FolkWorkshops currently operates in the hills above the Golden Valley, just below the Cats Back and Black Hill which form the border between England and Wales on the eastern edge of the Black Mountains. We are comparatively remote, in unspoilt countryside but we are very welcoming to all those who make the journey.You will see that many of our villages and parishes have Welsh names although the pronunciation will no doubt prove amusing or irritating to the Welsh speaker.
We hold all sorts of events including workshops and folk evening but if our supporters want to put something on then that is encouraged. We have no membership requirements, no committee but lots of enthusiasm to see our objective of getting more folk music into our part of the borders achieved.
We have a Folk Music Evening every 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Crown Inn Longtown from about 8 pm onwards. This is a very informal sing around and a useful session for musicians wanting to join in when appropriate ie, when a performer has no problem with an accompaniment.
Finding The Crown in Longtown is easy by either finding your way there from the Hereford to Abergavenny Road from either Pandy or Pontrilas. You can also get to Longtown from the B4348 at Vowchurch via Michalchurch. In all cases Sat Nav ( not always available) or an OS Map is advisable.
We also meet at two church rooms as a way of supporting hard pressed local facilities. The Nat. Grid Ref of the two church rooms is as follows
Newton Church Room SO 348329
Upper Maes Coed Chapel SO 326351
Best Map is O.S.1/50,OOO Abergavenny and Black Mountains
Please bring a donation towards costs and refreshments. Again this is an informal evening and we try to make the rooms feel more like a folk club than most institutional building.
You will be made welcome at all events and you should not feel uncomfortable if you use printed words and/or music in order to perform but it is worth buying a cheap music stand if you do not have one.
If you need any more help with directions ring 01981 510629 in advance iof the evening. Also please let us have your e.mail contact should you want regular updates. You can use the comments section for this but your details will be deleted once added to our e-mailing list and will not be published.
Folk Evening at Newtom Church Room this Tuesday 10th
Folk Singing Evening: Tuesday April 24th Upper Maes Coed Chapel Room. We are being visited by the singing group, RAPSQUILLION from Clun. It is very good of these guys to agree to making such a long journey for an evenings singing with us, so we need a good turnout of our supporters to welcome them.
Tuesday May 1st, MAY DAY 8.00 p.m. Upper Maes Coed Chapel Room. One of the big days in the Folk Music calendar happens to fall conveniently on a Tuesday, so we need to make the most of it with as many singers and musicians as possible.
Showing posts with label Golden Valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Golden Valley. Show all posts
Monday, 9 April 2012
Monday, 30 November 2009
A Folk Music Workshop in the Hills
The following report has been received by our special reporter, John Barleycorn, who investigated a new community event in the hills above the Golden Valley. The organisers have asked us to thank all those who supported the Folk Music Workshop held on Wednesday 24th November at Newton Church Room. A provisional date for the next Workshop has been provisionally set for Wednesday 28th January at 7.30 p.m. This is much later than hoped but the previous two Wednesdays clash with other events which could reduce the number of people able to attend.
Having checked my destination on the Ordinance Survey sheet I set out into the night and eventually climbed 800 feet to enter the network of lanes which led me to the venue. GPS, mobile phones and even the traditional phone box cannot be relied on should the darkness and the matrix of lanes defeat you.
Having found the venue I was soon being made welcome in a warm cosy church room which was refurbished about 8 years ago. There were about 17 people present who had appeared out of the night from the two adjoining parishes of Newton and St. Margaret’s and others who had travelled from Rowleston and even Llanfihangel Crocorney across the border in Wales. Villages here do not have centres with village greens but have populations dispersed along the many lanes and at the end of tracks leading from what seem like field gates. The community therefore proves its existence at gatherings such as these, church services and funerals, and at the many events held at the larger Escleyside Community Centre. Some people make the mistake when visiting the area of thinking that they would not like to live in what seems to them to be an isolated place but it would seem you are isolated as much as you wish, unlike the forgotten flat in a city block where no one knows each other, and what’s more, don’t seem to care about it either.
I had no idea what to expect from a Folk Music Workshop. From the information which had reached me it seemed that turning up and being prepared to listen or join in with the occasional chorus would be sufficient, but things soon gained momentum after a warm up song, Drill Ye Tarriers Drill. We were invited to make suggestions as to what might be attempted and a suit case of song books was soon being explored by many of us. Decisions were also made as to whether an accompaniment could be provided either by the banjo or the guitar which had been brought along. A modern keyboard was usful for establishing a preferred pitch but otherwise many of the songs were unaccompanied. Although many said they came as listeners, judging from the pleasant group sound which emerged the majority seem to have been prepared to have a go.
The main objective, getting people singing, was soon achieved. This would not be a place for those who want well rehearsed pieces and brilliant musicianship. The ethos is one of encouragement and tolerance so that the songs really did come from the folk present. Sea shanties were a good mainstay with their strong rhythms and robust choruses. So too were the old community songs such as Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag, the final song of the evening. Along the way we had old favourites like the Leaving of Liverpool, When the Boat Comes In (sung by a genuine Geordie visiting the area) and the undoubted hit of the evening, Down on Misery Farm, sung by genuine farmers, one playing an accompaniment on an accordion, recently released from a loft where it had lain for many years.
By popular acclaim it was agreed to try and make the workshop a monthly affair once Christmas was over. With five apologies received it would seem that an attendance in the twenties is perfectly possible. As I drove off into the night well refreshed by the experience and the combination of a hot drink and a small army of snacks and cakes I was reminded that things only happen when people turn up and have a go. Quite a simple idea really.
Having checked my destination on the Ordinance Survey sheet I set out into the night and eventually climbed 800 feet to enter the network of lanes which led me to the venue. GPS, mobile phones and even the traditional phone box cannot be relied on should the darkness and the matrix of lanes defeat you.
Having found the venue I was soon being made welcome in a warm cosy church room which was refurbished about 8 years ago. There were about 17 people present who had appeared out of the night from the two adjoining parishes of Newton and St. Margaret’s and others who had travelled from Rowleston and even Llanfihangel Crocorney across the border in Wales. Villages here do not have centres with village greens but have populations dispersed along the many lanes and at the end of tracks leading from what seem like field gates. The community therefore proves its existence at gatherings such as these, church services and funerals, and at the many events held at the larger Escleyside Community Centre. Some people make the mistake when visiting the area of thinking that they would not like to live in what seems to them to be an isolated place but it would seem you are isolated as much as you wish, unlike the forgotten flat in a city block where no one knows each other, and what’s more, don’t seem to care about it either.
I had no idea what to expect from a Folk Music Workshop. From the information which had reached me it seemed that turning up and being prepared to listen or join in with the occasional chorus would be sufficient, but things soon gained momentum after a warm up song, Drill Ye Tarriers Drill. We were invited to make suggestions as to what might be attempted and a suit case of song books was soon being explored by many of us. Decisions were also made as to whether an accompaniment could be provided either by the banjo or the guitar which had been brought along. A modern keyboard was usful for establishing a preferred pitch but otherwise many of the songs were unaccompanied. Although many said they came as listeners, judging from the pleasant group sound which emerged the majority seem to have been prepared to have a go.
The main objective, getting people singing, was soon achieved. This would not be a place for those who want well rehearsed pieces and brilliant musicianship. The ethos is one of encouragement and tolerance so that the songs really did come from the folk present. Sea shanties were a good mainstay with their strong rhythms and robust choruses. So too were the old community songs such as Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag, the final song of the evening. Along the way we had old favourites like the Leaving of Liverpool, When the Boat Comes In (sung by a genuine Geordie visiting the area) and the undoubted hit of the evening, Down on Misery Farm, sung by genuine farmers, one playing an accompaniment on an accordion, recently released from a loft where it had lain for many years.
By popular acclaim it was agreed to try and make the workshop a monthly affair once Christmas was over. With five apologies received it would seem that an attendance in the twenties is perfectly possible. As I drove off into the night well refreshed by the experience and the combination of a hot drink and a small army of snacks and cakes I was reminded that things only happen when people turn up and have a go. Quite a simple idea really.
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