After the final workshop, I asked one of the instructors if he had any tips on playing Scottish music specifically. He broke into an upbeat strathspey rhythm with a whole lot of jump in it and said, "Fire." That's what I'm taking with me from Maine Fiddle Camp. Fire in my playing and fire in my overall musical life. I could not have afforded to go to camp without the help of the New Hampshire Scottish Music Club scholarship, and I'm very grateful for that support ..read more

The Scottish Music Club partners with the Park Theatre in Jaffrey for a Celebration ..read more

Our June session opened with an annual meeting. This included announcing the results of the board elections (conducted by email earlier): Anne Baier, President (2 years) Gordon Peery, Vice President (2 years) Art Hull (2 years) Many thanks to retiring vice president Debby Dell Orfano, who continues her involvement as head of the scholarship committee. Inside the Park Theatre Gordon advised that there is a good possibility of Bass Hall not being a concert option for next year. However, there is an invitation to play a Burns Night concert on January 25 at the Park Theatre in Jaffrey. This is a ..read more

Sunday, May 19, 2024 Three tunes: Fead na h-Iolaire (TheEagle’s Whistle), Fear an Dùin Mhòir (The Man From the Big Fort), Fac’ Thu Na Fèidh? (Have you Seen the Deer?) One of the challenges that our workshop presenters (most of whom play fiddle) face is that we have a variety of instruments playing, and not all on melody. In the case of this workshop there were fewer fiddles than usual. As a harper, Dominique was not being specific about her instrument, as there were no other harpers. But it was here that her vast knowledge blended with her dynamic and cheerful teaching skills.  We starte ..read more

Peter’s ability to articulate details precisely was reinforced by his effervescent personality. He kept everyone engaged and focused throughout the workshop.  Peter brought us two strathspeys: Niel Gow's Miss Stewart of Grandtully, and  The Iron Man (James Scott Skinner).  While in the course of the workshop we did learn the tunes, his goal was to teach us about the flavor of strathspeys, and the fundamentals of playing them,   The strathspey is quintessentially Scottish. The very name means “valley of the River Spey”, which flows northeast from the Grampian Mountains ..read more

Every year at our May meeting the NH Scottish Music Club elects three members to serve on our board of directors for two-year terms. This year we will be voting for President, Vice President, and Member-at-Large. As May approaches, keep an eye out for the ballot which should arrive in your email inbox. Continue reading to learn about the candidates in their own words. President: Anne Baier If elected in May I will be starting my 3rd term as president. Early in my tenure I instituted monthly board meetings, via Zoom. It’s necessary for the board to meet regularly to assure the health of th ..read more

Jasper Cottle is a writer from Bennington, NH. He has been playing the guitar since he was nine years old and is self-taught except for one Celtic fingerstyle class in college. His love of Irish music began with the movie The Secret of Roan Inish, which also introduced him to the bodhrán. For years he played at home alone until he stumbled upon an Irish session while living in San Diego. The melody players were wary of the bodhrán and started off with slip jigs and something in 5/4, but he passed the test and played with them until he moved back home to NH. In 2022 he joined the Pipes an ..read more

Notes from Anne Baier, Debbie Dellorfano, Gordon Peery Jeremiah McLane delivered an engaging and informative workshop. He was accompanied by one of our newest members,  Annelise Papinsick, on piano.  We worked on 3 tunes: Superfly (by Kevin O’Neill)  Prince of Wales (by Donald MacPhedran), and one of his own, Down in the Mud and Snow.    He had provided sheet music for all, but encouraged playing by ear to everyone’s individual comfort level.  Jeremiah spent quite a bit of time talking about the chords. The chords really help define the melody, and he said ..read more

As a piano player accompanying Scottish music, I have a responsibility to provide mood and momentum for the orchestra. When I was first starting out, playing for contra dances in the late 1970’s, I fell under the influence of Shetland pianist Violet Tulloch, and guitarist “Peerie” Willie Johnson. At our January workshop, Ryan Thomson mentioned Johnson, and it prodded me into some recollections. He was born in Yell, Shetland, in 1920. The term “Peerie” is Shetland or “little”, a reference to his small physical stature, which was probably a result of having a sickly childhood. This would have b ..read more

Ryan and Brennish Thomson Sunday, January 14, 2024, Ryan and Brennish Thomson joined the NHSMC for the first workshop of the new year; and it was a hit. We had a lot of fun laughing and practicing our smiles while learning about playing hornpipes as an orchestra for an audiences’ listening pleasure. It was pointed out that if we had a dancer hanging around, the tempo and accents should be coordinated to help the dancer with lift. All instruments have to work to find that lift, using slurs and air space (think about breathing), with maybe an upward guitar strum every now and then. Ryan played ..read more