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BAC on the Fiddle in Bridport
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| FIDDLEFEST: The workshop in progress |
REVIEW
BAC on the Fiddle
Bridport Arts Centre
Saturday, October 6
IT is not often fiddlers get to enjoy a festival devoted solely to their instrument, so Bridport Arts Centre's first fiddle festival was an event not to be missed.
BAC on the Fiddle' was made up of a workshop followed by a concert featuring some of the region's top young fiddle talent and was organised by Bridport-based Arac Promotions.
Classical violinists regularly get to enjoy the sound of 12 or more instruments being played together to create a full orchestral sound, but this was a rare chance to enjoy it in a folk music setting.
The sounds of fifteen fiddles filled the arts centre throughout Saturday afternoon at the workshop run by home-grown fiddler Becki Driscoll and her Devon playing partner Nick Wyke.
Pitched perfectly for players of all abilities there were hints and tips on how to play along with folk tunes whatever your standard, from those able to pick up diddlely diddlely' tunes by ear or music, to those just able to play a few notes.
But best of all from my point of view was the rare look at how to accompany tunes, something many fiddlers (who are so often left to lead the tune) have little experience or knowledge of. With chords and rhythms in mind I'll never look at "cheesy chips and beans" the same way again.
The evening's concert was opened by the BJ Band, aka the Bridport Jam Band, featuring Steve Jones, composers Andrew Dickson and Rob Lee, fiddler Emma McAvoy and Bridport councillor Ros Kayes on cello.
Clearly in it for the enjoyment rather than a practised line-up (they were accidentally formed at a Christmas party last year) they soon had the crowd tapping away to their mix of English, Celtic and Balkan tunes.
Becki Driscoll and Nick Wyke wowed the crowd with their perceptive playing, not so much duelling fiddles but a superb and harmonious display of what can be achieved with skill, talent and thought.
Many folk performers fall into the trap of playing it as fast and loud as they can, but these two used their energy and tricks deliberately and sparingly and are clearly in tune with each other's playing.
Their music includes traditional tunes arranged with skill by Wyke and new compositions by Driscoll and was a huge hit with the audience who flocked to buy their CDs at the end.
Wyke additionally showed off his fiddle singing skills (playing and singing at the same time), a feat also expertly practised by the final act of the evening, Young Folk Musician of the Year nominee Jackie Oates who brought her haunting voice and five-string fiddle alive on stage.
From the off she showed her talent for fiddle singing, combining singing with the usual bowing and fingering this time with the additional complication of left hand plucking.
It's hard to describe how difficult this all actually is. It's something akin to washing a window with the right hand while tapping out text on a keyboard with the left, not forgetting to hit the shift key in the right places to get capital letters and punctuation, and reciting poetry at the same time.
Despite being only in her early twenties she is fast making a name for herself having previously played with the likes of Show of Hands, Reg Meuross, Phil Beer and The Winterset, and with more gigs like this under her belt her solo confidence can only grow.
She was joined on stage for some numbers by her brother singer and guitarist Jim Moray, another folk award winner renowned for his merging the traditional with nu-folk', who as well as accompanying his sister also sang a couple of traditional songs.
The final four were also joined on stage at the end by some of the fiddle workshop band for a piece learnt that day.
Given the plaudits from the happy audience who left the organisers have said they hope to repeat the experience next year.
Sign me up now.
8:07pm Tuesday 9th October 2007
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