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Stick The Fiddle at Bideford Festival
'Playing For Playford' Workshop

Our arrangements of the eleven tunes that we prepared for Sibby’s tea dance together with CD will shortly be available for the bargain price of £12 incl p&p. To order your copy please email us at  band@stickthefiddle.co.uk

Thursday 13 August saw Sue, Bruce & Maureen leading a ‘Playing for Playford’ workshop for musicians.  Some 17 musicians plus supporters gathered in the Baptist Church Hall to hear about the delights and passions of playing, dancing (and kissing) in Jacobean England.  The myriad of instruments played each tune simply as a folk tune with basic harmony (Elizabethan ‘folk’ version) following it with versions (harmonised by Stick the Fiddle members) as could have been performed in educated households following John Playford’s publication of ‘The English Dancing Master' in 1651.

The fiddles, viola, cello, mandolin & guitars combined for a brilliant string sound; recorders (all sizes!), flute, concertinas, clarinet, uilleann pipes, melodeon, accordion and bass sax offered a glorious alternative (plus a rendition with the spoons) – and the overall combination was quite wonderful and brought the music to life in a very real way for all of us! Thank you to all the musicians who came along.

Lots would have come along to join us playing for the tea dance – except there were so many other exciting workshops happening at the festival that people had prior engagements. But special thanks to Ed and Jenny (shown in the photo) who joined us on viola and cello for the Playford Dance with Sibby.  We all had a tremendous time as the dancers bounced (in measured time, of course) around the dance floor.  Thanks to the organisers for delicious tea and cakes served at half time. Make sure you share the fun (and the cake) at any future Bideford Folk Festival tea dances!