From an itch to cross off a bucket list goal to a desire to try something new, first-timers making a fresh foray into the world of fiddling noted a number of reasons for picking up the instrument at an Aurora Fiddle Society an adult beginner’s workshop Saturday in Ndilo.
“My son-in-law plays. My daughter plays. I got encouragement from my granddaughter to try it,” said Robert O’Rourke, clutching a fiddle inside the Kalemi Dene School.
O’Rourke, who took part in the adult first-timers workshop, was one of dozens who visited the day-long event, where fiddlers of all skill levels were divvied up into groups including youth first-timers, youth beginners and intermediates, along with adult first-timers, adult beginners and advanced players.
Katherine Guay, another newcomer who joined the adult first-timer class led by Nanaimo-based musician Geoff Horrocks – one of three B.C. musicians brought in by the society to instruct – said she attended the workshop to carry on an interrupted childhood interest.
First-timer Laurie Gault said she won't be playing the fiddle on a Canada Day float any time soon, but she had fun experiencing something new and challenging.
“I’ve always wanted to and I almost got around to it. I started when I was seven but never really got the chance to pursue it further,”said Guay.
After going over the basics, including the difference between a fiddle and a violin (hint: the instruments are virtually identical – it’s the style of music played that’s different) Horrocks laid out “the good news and the bad news.”
“It’s a wonderful instrument. You can make beautiful music and it’s really rewarding – because it’s so difficult. You have to be really patient when you’re learning to play. You have to be dedicated, pick up your fiddle and play it 15 minutes a day,” said Horrocks.
But Horrocks added it doesn’t matter when you pick it up.
“My oldest student I started was 80-years-old. You can start at any age,” he said.
In another room down the hallway, a group of advanced fiddlers gathered to play classic folk fiddle music, led by instructor Trish Horrocks and accompanied on guitar by Ryan McCord, a society member and workshop coordinator.
McCord told Yellowknifer there’s a number of reasons people new to fiddling come to the workshops –
held three to four times during the school year – but that there's a common denominator among all newcomers.
“I think they see the value in playing music and the joy it can bring to them and they want to learn to do that,” said McCord.
With a mandate to promote fiddling in Yellowknife and the North Slave region, McCord added the Aurora Fiddle Society event is “about building community.”
“It’s about bringing people together and making music together,” he said.
After completing a lesson in the adult first-timer group, Yellowknifer caught up with Laurie Gault, who said curiosity and an affinity for violin music brought her to the workshop.
“I’m having fun. It’s doing something different, doing something with your mind as opposed to work,” said Gault.
While she noted the instrument’s inherent challenges, like the need to employ cross-pattern coordination from both hands moving at the same time, Gault said “anything you want to do takes hard work.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ride of the float July 1,” she laughed, “but I’ll definitely do more workshops.”
She isn’t alone.
Exiting the Horrocks-led first-timer class, Katherine Guay said the workshop encouraged her to put the knowledge she gained to use.
“I’m thinking I’m going to practice with what they teach me today and then I’m going to keep an eye open for what comes next from the Fiddle Society. I’ll do what I can, learn on my own and come back and see what happens,” said Guay.
The next Aurora-Fiddle beginner’s workshop is slated to take place in September. The organization, launched in 2008, now boasts close to 80 members.