Halsway Manor Lockdown Session Number 6

Hello!

I'm really looking forward to this session! It's a session comprising of eight tunes written by four people that have been to Halsway. They're all great tunes, so learn them and then join in with myself and Jonny on the 21st June at 2pm!

The playlist for this session is below and each tune is linked to the teaching video so you can learn the tune. You can download a pdf of the tunes too so you can print it to play along with! Of course - all instruments are welcome to play along to all of these sessions, you don't have to be a nyckelharpa player! If you fancied filming yourself playing along (using headphones) once I get enough I'll edit together a big version with everyone playing along!

• The Noodle Slicer (by Ed Pritchard)
• Kerry's Lament (by Linda Hall)
• Narrowly Missed the Milk Jug (by John Cooke)
• The Heart Waltz (by Chris Drinkwater)
• Miranda's Mazurka (by Ed Pritchard)
• The Stand In (by Linda Hall)
• Doreen's Schottis (by Chris Drinkwater)
• Polska for Vicki (by John Cooke)
• Download a pdf of all the dots

If you enjoy the sessions, please consider buying a 'Session Coffee'. These go towards funding the sessions. Each session 'costs' about 50 coffees, so every 50 coffees, we'll film, edit and upload the next session.

:))

Vicki

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The Lockdown Halsway Bar Nyckelharpa Session - Number 4

Hello!
Welcome to the fourth session! This week we're back to Swedish tunes again.  The video goes live at 2pm on Sunday on YouTube, but you can start to get ready by looking at the playlist today!

There are five tunes in this session and they are all very well known and generally will be played at any nyckelharpa session in the UK. As usual I have invited Jonny Dyer to join me on the accordion for this session. Again, if you fancy filming yourself playing along to this session and I get enough I will edit it together so that it at least sounds like we're all in the bar together!
The tunes for this week are:

• Hälleforsnäspolskan
• Spikens Vals (3rd version!)
• Byss-Calle 32 (we promise it'll be steady!)
• Stensele Polskan
• Härjedalsschottisen
• Click Here to download a printable of the tunes for session 4

So enjoy this fourth session, there will be more! If you have a request get in touch!
See you at the next session - especially if you send me your video file to edit in! (Remember to wear headphones whilst you're listening to us!)

If you enjoy the sessions, please consider buying a 'Session Coffee'. These go towards funding the sessions. Each session 'costs' about 50 coffees, so every 50 coffees, we'll film, edit and upload the next session.
:))
Vicki
Buy a Session Coffee

The Lockdown Halsway Bar Nyckelharpa Session - Number 3

Hello!
Welcome to the third session! This week we've got some British session tunes. Put in your request now for what you'd like for next week! There are four tunes in this first session and they are all very well known and generally will be played at any nyckelharpa session in the UK. As usual I have invited Jonny Dyer to join me on the accordion for this session. Again, if you fancy filming yourself playing along to this session and I get enough I will edit it together so that it at least sounds like we're all in the bar together!
The tunes played this week are:

• Three Around Three /  The Cotillion 
• The Man in the Moon 
• Butter'd Peas / Old Tom
• 100 Pipers / Jeannie's Blue E'en
• Click Here to download a printable of the tunes for session 3

So enjoy this third session, there will be more! If you have a request get in touch! 

See you at the next session - especially if you send me your video file to edit in! (Remember to wear headphones whilst you're listening to us!)

If you enjoy the sessions, please consider buying a 'Session Coffee'. These go towards funding the sessions. Each session 'costs' about 50 coffees, so every 50 coffees, we'll film, edit and upload the next session.

:))

Vicki

Buy a Session Coffee

The Lockdown Halsway Bar Nyckelharpa Session - Number 1

Hello!
I've often talked about Halsway Manor and about how wonderful the place is and how much I love teaching there. We've lost four of our five courses planned for this year and we're hoping with all our might that the big September course can go ahead. But I decided I should change things up a little and move away from the Zen scales. So this is my latest scheme. Holding a session in the bar at Halsway. Of course, to do that right now needs a little green screen magic, but we would love it if you joined us in the bar and played along! I'm going to build up a whole evenings worth of session gradually over time. Starting with the simple tunes and gradually getting a little harder. So I am proud to present the first Covid19 Lockdown Nyckelharpa Session in the Bar at Halsway Manor! There are four tunes in this first session and they are all very well known and generally will be played at any nyckelharpa session in the UK.

This session is now moved to my new website

 I invited Jonny Dyer to join me on the accordion for this session. If you fancy filming yourself playing along to this session and I get enough I will edit it together so that it at least sounds like we're all in the bar together! Anyone following me in my World Nyckelharpa Day adventure will have seen this in action with players all round the world.

So enjoy this first session, there will be more! If you have a request get in touch! They won't all be Swedish, each session will have a different feel to it (but the first two are Swedish as it happens!)

See you at the next session - especially if you send me your video file to edit in! (Remember to wear headphones whilst you're listening to us!)

If you enjoy the sessions, please consider buying a 'Session Coffee'. These go towards funding the sessions. Each session 'costs' about 50 coffees, so every 50 coffees, we'll film, edit and upload the next session.

:))

Vicki

Buy a Session Coffee

La Canarie - Praetorius

Hello!
A second week of Praetorius. This week it's La Canarie. It's a great little tune and a lot of fun to play! Enjoy!
:))
Vicki

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Bransle Gay Semel

Hello!
We have Praetorius today! This called Bransle Gay Semel (sometimes the Semel is in parenthesis).
It's not too tricky, just one shift in the B part. I had to film the whole ensemble!
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki
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The Celebrated Chop Waltz

Hello!
So in my quest for fun videos this week I decided to give a go at playing Chopsticks! It's a simple little arrangement, but watch out for the string crossing section in the middle - that is quite tough!
The dots go over two pages - so if you want to play along download the PDF - Click Here
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki

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Grizzly Hills from World of Warcraft

Hello!

In this time of lockdown I've been trying to create some humorous videos. This idea sprang into my head. Character select from an RPG game. But what music to choose? Zelda? Final Fantasy? (The games from my gaming days!) No - it was obvious. Grizzly Hills from World of Warcraft. I suspect there are probably lots of gamers out there that have no idea that this is actually recorded on nyckelharpa!

So having filmed the characters I then had to find and record the music. Youtube and google were my friends. I "grabbed" and audio file from a youtube video fro Grizzly Hilsl, made the video. Then found the dots online and recorded my own version added wind/forest noise and there you have it.

The dots came from here and I am very grateful to Seda Baykara for having figured out the notation! It made it possible for me to record it quickly!

It's been fun watching the nyckelharpa community discuss what should and shouldn't have been the strength and weaknesses of the 3-row. 😂

Enjoy! Share far and wide!

:))

Vicki

Brudmarsch efter Nedergårds Lars

Hello!
I was supposed to be at Halsway Manor this week teaching advanced nyckelharpa. This has sadly been cancelled. I had a lot of great tunes I was going to teach and some extra musical activities that involved a cross between Bal-a-Vis-X and Dalcroze Eurythmics. They'll live to fight another day. So today I'm a little sad to be missing all my friends. So for the next seven days I'll post things I would have been playing! Starting with this little säckpipa (Swedish bagpipes) tune.
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki
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One for Diana

Hello!

Today is Mothers Day and we had a call out from our friend Bob. He wanted a tune for his Mum for Mothers Day. So we set to work and by 6:15pm today Jonny had written a tune and we'd live streamed it for Diana. It was a lot of fun! So I had to post this up today!

Enjoy!

:))

Vicki

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Bortapolskan

Hello!
A little polska for you today. Bortapolskan. Borta means gone.
It's a kontrabasharpa polska, so I've got two videos. One on a contra and one on a normal nyckelharpa. At the bottom is my teaching vide from the Halsway Virtual May workshop day - it's the second tune in the video.
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki

Don't Drive Tired

Hello!
It's the final tune from the album! The album is now out and here, hurrah! It arrived whilst we were at Halsway Manor and then this final tune was bumped by a week because of last week's sad tune. I for one am certainly reeling by the impact our current politics is having. But this blog is all about being inclusive and helping people be better nyckelharpa players - so that's enough of that. We shall continue making music and touring both in the UK and in the EU, in no small way possible because I am Swedish. :)

So the final tune is Don't Drive Tired and it's the third 16 bar jig. Play it with panache and gusto! Again this isn't the key I play it on the album as on the album I play it on border pipes in G. But if I'd been doing it on the harpa, this is the key I would have chosen!

I've got a workshop this weekend, so over the next few weeks there will be some tunes from that coming up. Also - as a note have you spotted about World Nyckelharpa Day yet? Check it out - I'll be banging on about that for the next two months!!
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki

Ode to Joy

Hello!
A tune appropriate to the day.
:'(
Vicki

Contrapasso

Hello!
It's time for the third and final tune in the Medieval Contradance set from Sleep Deprivation. The tune itself isn't hard, but playing it up to speed is quite tricky!
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki

Controtto

Hello!
This is the second of a three tune set from the new album. (Now sent off and we're waiting for news of it's replication). It's from the Medieval Contra set, so I've included me playing it on the sienaharpa again. Enjoy!
:))
Vicki

Contrarello

Hello!
This week it's time for the Medieval Contra set. It's a set of three tunes that Jonny wrote in a medieval style to contra dance to. This first tune is sort of a march, but with bounce. It's not a tricky tune. We recorded it with the Sienaharpa playing the melody, but decided that it was a better track with just normal nyckelharpa - but I have also included a version with me playing it on the Siena too for good measure.
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Hello!
It's December and so it's time for some seasonal video blogs! This week we have We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Without the double stops it's a nice and simple tune. Add the double stops in for something a little more challenging.
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki
PS If you are wondering about the new album - we didn't make the goal of New Years Eve, but the recording is finished and it's in the mixing phase.

Polkette

Hello!
It's another silverbasharpa tune this week. A polkette. I play it quite steadily in the video. It's quite a jolly little tune, so have fun with it!
:))
Vicki

Barham Down

Hello!
It's time for a Playford tune again, we've not had one for a few weeks. This one is Barham Down and is one of my favourites! Not too tricky it goes up to a high G, but falls under the fingers very nicely. Enjoy!
:))
Vicki

The Glasgow Reel

Hello!
This is the second part from last week's blog. It's St Andrews Day, so here's a Scottish tune for you. I learnt this as a request for teaching at a Halsway weekend and it became a firm favourite. It has lots of names - Tam Lin and The Glasgow Reel being the two I know it by. It was written by Davey Arthur and there are lots and lots of different versions. This is the one I play and probably isn't the original, but this one works really nicely on the harpa.
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki