[scots-l] Lochgoilhead Fiddle Weekend

[Nigel Gatherer]

sharon knowles wrote:

 Sue and I very much enjoyed the Lochgoilhead session and now we know
 Nigel was the one playing the mandolin! We had to leave before the
 end, unfortunately. Sue Richards and myself are living in Argyll for
 three months and doing a few gigs.

I wish I'd known! I was going to run after you when you left and tell
you how much I had enjoyed playing with you (and how I wished we'd been
more together), but then I felt I couldn't leave the session (since I
was the host). I did speak to you in the car park beforehand, but you
both seemed preoccupied.

 So, actually, there were three professional musicians in there. Me,
 Sue and the guitar player who was with us, Ron Pirrie.

 I didn't think we sounded that bad! 

No - you sounded great. My comment was based on somebody saying to me
earlier All the good players aren't coming till tomorrow... to which
I objected. We were all good musicians there, in that we played
together and had a good time doing it. Ron was good too, with his baby
guitar.

 Also, there was a really good fiddler there who was probably Amy
 Geddes, as she was the one advertised. 

Yes, it was Amy. She didn't play for long because she had a
come-and-try session in the morning, and a concert in the afternoon.
I've been in too many sessions which became competitions, and it's not
what turns me on. I like to play WITH people. 

Anyway, no offence meant by my comment, Sharon. I'm kicking myself that
we didn't have a chat. Where are you staying?

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/

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Re: [scots-l] Lochgoilhead Fiddle Weekend

[sharon knowles]

Hello to all

Sue and I very much enjoyed the Lochgoilhead session and now we know Nigel was the one 
playing the mandolin! We had to leave before the end, unfortunately. Sue Richards and 
myself are living in Argyll for three months and doing a few gigs.

So, actually, there were three professional musicians in there. Me, Sue and the guitar 
player who was with us, Ron Pirrie.

I didn't think we sounded that bad! Also, there was a really good fiddler there who 
was probably Amy Geddes, as she was the one advertised. Great tone, really nice 
playing. So, that makes four professionals!

Sharon Knowles.

---Original Message---
From: Nigel Gatherer [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 09/01/03 09:42 AM
To: Scots-L Posting [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [scots-l] Lochgoilhead Fiddle Weekend

 
 I spent Saturday at Lochgoilead, where the Goil Fiddles were having a
fiddle weekend. Bizarrely, I was there to conduct a couple of mandolin
workshops, but they also asked me to host a pub session on Saturday
evening. 

The Goil Fiddles (or is it Fiddlers?) are an off-shoot of the Glasgow
Fiddle Workshop, and they've been doing marvellous things in this
remote wee village in the west of Scotland. They've held fiddle
classes, and have been bringing quality bands to perform in concert.
This weekend was nominally a fund-raiser, but served as a
profile-raising exercise just as much, if not more (the fund-raising
aspect wasn't made easier by the fact that the Cowal Games, one of the
largest social events in the area was on the same day). There were
exhibitions, stalls, concerts, sessions, workshops, come-and-try
events, arts and crafts, and so on. I thought it excellent, and it just
shows what can be done when there is the will of an energetic person or
group.


My Come and Try session was for people with no experience of
mandolin, and was very successful, with seventeen people turning up. I
had managed to borrow thirteen mandolins (from a mandolin orchestra),
and a couple had brought their own, but some people had to share, but
it was fine. We all had a great time, and the sound of sixteen
mandolins alternating from the G chord to D was magnificent, and
luckily they thought so too!

I had prepared for the workshop, at which I was looking at pentatonic
scales. Alas! Not one person turned up. I was quite happy about it, and
shortly after a guitarist friend showed up, so we went down to the
village hall where we played a mandolin/guitar duet for about an hour
amongst the stalls, exhibitions, etc, to the apparent delight of the
locals.

The pub session later was great. I was pitching it at learners and
local musicians rather than pros, and I think that's why it was
successful. I played from just after 8pm until about 12.30am and
happily knew almost all the tunes that people suggested. 

All in all it was a great day in a beautiful setting with brilliant
weather. I was put up in a lovely cottage looking out over a sea loch -
heaven.

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music  Culture List - To
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Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music  Culture List - To 
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