Fiddling Demystified for Strings Camp • July 28 - Aug. 1, 2008

WEEK 3 at Old Songs Inc., Voorheesville NY

Faculty: Donna Hébert - fiddle, Renata Bratt - cello, Max Cohen - guitar

Donna Hébert and cellist Renata Bratt (left) met while teaching at Mark O'Connor's 2006 San Diego Strings Conference, where they performed together. Renata also edited the cello settings for Fiddling Demystified: A Practical Guide for String Players.

For fiddlers, violinists, violists, cellists, guitarists & string teachers!

This five-day intermediate to advanced level intensive for only 30 participants thoroughly demystifies fiddling, showing fiddlers, string players and teachers how to interpret fiddle music in a variety of regional dialects.

Massachusetts fiddler and teacher Donna Hébert and California Alternative Styles cellist Renata Bratt approach each style through its technical requirements, cracking the codes of rhythms, ornaments and improvisation in Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, New England contradance, Southern Old-Time, Cajun and swing fiddling.

Donna and Renata also show how to translate fiddle tunes and style for the viola and cello. Guitarist Max Cohen teaches all levels of guitar (bring yours or borrow one!) and will accompany jams and group performances.

Donna is currently developing a graded fiddling curriculum for Massachusetts schools.

NEW! - Old Songs Inc. Fiddling & Strings Summer Day Camp WEEKS 1-2 with Donna Hébert & Groovemama July 7-11 (ages 6-18) and July 14-18 (novice-intermediate adults)

Thanksgiving Day (3.3 MB)

Vietnam-era veteran Donna Hébert is a fiddler and teacher from Amherst, Massachusetts. One of her students, Cynthia Thomas, wrote a beautiful melody called the Thanksgiving Waltz. Donna added lyrics this fall about the hopes and fears of families with members serving in the military. Recorded with guitarist Max Cohen, Donna sings and plays fiddle.

Donna's new song about the war's impact on military families!

A Practical Guide for String Players

Table of Contents & Lesson List Sample lesson: Swallowtail Jig

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70 pages, 31 Celtic and North American tunes with chords, bowings, style lessons, 20-page left-right hand guide to fiddle techniques, two 65-minute lesson CDs

sample tracks - mp3s: A Jigger of Blues, Thanksgiving Waltz

Fiddlejam CD - 31 tunes from Donna Hébert's Fiddling Demystified for String Players, with Donna and friends playing medleys for listening and jamming along with. With most tracks recorded in stereo, this intimate CD makes you feel you are in the living room with the musicians as they play! Several tracks feature Chanterelle and several others were recorded at 2004 Groove Camp faculty concerts. This CD is the companion listen and jam-along CD for Fiddling Demystified for String Players, Vol. I.

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Donna Hébert and Groovemama are working with Massachusetts and New York string teachers to write fiddling into the school string curriculum. Last summer, the Yarmouth-Dennis MA music educator Kerry Wynn attended the 2007 Fiddling Demsytified for Strings Camp after taking an ASTA workshop with Donna in April. Kerry already had a fiddling group for her middle and high schoolers on the Cape and was ready to work with Donna on this project. In addition to Yarmouth-Dennis school district's hosting the January 15 Groovemama workshop, Kerry and Donna are collaborating to develop a graded elementary through high school fiddling curriculum for string players based on regional fiddling styles.

1/15/08 - evening concert with Dennis/Yarmouth middle & high school orchestras. Yarmouth H.S., Yarmouth MA

Donna Hébert has been invited to present French-Canadian fiddling and teaching methods at the American String Teachers' Conference in Albuquerque in Feb. 2008. With Groovemama, she expanded that into a 10-day tour of Albuquerque, Phoenix and Tucson.

Donna, Jane Rothfield and guitarist Max Cohen are playing dance, workshop and concert dates (in the calendar, below) in Albuquerque, Tucson and Phoenix from Feb. 28 through March 9.

Please contact Donna about sponsoring a house concert or fiddle, banjo or guitar workshop.

3/9 - Tucson AZ - dance with Tod Whittemore