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Blackford is a small village in south Perthshire, just off the A9 between Perth and Dunblane. It is perhaps an unremarkable place, but we like to think that one of the things that is remarkable here is the fiddle group. Set up in about 1996 by Pete Cope it aims to help people of any age to learn to play the fiddle in a traditional style. It is not intended to teach people how to play the classical violin. There are no qualified tutors. If you or your child want to learn to play classical violin, BFG is not for you. The goal of the group is to enable people to play fiddle tunes competently and confidently so that they can enjoy themselves and entertain other people at social events. Practical demonstration of this is available every Friday evening at the group sessions in Blackford and afterwards in the Allanbank Hotel at Greenloaning. (See Sessions page.) BFG is an entirely self-funded group and we welcome anyone who wants to play. We aim to remove any barriers to playing. Anyone can join – there are no tests of musical ability, and we do not believe that ability to play music can be predicted by such means. We will lend you a fiddle to start off with and you can keep it until you are ready to buy your own. Our current charge is just 50p per week (£1 for adults) to cover hall costs. All other costs of BFG are met from donations and fees for concerts and ceilidhs. We are a very informal crowd and we do not have lots of committee meetings and rules. We do have a constitution, but the easiest way to see what we are about is to sit in on one of our Friday night sessions (7.00 pm, Moray Institute, Blackford). Parents and children are welcome to drop in and stay as long (or as short) as they like. Learning is a very social activity in our view and the Friday sessions are at the core of that. Our slogan is "Be your own good teacher" as we believe that you only learn by playing and that the best thing to do is to play regularly. No one can teach you except through your own playing. By playing with others you will learn from them and you should also enjoy the process. Practice, including playing together and a desire to be able to play are important, but none of that will really mean much if you don't enjoy it. The Fiddle Group tries to create the right mix of fun, entertainment and support so that people at all stages of learning can enjoy what is on offer. Whatever you do though, don't think about for too long, just pick up your fiddle and play. If you prefer, bring a whistle, flute, cello, guitar, bouzouki, banjo or your pipes. Go to the Hints n Help page for more information and help with learning. BFG have produced one CD, Free Reeling. Click here for details. Here are some useful features on learning to play fiddle that you can find on this web site. Learning to play the fiddle with BFG Hints n Help Music Page Other links can be found below and on the links page. Child Protection Policy Contact us If you would like to know more about the philosophy of BFG, methods of learning and how it relates to other learning methods please go to our Links page and click the link to Pete Cope's original BFG web site. |
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