Making Music with a Stick
Notes from The Randal Bays Fiddle Workshop, by N. Jarrell

(This workshop was sponsored by Portland Ceili Society, website at www.ceili.wizardisland.org/ )

Participants at the PCS sponsored Randal Bays Fiddle Workshop were entertained and inspired by Randal Bays' inimitable instruction. The November 4th workshop was graciously hosted by PCS Board Member, Betty Woerner.

One of the unique aspects of this workshop was that Randal, a true scholar and practitioner of Irish traditional music, shared an old method he has recently revived for use in his own playing, that is, the tuning down of his fiddle a half (or sometimes whole) step. One can hear examples of tunes in this tuning on Randal's recent lovely CD, "Katy Bar the Door." (For the fiddle players out there who were unable to make this one: this discussion also included reference to young Dublin fiddler Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh's "Kitty Lie Over" recording, in which the fiddle is tuned all the way down to B.)

A bonus for attendees who are dancers as well as fiddlers was the mention Randal—an original founder of Portland Ceili Society--made of the close tie between Irish music and dance, going so far as to remind us that in the Irish traditional genre "The idea of music apart from dance is a very foreign thing."

Randal also enlightened students on style differences from region to region, taught a tune bare bones, then gave students a chance to flesh out that tune with appropriate ornamentation, reminding them that the main thing to strive for is the "life and lift that is the trademark of good melody players." (Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm…)

He gave students practical advice on technique, practice, ways to cure bad habits and more. If these fiddlers are able to incorporate even half of Randal's fabulous tips into their own playing, you may soon be lucky to find one of them playing at a ceili near you!

PCS looks forward to Randal's return next year, when Randal may be back with a concert, workshop, and more.