Tipton and his visits to the Crown Inn Longtown every 3rd Tuesday, there are regular visits from this side of the boarder. Their Basque Musicians Evening achieved full house. All those who were there said it was a great evening and were brilliant. Four of us went this last Saturday and had a very pleasant evening with a few other singers just dropping in for the first time. An excellent landlord and good lighting.
Many thanks to Phil for making contact with us for the sessions at the Crown Inn. He always has new and interesting songs and his methods of getting to Longtown have gained everyone’s respect. He has also kindly passed on all the details of this FolkWorkshops Newletter, our Blogs and our @FolkWorkshops twitter feed on his own e-circular for Harp Songs regulars.
Rapsqillian: publicity has now been placed in several outlets and posters will soon be available. John Biggs writes, ‘On the evening of SATURDAY OCTOBER 20TH we shall be holding a concert in St Margaret's Church which will feature the well known Shropshire based folk singing group, 'RAPSQUILLION'. Seven singers and instrumentalists will perform songs from many lands loosely based around the theme of harvest. They will have had a busy summer on the music festival circuit and we are indeed fortunate to have them with us on this date.
All proceeds will go towards the proposed improvements to facilities at St Margaret's Church.
During the afternoon before the concert they have agreed to hold a SINGING WORKSHOP in the School Room at Upper Maescoed Methodist Chapel which will be open to all.
Further details of times and charges of both of these events will appear in the September FolkWorkshops Newsletter. If however you want to reserve tickets in advance please telephone 01981 510629 .
Flash Mob for hEnergy High Town, Hereford 22nd September
Look out for a massive harmony singing flash mob for High Town on Saturday 22 Sep as part of a hEnergy event. There will be a free two hour workshop 10am to 12 mid day at the Shire Hall, led by Neil Pigott and Jess Ryan-Phillips, to teach a four part song which will then appear in High Town as a flash mob at 12.30 (just after the clock strikes!).
While we would like to have members from local singing groups involved we also want it to be entirely open to anyone who fancies a go.
Any ideas you have that could assist us in spreading the word would be welcome and please do come and join us in any case. We will be singing a very beautiful and powerful four part harmony piece reflecting the local environment and landscapes. Neil Pigott
The Courtyard Hereford: Spiers and Boden, 25th September at 8pm. It looks as though Nightjar has survived and is back for the winter, so check the publicity from the Courtyard.
The Globe, Hay on Wye: 29th September There is going to be a Welsh Tune Workshop at the Globe Theatre in Hay on Saturday 29 September. (2 classes: Beginners and more advanced) The workshop will be in the afternoon and this will be followed by an ‘open’ evening session. Gary Northeast, melodeon player is probably going to run the beginners class; this is to be confirmed. This looks like it will be a big event for those learning an instrument within the range of instruments being catered for. More details later’
Early Notice: PETE COE at the Globe, Hay on Wye Saturday 16th March 2013: With a session after. More details later but keep this evening clear if you want to hear a true troubadour from the club and festival scene. This event is a joint promotion by Black Hill Tunes and FolkWorkshops in association with the Globe, Hay on Wye.
Black Hill Folk: continue to get together for group singing rehearsals and for the sessions at the Crown Inn, Longtown every 3rd Tuesday of the month. New singers always welcome. For details ring John Biggs on 01981510629
The Black Hill Tune Club meets on the first Thursday of the month. This is a fast growing group attracting several supporters wanting to develop their playing skills for playing instruments together. The next meeting will be at Rhiannon and Simon Taylor’s house near Longtown on Thursday 6, September at the earlier time of 11.30. (Light lunch provided £3. Wine £1.50) Subsequent Thursday meetings will be at The Crown, Longtown 2-4pm. For details of what instruments are played and the levels of ability.
EFDSS: Why not sign up for their e-Newsletter. Lots of interesting things going on this winter especially if you are planning a pre-Christmas trip to London. We have just received our quarterly magazine from HQ & there is so much going on it reinforces what has just been said about any plans you might have for venturing forth, whether locally or further afield.
Halsway Manor: A National Study Centre: check this place out on Google if you would like a weekend residential folk music course of some kind. Details are on the internet and we now follow each other on twitter.
@FolkWorkshops For those who might have any interest, our twitter feed, has now reached over 100 followers. For those who don’t ‘get’ twitter a good deal of information is available to folk enthusiasts via this medium as an examination of our followers list will show. It is up to the subscriber what they want to use it for and how much they want from it.
Friday, 31 August 2012
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
FolkWorkshops August Newsletter
We get together to sing folk songs & play instruments in a tolerant & relaxed atmosphere of mutual encouragement and support.
Stop Press: Earth Oven Building 8th to 10th of August at Trewern Outdoor Centre.
It has been a rather odd ‘summer’ both as to strange weather, never ending sporting and Jubilee events and various missing or flooded out Folk Festivals. We are now planning for autumn and beyond and thinking of what musical activities could be undertaken. As well as the usual sessions and practices it is hoped to organise some special events but individuals who have ideas for sessions should not be slow in coming forward. Prime movers always welcome.
As far as teaching yourself something musical the Internet provides incredible resources to those who want to develop their skills. A quick look at Amazon’s book holdings is a good example. We recently did searches for books on Learning to Sing, Learning to play Slide Guitar, and various other topics and were spoilt for choice. At least with the books on singing you already have your instrument! So if you have any musical ambitions now is the time to start planning what you want to do when the dark evenings return. In our household both the English Concertina and the Anglo Concertina are currently being learnt. We both fear that the slimness of each tutor book does not indicate ease of learning. Things are a bit noisy at times.
We are always interested to hear from others trying to learn a folk instrument or from those who teach an instrument or are singing teachers. We already have a small network of contacts with about 8 people learning. More details of those offering to teach would be most welcome. Should you be such a person please get in touch stating your terms and we will add you to our growing list of contacts.
FolkWorkshops is a network of people who want to enjoy folk music in its various forms and the internet makes possible the achievement of its full potential. It is therefore very pleasing that our twitter feed, @FolkWorkshops, is approaching 100 followers, that the FolkWorkshops Mailing List continues to grow steadily and that regular visits to Folk Music blogs continue within an overall page viewing rate of over 500 last month. Submissions for publication are always welcome.
So now is the time to make your autumn and winter plans. Here are some if the many activities which are currently on offer more locally:
Folk Evenings at the Crown Inn, Longtown: 3rd Tuesday of the month from 8.pm. All singers and musicians will be made very welcome at this sing around session. The next meet is Tuesday 21st August
Folk Sessions at Newton Church Room and Upper Maes Coed Chapel Room: Next session at Newton Church Room, Tuesday 14th August 8.00 p.m.
Harp Songs at the Harp, Glasbury on Wye, sing around sessions are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month. That means that this month it will be on Saturday 18th August, starting at about 8.30 p.m. All singers and instrumentalists welcome.
STOP PRESS: EXTRA HARP EVENT: SATURDAY 11th AUGUST Three young players from the Basque country will be performing their special brand of fiery music, with some interesting and unusual instruments on show. They were appearing at a small festival near Merthyr Tydfil a few weeks ago and had such a good time they came back. Phil says, ‘I've seen them twice now and been left breathless each time!’
There will also be support from a group of Welsh musicians. Please bring a supporting donation.
Black Hill Folk Singers: Our next get together will be at the Folk Session Newton Church Room, Tuesday 14th August 8.00 p.m. All welcome.
Foxwhelp Morris ended their summer tour round the pubs of Herefordshire by returning to their base at The Yew Tree, Preston on Wye, on Tuesday 24th. It was a most enjoyable evening in this traditional country pub made all the more enjoyable by some excellent well kept real ale and complimentary roasted potato and sausage snacks from the landlord. With many thanks to the landlord.
Regular practice evenings are held on Tuesday evenings in Moccas so the Yew Tree is almost their local. If you have any interest in taking up the activity or have an interest in Morris tunes check them out on Google.
The Black Hill Tune Club meets on the first Thursday of the month. The next meeting will be at Rhiannon and Simon Taylor’s house near Longtown on Thursday 6, September at the earlier time of 11.30. (Light lunch provided £3. Wine £1.50)
Subsequent Thursday meetings will be at The Crown, Longtown 2-4pm. To get in touch leave your contact details in the Comments box. These will be passed on and not published.
Clera Traditional Welsh Tune Workshops at The Globe Theatre, Hay on Wye
£7.50 (Student £5, Family £12)
Tutors:
Donald Stewart plays guitar, banjo, mandolin and whistle. Class for less experienced players
Bernard Kilbride, fiddle player. Class for more experienced melody players
Further details on www.sesiwn.com; pleasetelephone 029 20628300 for a booking form
£7.50 (Student £5 and Family £12)
1.30pm Registration
2.00pm - 4.30pm Workshops
5.30pm - 6.30 Whole Group Session
7.00pm Evening Session in the Globe Theatre main bar
FOLK WORKSHOP CONCERT FOR ST MARGARET'S CHURCH and SINGING WORKSHOP to be given by RAPSQUILLIAN
On the evening of SATURDAY OCTOBER 20TH we shall be holding a concert in St Margaret's Church which will feature the well known Shropshire based folk singing group, 'RAPSQUILLION'. Seven singers and instrumentalists will perform songs from many lands loosely based around the theme of harvest. They will have had a busy summer on the music festival circuit and we are indeed fortunate to have them with us on this date.
All proceeds will go towards the proposed improvements to facilities at St Margaret's Church.
During the afternoon before the concert they have agreed to hold a SINGING WORKSHOP in the School Room at Upper Maescoed Methodist Chapel which will be open to all.
Further details of times and charges of both of these events will appear in the September FolkWorkshops Newsletter. If however you want to reserve tickets in advance please leave contact details in Comments box.These will not be published.
Hope to see you at some of the above. In the meantime we hope to make a leisurely trip down south to do some folk music things.
Hoping for an Indian summer,
John and Jane Baxter
Stop Press: Earth Oven Building 8th to 10th of August at Trewern Outdoor Centre.
It has been a rather odd ‘summer’ both as to strange weather, never ending sporting and Jubilee events and various missing or flooded out Folk Festivals. We are now planning for autumn and beyond and thinking of what musical activities could be undertaken. As well as the usual sessions and practices it is hoped to organise some special events but individuals who have ideas for sessions should not be slow in coming forward. Prime movers always welcome.
As far as teaching yourself something musical the Internet provides incredible resources to those who want to develop their skills. A quick look at Amazon’s book holdings is a good example. We recently did searches for books on Learning to Sing, Learning to play Slide Guitar, and various other topics and were spoilt for choice. At least with the books on singing you already have your instrument! So if you have any musical ambitions now is the time to start planning what you want to do when the dark evenings return. In our household both the English Concertina and the Anglo Concertina are currently being learnt. We both fear that the slimness of each tutor book does not indicate ease of learning. Things are a bit noisy at times.
We are always interested to hear from others trying to learn a folk instrument or from those who teach an instrument or are singing teachers. We already have a small network of contacts with about 8 people learning. More details of those offering to teach would be most welcome. Should you be such a person please get in touch stating your terms and we will add you to our growing list of contacts.
FolkWorkshops is a network of people who want to enjoy folk music in its various forms and the internet makes possible the achievement of its full potential. It is therefore very pleasing that our twitter feed, @FolkWorkshops, is approaching 100 followers, that the FolkWorkshops Mailing List continues to grow steadily and that regular visits to Folk Music blogs continue within an overall page viewing rate of over 500 last month. Submissions for publication are always welcome.
So now is the time to make your autumn and winter plans. Here are some if the many activities which are currently on offer more locally:
Folk Evenings at the Crown Inn, Longtown: 3rd Tuesday of the month from 8.pm. All singers and musicians will be made very welcome at this sing around session. The next meet is Tuesday 21st August
Folk Sessions at Newton Church Room and Upper Maes Coed Chapel Room: Next session at Newton Church Room, Tuesday 14th August 8.00 p.m.
Harp Songs at the Harp, Glasbury on Wye, sing around sessions are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month. That means that this month it will be on Saturday 18th August, starting at about 8.30 p.m. All singers and instrumentalists welcome.
STOP PRESS: EXTRA HARP EVENT: SATURDAY 11th AUGUST Three young players from the Basque country will be performing their special brand of fiery music, with some interesting and unusual instruments on show. They were appearing at a small festival near Merthyr Tydfil a few weeks ago and had such a good time they came back. Phil says, ‘I've seen them twice now and been left breathless each time!’
There will also be support from a group of Welsh musicians. Please bring a supporting donation.
Black Hill Folk Singers: Our next get together will be at the Folk Session Newton Church Room, Tuesday 14th August 8.00 p.m. All welcome.
Foxwhelp Morris ended their summer tour round the pubs of Herefordshire by returning to their base at The Yew Tree, Preston on Wye, on Tuesday 24th. It was a most enjoyable evening in this traditional country pub made all the more enjoyable by some excellent well kept real ale and complimentary roasted potato and sausage snacks from the landlord. With many thanks to the landlord.
Regular practice evenings are held on Tuesday evenings in Moccas so the Yew Tree is almost their local. If you have any interest in taking up the activity or have an interest in Morris tunes check them out on Google.
The Black Hill Tune Club meets on the first Thursday of the month. The next meeting will be at Rhiannon and Simon Taylor’s house near Longtown on Thursday 6, September at the earlier time of 11.30. (Light lunch provided £3. Wine £1.50)
Subsequent Thursday meetings will be at The Crown, Longtown 2-4pm. To get in touch leave your contact details in the Comments box. These will be passed on and not published.
Clera Traditional Welsh Tune Workshops at The Globe Theatre, Hay on Wye
£7.50 (Student £5, Family £12)
Tutors:
Donald Stewart plays guitar, banjo, mandolin and whistle. Class for less experienced players
Bernard Kilbride, fiddle player. Class for more experienced melody players
Further details on www.sesiwn.com; pleasetelephone 029 20628300 for a booking form
£7.50 (Student £5 and Family £12)
1.30pm Registration
2.00pm - 4.30pm Workshops
5.30pm - 6.30 Whole Group Session
7.00pm Evening Session in the Globe Theatre main bar
FOLK WORKSHOP CONCERT FOR ST MARGARET'S CHURCH and SINGING WORKSHOP to be given by RAPSQUILLIAN
On the evening of SATURDAY OCTOBER 20TH we shall be holding a concert in St Margaret's Church which will feature the well known Shropshire based folk singing group, 'RAPSQUILLION'. Seven singers and instrumentalists will perform songs from many lands loosely based around the theme of harvest. They will have had a busy summer on the music festival circuit and we are indeed fortunate to have them with us on this date.
All proceeds will go towards the proposed improvements to facilities at St Margaret's Church.
During the afternoon before the concert they have agreed to hold a SINGING WORKSHOP in the School Room at Upper Maescoed Methodist Chapel which will be open to all.
Further details of times and charges of both of these events will appear in the September FolkWorkshops Newsletter. If however you want to reserve tickets in advance please leave contact details in Comments box.These will not be published.
Hope to see you at some of the above. In the meantime we hope to make a leisurely trip down south to do some folk music things.
Hoping for an Indian summer,
John and Jane Baxter
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