ABOUT ME:

Traditional Irish music suits me to a “T” because I love everything old. My house is full of mementos: my grandfather’s radio, my great-grandmother’s armchair, rose-painted teacups and vintage dolls. I don’t see these things as old. I see them as rich -- rich with memories, with history, and beauty.

Traditional Irish tunes hold the same pleasure for me; they are like stones that get their beautiful shape from mingling with other stones at the ocean’s edge. Each is unique; each tells its own story.

I learned how to play the fiddle first from my husband Patrick, who is an Uilleann piper. For this reason, my playing uses a lot of piping accents and ornaments. Though I have studied with many fiddle players, the one whose music is my deepest inspiration is Tony Linnane from Corofin, County Clare, who was my teacher during 1982 while I was living in Ireland. Other teachers living in America whom I admire are James Kelly, Willie Kelly, and Martin Hayes. All of these players have a connection to what is called the Clare style of Irish fiddling.

I have a Master's Degree in Folklore from UNC Chapel Hill. My thesis was on generational change in the music of County Clare. I like to talk music almost as much as playing it and hope to use this slot on the website to vent some of my opinions and knowledge. Below is information about the different styles of Irish traditional fiddling. I hope to post a discography and some musical links at a later date (stay tuned), but for now, scroll down to find out about lessons and some background on regional styles.

FIDDLE LESSONS

HOW:

As a fiddle teacher, I try to stick to the old fashioned
way of teaching by ear. I play a phrase until the student
grasps it, and then we go on to the next phrase, building
until we have the whole tune. Sometimes students ask for
a written guide, and we use tabulature, a sort of graph for
where to put fingers on the string, rather than written music.

WHY:

My goal for my students is sheer enjoyment of playing Irish traditional tunes. Irish music is social music. Much of the joy of music is sharing it with others, so once a month students have a chance to meet, listen, eat potluck, and play tunes here at my home or the home of other students.

WHEN:

I teach in my home in Spruce Pine, NC on weekday afternoons and evenings, and prefer one-hour lessons.

EXPECTATIONS:

I expect students to show up with a playable instrument with good strings on it. (It is helpful to have your ‘rig’ updated by someone at a music store, if it has been lying around for a while unplayed).

I expect students to show up at their lesson having learned the tune from the previous lesson.

I expect students to give me at least 24 hours notice if they can’t make their lesson.

YOU’LL NEED:

• A blank audiocassette to be used in my cassette recorder, or your own recording device (digital, etc.) You’ll also need a way of playing back lessons at home. When we finish learning a tune, I record it for students slowly so he or she can practice along with it.
• Rosin
• Tuning fork or electronic tuner
• A sense of humor

FEES:

I charge different rates depending upon frequency of lessons. I am willing to negotiate fees on a sliding scale or to barter with dedicated students who are on a tight budget.

• Once a week, regularly: $25.00 an hour
• Biweekly: $30.00 an hour
• Drop-in, unscheduled: $30.00 hour
• Reserved spot (for people whose professions demand travel): $35.00 an hour.

WHO:

I prefer to teach adults and mature children with some background experience (would love if you can play a scale or two, know how to hold the violin). However, I am willing to offer lessons on a trial basis to motivated beginners who have a good ear if they demonstrate that they are connecting with the process. I recommend to moms and dads that they start out their very young ones with a good Suzuki teacher to learn basic violin skills before they attempt to learn a folk fiddling style like Irish traditional.

CONTACT:

I can be reached at (828) 765-6628 or at   cathysky@intrex.net

WHAT IS A REGIONAL STYLE?

Players of Old Time music are familiar with regional styles. For instance, they may favor Kentucky tunes, or the music of Round Peak, NC. The style is often defined by influential players of the region, one whom local musicians like to emulate, or from whom they take certain licks -- ways of bowing, phrasing, ornamenting their tunes. Style often includes a certain body of tunes that are popular in a given region, a distinctive repertoire. During my fieldwork in County Clare, Ireland, for my master's in Folklore, I discovered that favorite tunes can become that way because of their link with dancing. A tune may have a pattern that encourages rhythmic improvisation for dancers. In Clare style sean-nos (old fashioned) set dancing, there is a tradition of battering, in which men strike the floor with flat-footed outbursts of percussive exuberance. This pattern may often fall in the end part of the tune phrase, or be distributed throughout the melody. "Over the Moor to Maggie," a reel, is an example of such a tune, as is "The Woman of the House."

In Ireland, during the 1950s, a composer named Sean O'Riada traveled to rural counties with John Kelly, Sr, a fiddler from Clare who moved to Dublin and befriended musicians from all over the country who flocked to his music and hardware shop there. O'Riada wrote a booklet from these journeys for an Irish Radio RTE series called "Our Musical Heritage." Kelly knew many players in the Western counties, and from hearing those musicians, O'Riada put together a definition of regional stlyles that survives to this day. At that time, people thought that these styles were the result of the times when people from a certain area were unable to travel very much, before the time of the motorcar and before recordings brought outside influences into their music circles. I have learned that there was more traveling by foot, horse cart, bicycle, and boat than one might think during the old days, and people went great distances to fairs and markets. As well, traveling dancing masters went around Ireland, distributing their knowledge and music across regional lines. So the idea of pure regional styles must be taken with a grain of salt. Also, within a region there may be pockets of players with very different approaches than what is commonly thought of as their home style.

The main fiddle styles identified by O'Riada include:

Donegal, or Northern Fiddling: Because of the link with Scots populations and the influence of the Scots War Pipes in the music of Donegal, the style includes many tunes that stay in the one-octave range of the Scots pipes. (The Irish, Uilleann pipes have two full octaves, in contrast.)The bowing can be quite sharp and the pace is usually fast and bright, with a love of verve and energy. It is the style most closely linked to the Old Time music of the American South. Ornamentation is fairly easy going, with sharp, staccato bowed triplets being the main feature.

Kerry: A music of whirlwind rhythms and unpretentious phrasing, favoring Polkas and Slides, from the influence of many years of social dancing. Padraig O'Keefe, a retired schoolteacher, was the traveling dance master and fiddling teacher of the region and is remembered today as the grandaddy of Kerry music.

Clare: A style of fiddling with emphasis on embellishment and enjoyment of melody, often in an emotive, expressive way. Rolls and grace notes abound. However, there is an interesting divide between West and East Clare styles of fiddling. Western players tend to be quicker and more dance oriented, influenced by the traveling Limerick dance master Pat Barron. In East Clare, a player named Johnny Allen from the late 1900s made popular among his students a "sweet" style of playing in which the melody is taken slowly, savored, and highly ornamented. The popular fiddler Martin Hayes is the third generation link in this chain of evocative East Clare players.

Sligo: Similar to Clare playing in its embellishment, Sligo playing is a great deal more flamboyant and polished: a true performance music. The Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman emigrated to the United States and made an indelible mark on the music in New York and back in Ireland during the 1920s when his playing was recorded and sent "back home" on 78 records. Coleman played for concert halls, and could dance while playing. To this day, New York Sligo players are practiced, meticulous performance players, though through the fiddling of older generation players like Martin Wynne, it is obvious that the older, pre-Coleman layers of Sligo music were much more laid back, similar to Clare and Galway music.

Galway: To be honest, I can't recall if O'Riada mentioned Galway music, but in recent years I have learned about it from players like Mike Casey, Mike Rafferty, Father Charlie and Jack Coen. The music of especially East Galway has a similar expressive approach to Clare's, with a fondness for rolling, graceful rhythms. Some of the great composers of our times have come from this area, producing tunes that venture into unexpected modes and moods: Paddy Fahey, Sean Ryan, Eddie Moloney, Father Kelly, Tommy Coen.

I may be imagining it, but I can hear the influence of the ocean in Clare and Galway music, a sort of nature spirit that permeates them, giving them a flowing and surging quality. Playing this way is pleasing because I feel I am sharing something other than notes with people, speaking in a universal language of tone and feeling.

I plan to post a discography of music pointing to players who exemplify the influence of these regional styles. But another day! Just a quick summary: Donegal--Altan. Clare--Martin Hayes, James Kelly. Kerry--Julia Clifford. Sligo: Brian Conway. Galway: Mike and Mary Rafferty.

A great resource for traditional Irish music in this country is Ossian USA. They have a webpage and a huge roster of recordings, books, and video. Charlie and Mary Lou Philbin are also fun to talk to on the phone. Great folks!