This coming Sat. one of the free work shops at the University of Chicago Folk Festival will be on fiddle styles. Traditionally this workshop is a panel of all the fiddlers whose groups will be playing at the evening’s performance. What they do is each take turns presenting tunes that they think sort of define what makes their fiddle style different from other fiddle styles.
Its really interesting to hear Irish versus Old Time versus Cajun versus Bluegrass versus Klezmer versus what ever is on the bill that night.
At the same time Barbara Cool will be presenting a free workshop on Scottish Dance.
Also on Sat. afternoon will be a free workshop called “Sean-nos Dance” taught by Gillian Stewart.
Sunday afternoon Paul Tyler will be presenting a free workshop on Midwestern (USA) fiddle tunes. He’s an ethnomusicologist.
In the past I’ve heard him compare tunes that were played by early Irish immigrants to the Midwest to similar tunes played by German immigrants or how some tunes might have evolved over time from European to American “Old time”.
What ever he presents Sunday should be interesting.
At the same time on Sun. Ed Heffernan will be giving a free workshop on Irish Dance.
You can find the whole schedule at http://www.uofcfolk.org/New/workshops.html