January Workshop Recap

A full house participated in our January workshop led by Randy Miller.  With a new circular seating format, and Gordon Peery on piano, Randy taught us Dr. Mackay's Farewell to Creagorry (aka, Dark Island), Repeal the Poll Tax (reel), and The Stool of Repentance (jig). When we played the tunes as a set, Randy decided to switch the order to have the reel as the last tune as a way to keep up the energy. (Be careful not to play the jig too fast, or you’ll die trying to play the ‘notey’ reel at the same pace!)

During the workshop, Randy taught with both his fiddle and with his French Saltarelle accordion. He described how he had performed modification of the bass side reed blocks to give a lighter tone, in balance with the treble reeds of the accordion. He made suggestions as to arrangements, dynamics, ornamentation, and variations of rhythmic accompaniment. Randy also explained how to recognise repetitive ‘bits’ in a tune as a way to help learning, and how to use those melodic phrases when practicing. His parting message to us was “Do your scales.”