Recap of March 8 Fiddle Club Meeting

. . . That evening, after supper, we had a wonderfully varied and inspired open mike. First we heard a set of tunes from Danny Pitts on guitar and Nathan Silva on pipes. Then Nathan switched to a doumbeck, and he and Danny were joined by fiddlers Karen and Debbie Billmers for a lively set. Finally, Terry Traub played piano. Although we were not able to cast a light into the dark corner in which the piano stood, Terry brightened up the entire hall with his playing.

A big crowd had gathered for the afternoon workshops, and our numbers grew even larger after supper as at least a dozen listeners came to enjoy the evening session playing and dancing.

- Phyllis Lindsay

Meeting Notes, April 12

First we all learned "Sherriff Muir" by ear. Then, half of us took to the dance floor so Laura Scott could teach the Canadian Barn Dance while the other half played. Then we switched, so everyeone got a chance to play and dance. It was a good way to see, hear, and feel how important rhythm is to dance music and how the music and dance go hand in hand.

We did the same thing for the pipe tunes "Bonawe Highlanders" and "Murdo Mackenzie of Torridon" -- half of us dancing, half of us playing -- but this time we learned the Britannia Two-Step. After all was said and done, I think we all got plenty of exercise for the day!

We ended the workshop early to have a meeting about the Fiddle Club in the coming year. Most of us sat in on the meeting. Ed started out by saying, "A lot of good things are happening this year," including the fact that there have been more people of all ages at the meetings. But he also reminded us that, for the club to work well, we need more people "on the giving end of leadership." He was asking not just for volunteers but for leaders -- people who will take on responsibilities, coordinate the volunteers doing the actual tasks, and see that things get done. [More info in physical newsletter]

Then it was time for supper. After everyone had eaten, Pan Chan demonstrated the web site he created for the fiddle club as a project for a course he's taking. He brought his laptop along so we could all see what the site had to offer. And hear, too: There was even a midi file recording of "The Shetland Fiddler."

Soon after the evening session got underway, we had a few open mike performances. First Julia and Alanna Tryder played what sounded like at least a dozen reels. At each segue, all they needed was a brief glance between them to signal that it was time for the next one. Then Pan played a long and varied set, accompanied by Ed on piano.

Toward the end of the session, there was a lot of dancing. The instand Laura heard "The Fiddler's Coming Tonight" start up, she sprang into action and raced around trying to locate some dancers. At first, she and Danny Pitts did some step dancing. Then several others joined in for a very lively set of dances that left the players and dancers alike somewhat breathless.

- Phyllis Lindsay