Category: Classes

Fiddle, Harp & Feet Workshop #2

February 24, 6:30-8:30 pm

Maldon’s studio (2400 NE Alberta St. Upstairs! Look for sandwich boards to find back entrance)

$20 (payable at class, but please pre-register): cash, check or Venmo

• Hudie Gallagher’s Jig Recording
• Hudie Gallager’s Jig Sheet Music

Dance Steps & learning by feet or ear

• The Blackthorn Stick Recording
• The Blackthorn Stick Sheet Music

Dance pay

• The Priest and His Boots sheet music
• The Priest and His Boots recording

Frist two steps broken down and strenth warm up

Below is a video of Michael and Céline Tubridy dancing the Priest in His Boots. Maldon learned this dance from Ben Power, who learned if from James Keane of Co. Clare. James’ version is slighly differnt. James version is “crooked” meaning that when he danced the musician played the tune AA/BB/AA/B/AA/BB and James dance the steps that way. Michael and Céline Tubridy dance it straight AA/BB format. Michael learned the dance from Dan Furry and Michael took the liberity of straightening out the steps/tune. James and Dan danced together.

James Keane’s or Dan Furry version – Ben Power’s students dancing The Priest in His Boots and Ben play the tune on flute with his flute students. Notice the B the second time through the tune is only played once, this is because the step they are dancing is only a 4 bar step repeat on each side to make 8 bars. In Michael and Céline Tubridy version they combine the two steps so that it is semtrical and you have a 16 bar step that is repeated on both sides.

Link to PDF book – Priest in His Boots is on page 3 after the forward. This book is avaialbe free to view on the internet. It is a great resouce for dancers and musicians. Michael has included the sheet music for the tunes as well as the dances written out in his dance notation.

Nearding out – if you want to neard out on this dance here is my full playlist.

• Trip to Sligo (Dm version) sheet music
• Trip to Sligo recording

Dance Steps

My 3 month goal (90 day goal) to create dance steps. My adution goal is to create steps to one tune a week. I am going to use the Album Brightly or Darkly by Nathan Gourley & Laura Feddersen. I am going record some of my improvisaional session and then once I have a step that I can repeate on right and left side I will record a woodshed session with that step.

I will track my time and get a since of how much time it takes me to create these steps. And adjust my goal from there.

• 1. Sir George MacKenzie / Monaghan Twig / Seán Sa Cheo 03:10
• 2. An Spailpín Fánach / Step It Out Joe 03:12
• 3. Pride of Roxbury / Paddy Joe Tighe’s / The Road to Town 03:40
• 4. From Galway to Dublin / The Harp and Shamrock 03:50
• 5. Maeve’s / Dinny O’Brien’s / Carraigín Ruadh 04:18
• 6. Allistrum’s / Ned Kelly’s 03:52
• 7. The Maids of Mitchelstown / Callaghan’s 02:44
• 8. Joe Bane’s / Ah Surely 04:27
• 9. Matt Peoples’ / The Rookery 03:06
• 10. I Ne’er Shall Wean Her / Hardiman’s Fancy 03:21
• 11. The Haymaker / Return to Camden Town / My Maryanne 04:26
• 12. Humours of Glynn 03:57
• 13. Kitty Got a Clinking Coming From the Fair / Flowers of Red Mill / The Strawberry Blossom 03:12
• 14. Paddy Sean Nancy’s / The Leitrim Thrush / The Holy Land 03:37
• 15. The Morning Thrush / Spike Island Lasses 04:08
• 16. Collier’s / The Bucks Of Oranmore
• 17. The Whole Album – Endurance Challenge

Fiddle, Harp & Feet Workshop #1

January 27, 6:30-8:30 pm

Maldon’s studio (2400 NE Alberta St. Upstairs! Look for sandwich boards to find back entrance)

$20 (payable at class, but please pre-register): cash, check or Venmo

Each workshop will have a different type of tune that we will focus on.  Our first session this month will focus on waltzes.  Elizabeth chose 2 waltzes common in harp repertoire, and Betsy chose 2 that are common for fiddles.  Maldon will teach 3 dances:  Set dance in waltz time, waltzing, and waltz clog (dancing percussively in waltz time). Recordings and sheet music are attached (NOTE: Elizabeth’s 2 waltzes are in one pdf) We won’t spend class time learning the tunes.  You can either learn the tunes beforehand, bring sheet music to read, or challenge yourself to learn them on the fly during class (if you want to work on that!).  We want our classes to be accessible to many levels of players, so if you can’t learn 4 waltzes, come anyway. We’ll be able to show you ways to participate musically anyway!

We would like to highlight how we all can combine the elements of music in our playing and dancing.  Fiddles usually play melodies, but can also play harmonies, backup and rhythm. Harps often do backup, but can also play melodies, harmonies and rhythm.  And dancers can combine both melody and backup playing into their dancing.  

We love the vision of learning and growing as a community of musicians, rather than in our own musical corners.  So much traditional music and dance over the years has been done all together, with people of varying abilities.  The more advanced players can often be so inspiring and nurturing to newer players, and also can learn from the newer players some of the things that might never have been taught to them.

We hope that many of you will want to come to all the classes that we do, but they can be taken one at a time, so it’s OK to miss some if you’re unable to do them all.   We will also have classes on February 24 and March 24, same time and same place, but different musical focus.

Please let any of us know if you have any questions.

Betsy, Elizabeth & Maldon

Download Tune & sheet Music

• Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes
• Sheet Music

Dance Steps

Download Tune & sheet Music

• Scarborough Fair
• Sheet Music

Download Tune & sheet Music

• La Valse des Jeunes
• Sheet Music

Download Tune & sheet Music

• Valse de Pastouriaux
• Sheet Music

Partner – Waltzing

Step 1 2 3

Frame

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Turn & hands

The Waltz Cotillon – Instructions

Waltz Clogs

Traditional Pattern

• Basic or Timing step
• trick
• Basic or Timing step
• trick
• Basic or Timing step
• trick
• Trick
• Ending

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Down the Rabit hole – here is a playlist of several classes covering the waltz clog steps.

Maldon’s Advance & Retire Step Woodshedding

Maldon’s Advance & Retire Step Page. Members if you want to go down the rabbit hole on this step check out the playlist on the step page.

The Maldon Advance & Retire Step, inspired by the Devane’s and Ó Haibicín’s steps, is perfect for both set dancing and sean-nós dancing. I designed this step to simplify the advance & retire movement, making it accessible for everyone. We had been practicing complex steps, which were difficult to perform at full speed. Below are three versions of this step—pick the one that suits your level best.

Having these variations allows you to dance at any tempo. If the music is too fast, I simplify the steps by removing beats to make it easier.

In this woodshed

• Devane (Devane Family Page)
• Heel Backs
• Shuffle
• Level 1 – Advance & Retire with steps at the end
• Level 2 – Advance & Retire with shuffle at the end
• Level 3 – with 3 heel backs and shuffle at the end

Level 1 – Advance & Retire with steps at the end

• heel ball slap, heel ball slap, heel ball slap, down down | ball drop drop, ball drop drop, ball drop drop, down down
• 123, 123, 123, 1 2 | 123, 123, 123, 1 2
• dapa da, dapa da, dapa da, da da | dapa da, dapa da, dapa da, da da

Level 2 – Advance & Retire with shuffle at the end

• heel ball slap, heel ball slap, heel ball slap, down down | ball drop drop, ball drop drop, down shuff-le drop tap
• 123, 123, 123, 1 2 | 123, 123, 12345
• dapa da, dapa da, dapa da, da da | dapa da, dapa da, dapa dapa da

Level 3 – with 3 heel backs and shuffle at the end

• heel ball slap, heel ball slap, heel ball slap, down down | ball drop drop, ball drop drop, ball drop drop, shuff-le drop tap
• 123, 123, 123, 1 2 | 123, 123, 123 45&6
• dapa da, dapa da, dapa da, da da | dapa da, dapa da, dapa dapa da

Tricky Step Woodshedding

Tricky Step – Members if you want to go down the rabbit hole on this step check out the playlist on the step page.

In 2009, I was performing in the Portland Revels and teaching classes in my friend Shannon’s living room, just before opening the Stomptown Collective studio.

Whenever I’m dancing a lot or performing in a show, new steps tend to emerge. One day, while dancing in my kitchen, I created this step and what would become our Day 3 step. Somewhere, I have an old recording of my creation, complete with the sound of pots and pans rattling in the background.

That week, I shared these steps in class. One of the dancers asked if they had a name. Since I had just created them, they didn’t. She decided to name them on the spot. “That’s tricky, it should be called Tricky,” she said for the first one. When I taught the next step, she exclaimed, “That’s Madness.” The names have stuck ever since. I always think of these two steps together, and I remember that student fondly whenever I teach them.

In this woodshed

• Level 1 – Tricky no extra beats
• Level 2 – Tricky with a tap
• Level 3 – Tricky with the ending

Tricky with slow music

Madness Step Woodshedding

Madness Step – Members if you want to go down the rabbit hole on this step check out the playlist on the step page.

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Maldon After Mick Step Woodshedding

Maldon After Mick Step – Members if you want to go down the rabbit hole on this step check out the playlist on the step page.

This was a step that I made up to help me remember the rhythm of Mick’s step when I couldn’t do the step up to speed yet.

Mick’s orginal step – Two sided – Mick’s Page

Both of these steps are great for set dancing and for sean-nós dancing.

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Ti Albion Cool Heels Step Woodshedding

Ti Albion Cool Heels Step – Members if you want to go down the rabbit hole on this step check out the playlist on the step page.

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Quincy’s Slide Step Woodshedding

Quincy’s Slide Step – Members if you want to go down the rabbit hole on this step check out the playlist on the step page. You will also find a link to the Rookery Course with all the steps and lessons from that dance number.

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