Category: In-Person

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

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.

Playlists

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Practice videos – I have all the steps that we will cover over the 8 weeks in the video playlist on the intro page. Feel free to dig around in there. They should be in the order that I will be teaching them. On this week 1 tab you will find notes for what we covered on our first day. Also the practice videos that I made in class and below that you will find our practice videos for the 3 shuffles, 2 shuffles, 4 heels step.

We covered:

• Jigs – 6/8 timing, humpty dumpty is a jig
• tap step
• heel step
• toe behind step
• stamp step
• Shuffle
• 3 shuffles (with tap, heel, or toe behind endings)
• 4 heels (1234 sound)
• 2 shuffles and 4 heels
• Step: 3 shuffles, 2 shuffles, 4 heels

Practicing: You don’t have to practice but using the practice video of steps once or twice here and there will help. This will take 4-6 minutes. A good place to start a practice routine is to habit stack your practice sessin with a habit you already do. Like dancing while you are waiting in line for something, waiting for the coffee to brew in the morning, before you sit down for lunch, before after brushing your teeth. Find something that you do regularly and link it with your new dancing habit.

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• https://siamsa.ie/ – This is the streaming radio station of all Irish music that our fabulous accordion player Jim Loewenherz mentioned.
• www.youtube.com/@maldonmeehan1682 My youtube channel. I have loads of playlists of music and dance tracks and videos. Feel free to save any playlist to your own youtube account. In particular for this class I have a jig music playlist which you can slow down tracks and use for practicing.
  • Music Playlist: https://youtu.be/CMKeLWn7Buw?si=F5n_ONTcQNoTdCM8
  • Dance Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHFWC42DkugpZyFrzhjGZNKMK292GuRLW&si=3c6LVoPOiyuRdF8_

Playlist

Frame / Lead

Hands & turning

Hands & Turn

This is a playlist for ballroom lead and follow, but many of the things and tips will transfer over to set dancing. Set dancing frame looks more relaxed and the arms and elbows are not as high, but the tension and pressure is the same in the connecting points is the same.

Polkas / Slides / Hornpipes

Week one we will look at dancing to polkas, jigs and slides. In particular sets from Slaibh Luchra (Cork, Kerry and Limerick). I was lucky enough to be able to dance to the music of Johnny O’Leary, Timmy O’Connor and John Walsh. All great Sliabh Luchra musicians. Timmy recently passed this last month. I had the opportunity to spend my free time at Willie Week with Timmy and John. I had many lovely chats with both of them that week as well as danced to their music and danced with them. Beautiful music and people.

We will work on the down step used for polkas, slides and jigs as oposed to the up step used for last terms reels.

Solo

• Down 2 3’s
• 1 2 & 123
• & 1 & 2 & 1 2 3

Partner

• Swing
• House
• Body

Group

The Set of the Week: Sliabh Luchra Set

Timmy O’Connor

Timmy & John

Sliabh Luchra Dancing, music and history

Polkas / Slides / Hornpipes

Review – Sliabh Luchra Set

Week

Clare Dancing & The Caledonian

Steps

Willie Keane

Mick’s Advance & Retire Step

Week

Ormond Set – page with video and instructions.

Steps

Smooth Clare reel steps or other Clare battering steps. You can find those steps under the Clare dancing tab.

Polka/Slide/Jig

review of polka and slide steps. These steps can also be used for dancing to jigs.

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