|
Simon T
Posts: 6410
|
Posted:
21 Aug 2006 at 09:00 |
We're going to introduce Strathspey and Reel Societies into the Scots Trad Music Awards this year and I'm looking forward to finding out more about them.
Has anyone here been part of one? |
Catriona
Posts: 191
|
Posted:
21 Aug 2006 at 09:55 |
yes, I was in the Edinburgh one for a couple of years before I discovered the joys of pub sessions. I learned a whole load of tunes that I wouldn't have been caught dead playing in pubs at the time, but they've crept back into fashion since.
I was also the first woman to ever wear trousers to an Edinburgh Highland Reel and Strathspey Society concert! Eyebrows were raised.
It was a nice bunch of people and a good thing to be part of. |
spike
Posts: 1823
|
Posted:
21 Aug 2006 at 12:11 |
I also played in the Edinburgh one when I was at school ! My cello teacher was actually a bassist who played with them and the Society were always short of ' bottom end' instruments, so he'd rope in older pupils. We were about 15 and the average age of the bulk of the players was about 70 ( or so it seemed ! ) but we were made very welcome and the fiddle players were a great bunch. I was surprised at the number of players who had also made their own fiddles.It was a good grounding and also a good way to hear loads of tunes, as the sets were pretty long !
Iain Cuthbertson, the actor, once described the massed ranks as sounding ' like a giant kazoo'... cheeky bugger... and yet......... !
:) |
Simon T
Posts: 6410
|
Posted:
21 Aug 2006 at 15:17 |
| This sounds great. Anyone been in any northerly societies? |
bowthruster
Posts: 283
|
Posted:
21 Aug 2006 at 16:13 |
Hi Simon
In Orkney we have the West Mainland Strathspey and Reel Society and The Orkney Strathspey and Reel Society. There's also the Kirkwall Accordion and Fiddle Club and various local 'music groups'.
The lines can get a bit blurry, especially between Acc & Fiddle and Strath & Reel, as they involve a lot of the same people. They're certainly a valuable activity, and a lot of people get a lot from them.
I was just hearing about some of the young uns being told once they were good enough they didn't have to go any more, which I think misses the point. Some organisations are for learning your instrument and some are for playing, the societies being the latter, I would say.
They are great organisations and highlighting them in the Trad awards I'm sure would be appreciated. However I would say that 'outstanding musicianship' is probably not the primary objective, as they seem more geared towards music being inclusive to everyone rather than excluding weaker players which a lot of groups/sessions tend to do.
Community involvement is also a big part of their work, which is vitally important especially in rural areas. You don't win many award for playing in old folks home and hospitals, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea.
|
DanT
Posts: 14
|
Posted:
21 Aug 2006 at 17:08 |
There are a few in the NE, I was a member of Garioch Fiddlers and there are others such as the Strathbogie Fiddlers in Huntly and Banchory Strathspey and Reel Society.
There are more but I cant think of them right now. |
Simon T
Posts: 6410
|
Posted:
22 Aug 2006 at 09:48 |
| If you put 'Strathspey and Reel Societies' into Google you get a few interesting entries. |
JAJ
Posts: 10751
|
Posted:
22 Aug 2006 at 10:55 |
Unfortunately, many of these societies carry a lot of passengers. I'm not complaining about beginners or improvers but those who don't bother to learn any of the tunes but just turn up every week regardless and play "off the music". I'm not against sheet music and a little bit of uniformity is necessary for these situations but the players ought to make an effort to learn the tunes and not rely on the music all the time. Unfortunately, many of them are very set in their ways, in that respect.
Another problem is that many of these societies are very undemocratic and the leader usually imposes a benign dictorship. The rest of us have no real say on the choice of material. We are allowed to make suggestions but these tend to get overlooked.
However, having said all that, I've learned a lot from playing with my local society (East lothian Fiddlers). Lots of great tunes as well as dross and my sight reading has improved no end over the years. We also made a CD recently. Also, you get invited to play at other societies' rallies which is great fun. You learn even more tunes.
There's also some young, vibrant societies, especially "Up North" so I do think that including them in the Trad awards is a good adea. It might prove to be a good kick up the erse for some of the more backward organisations too. :-) |
shona
Posts: 65
|
Posted:
22 Aug 2006 at 11:22 |
I was a fiddler in the Strathbogie Fiddlers in Huntly for many years. At the time when I joined there wasn't a junior section but after a couple of years more and more young folk joined. I must say it was a great place to meet other young folk who played the fiddle and we often went on wee outings to Strichen festival to compete and even "practice" weekends away to places like Cullen and Monymusk. Every year we held (and still do!) Strathbogie Junior Fiddlers Rally in the Stewarts Hall in Huntly - its always packed and often other juniors from other societies (like Garioch, Elgin, Banchory and Aberdeen) are asked to come and play as well.
The fiddlers supported Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas just last week at a gig in Rhynie Kirk.
I'm not sure about any of the other societies but Strathbogie is thriving and there seems to be no shortage of fiddlers in Huntly. Maybe this is something to do with Paul Anderson when he was Fiddler in Residence? |
Simon T
Posts: 6410
|
Posted:
22 Aug 2006 at 11:51 |
| Is a fiddle society the same thing as a strathspey and reel society? |
shona
Posts: 65
|
Posted:
22 Aug 2006 at 12:06 |
We were always the Strathbogie Fiddlers rather than Huntly Strathspey and Reel Society but we definately classed ourselves as one!
|
heeliefiddler
Posts: 170
|
Posted:
22 Aug 2006 at 12:30 |
The Helensburgh and Lomond Fiddlers are a great group. It's another group that aren't a 'strathspey and reel society' by name but the same idea. They have the main group and they also run classes for young players and beginner adults.
I've been a member since I was 6 or 7, but for the last few years I've return to teach there. There are now some great young players there and some of them want to go on to do music full time too.
The group are really supportive of there members, especially the young members.
|
Scozzese
Posts: 92
|
Posted:
27 Aug 2006 at 01:26 |
| I was a Garioch fiddler too! Some Strathspey and Reel societies just call themselves the 'area' fiddlers especially up in Aberdeenshire. We have the Garioch Fiddlers, the Ythan Fiddlers, the Strathbogie Fiddlers, the Meldrum Fiddlers the list goes on. A lot of them have junior societies too for the younger ones. |
sonny jim
Posts: 293
|
Posted:
27 Aug 2006 at 20:21 |
| Is there one in Fife , I wouldn't mind going along , I go to the Ladybank and Newburgh Fiddle and Accordian Clubs , but the fiddle is just a name , most are box players and you play to an audience , I would prefer to meet fellow fiddlers especially beginners like myself where we could learn from the experienced players |
Bill Y
Posts: 100
|
Posted:
27 Aug 2006 at 20:58 |
Box and Fiddle magazine lists 2 possibles:
Dunfermline S&RS tel 01382 821 802; Ferryport Fiddlers tel 01382 522 218. |
Ptarmigan
Posts: 870
|
Posted:
29 Aug 2006 at 19:52 |
Aye Scozzese, I myself was a 'Meldrum Fiddler' for a few years & had the greatest respect for Bill Hardie {R.I.P.} he was a gentleman.
They did, & hopefully still do, play out a lot to entertain in the likes of local Nursing Homes.
Must admit John J, being an ear player myself, although I had to have the notes up in front of me like everyone else, I just learned the tunes by ear. I could never understand the older players bothering the read the notes of simple wee tunes that they'd been playing all their lives.
A lovely old fellow in his late 70s, who used to sit next to me, would get this glazed expression on his face as he 'appeared' to be looking at the music, but I'm sure he knew all the tunes off by heart too!
I remember at a new Folk Festival in Inverurie one year, I persuaded some of them to meet me in a pub for a session, a concept they were clearly unfamiliar with, for I was actually delayed, & when I finally got there, I found them all set up in the pub ................... each with his music on a stand in front of him!
It looked quite bizarre!
Ah well, to be fair, there's more than one way to 'Skin a Cat', I suppose! |
JAJ
Posts: 10751
|
Posted:
14 Sep 2006 at 09:01 |
This weekend
16 September, 2006
Fiddlers Rally
Location: Elgin Town Hall, Elgin
7.30pm.
Booking from 25th August, 2006.
Tickets available from Tourist Information Office, 17 High Street, Elgin
Admission by programme - Balcony £6. Area £5
Senior Citizens and children £4 area only
Only the best players at this one (And me) :-)
This is the seventieth anniversary of the society and much of the music this year will have been composed by or dedicated to the late William McPherson, the well known local composer and fiddler.
Even you young yins will have played Brumley Brae in a session!
Guests for this one include compere Raymond Wood, Alan Roy(Accordian), and Bruce Davies (well known singer from Fife. Ex Beggar's Mantle?)
There should be a good tune afterwards too. :-) |
Zico
Posts: 168
|
Posted:
14 Sep 2006 at 09:43 |
Thanks for reminding me on this one J.J.
I've been once or twice when Willie was alive and we used to go to the Laich Moray for a late night drink and some of the boys would have a tune too.
Great times indeed as Banchory,Aberdeen and the then "new" Inverness societies would all be there.Sometimes there would be an overflow into Lossiemouth or Lanbryde,even Buckie was known to accommodate the revellers.
Nobody cared if music was on the stand,they just got on with it.No pigeon-holes in those days!
Zeek. |
IPaul
Posts: 1
|
Posted:
01 Oct 2006 at 13:42 |
I just came across this site and noticed the post from Sonny Jim.
Fife Strathspey and Reel Society meet at Dysart every Monday. See our new web-site at 'www.fsrs.co.uk', although it's still in it's infancy yet.
There are details there for the annual rally too, if you would like to see what the society is like before coming along. |
|
|