Introducing
Irish Fiddle

A Group Course for Beginners

Next classes start 16 & 17 April 2024.

‘A really enjoyable course. All of the tunes I learned were broken down and made easy to learn and pick up. The teacher was extremely helpful, accommodating and approachable, and this gave me the confidence in going on to learn the fiddle.’
– C. Finn

‘I didn’t expect to be able to play seven tunes after only a few weeks. This was a fantastic introductory course that covered the basics perfectly.’
– M. McGoldrick

More Information

Course Description

Introducing Irish Fiddle The Irish fidil (the name derives from Vitula, the Roman goddess of victory and jubilation) has existed in one form or another for nearly a thousand years. It is not clear precisely what kind of instrument the early fiddles were, and today’s fiddle is actually a classical violin, introduced here from Italy around the middle of the sixteenth century – although the way it is held and the methods of playing it are very different. In any case the fiddle is arguably the most widely-used instrument in the performance of traditional music.

Designed for absolute beginners, Waltons New School of Music’s Introducing Irish Fiddle course introduces students to the basics of playing this subtle and demanding instrument – holding, bowing, fingering, etc. – and guides them through the main forms of traditional music (jigs, reels, hornpipes, airs, etc.), including some of their many variations. Regional and individual playing styles will also be covered, giving the student an important first source of repertoire.

Questions about the course?

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

In-School & Online Tuition

We offer two versions of this course, in-school, which takes place in the New School, and online, which takes place in your own home.

For both versions, participants will need to have a full-size violins (fiddles) and shoulder rests (Wolf Forte Secondo rests are recommended) for classes and practise, as well as having their fiddles in tune before classes begin. (See the Recommended Instruments tab for recommended student fiddles, which are available at discounts from Waltons Music for course participants, and the Tuning Your Fiddle tab for more information on tuning fiddles.)

In-School Version

The health and safety of both students and staff at the New School is of the utmost importance to us, and we have made a number of changes to the school, its equipment and our policies to make in-school tuition safe during the time of COVID-19. These include:

Perspex screens in every classroom.
Installation of HEPA air filtration/purification units where necessary.
Antiseptic dispensers available throughout the school.
Cleaning and disinfection of both classroom instruments and furniture between lessons and classes.
Regular cleaning of public spaces.

See our COVID-19 Safety Policy page for more information on what we have done, as well as the protocols we expect all in-school students and visitors to follow.

Online Version

In addition to violins (fiddles) and shoulder rests, online course participants will need:

An internet-connected laptop, computer, tablet or smartphone. (A laptop or computer with webcam and microphone is recommended, as it will have the largest picture.)
Ideally, internet speed at least 1.5Mb per second. (You can test your speed using Measurement Lab’s Speed Test.)
Headphones or earbuds, if possible.¹
Free Zoom software or app.²

Waltons Music has Zoom headphones and microphones that are ideal for online music tuition and are available at 5% discounts for students enrolled in the course. If you would like to obtain a discount, please contact Waltons with your instrument choice and include a scan or photo of your course payment receipt.
If you haven’t learned music with Zoom before, please see our printable Zoom for Students information sheet for information on how to download and set up Zoom for music tuition.

Before the course begins, the teacher will email you a Zoom meeting invitation that includes a meeting ID and password to join the first class.

This course covers Stage 1 of the New School’s ten-stage system of student progress and assessment, which culminates in a teaching or performing qualification (Stage 10) should the student progress that far. Participants who successfully complete the course can be issued with a certificate of completion of Stage 1. If you are taking the course, please let the school office know if you would like this certificate. See About Our Stage System for more information.

Have you enrolled in this course?

Download our Introductory Handout
for tips on how to get the most from it.

See Summer Introducing Irish Fiddle
for the summer version of this course.

Introducing Irish Fiddle is one of the New School’s group courses. We also offer private Irish fiddle lessons for students of all ages and skill levels. See Traditional • Folk • World Instruments Tuition for more information.

Teacher

Rebecca Sutton

Rebecca Sutton Rebecca’s passion for music was established at the age of four with her very first violin lesson. And as a classically trained violinist, she was an instrumentalist in her school orchestra for over ten years. She also pursued her interest in Irish traditional music from an early stage of her musical journey and began playing Irish fiddle at the Des Carty Music School, where she learned some of the intricate fundamentals of the tradition. Rebecca has been a valued member of her local Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann branch, where she also developed her skills as a concertina and tin whistle player, for a number of years, and she has competed as an instrumentalist in both solo and group competitions at county and provincial levels, as well as in All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil competitions. She has also composed Irish tunes and participated in several composition competitions. Rebecca has performed in settings including the National Concert Hall, Croke Park and RTÉ Studios. She is a committed teacher who enjoys seeing her students progress and develop their own unique styles of playing. Her aspiration is to pass her love and appreciation of Irish music on to her students in an inspiring and engaging manner.

Reviews • Testimonials

‘I really appreciate the energy that Rebecca brings to her classes, which are always really enjoyable. Also, for an intro level course, we have really progressed quickly. She is always providing us with personal feedback despite it being a group class, which I greatly appreciate.’
– D. Aydin

‘A really supportive and enthusiastic teacher from the start, and her love for music was contagious! I really enjoyed learning from her and I will definitely continue taking lessons from Waltons.’
– J. Bombon

‘The tuition was excellent. I learned a lot in a positive and pleasant way.’
– D. Brennan

‘I really enjoyed this course. In such a short space of time I feel I have learned loads, and I look forward to improving.’
– L. Butler

‘A great teacher who offers excellent tuition catered around each individual student’s needs. One of the best.’
– A. Carroll

‘Fiddle is a tough instrument to start as a beginner, and this course shows that it’s actually manageable! The teacher is really nice and helpful and patient.’
– R. Charifou

‘I was over 50 and wanted to learn to play the fiddle, so I signed up for my first set of classes (10). I nervously attended my first class in Waltons, and I needn’t have worried. The admin staff were so welcoming and light hearted and made me feel at ease. My class teacher has a very natural way of teaching; she is so patient and encouraging and there is a relaxed atmosphere in the class. I will be starting my sixth set of sessions with Waltons at Easter.’
– M. Ferns

‘Truly amazed at how far I have gone in such a short period. At Christmas I couldn’t even hold a fiddle, but I was playing tunes by St. Patrick’s Day!’
– P. Hogan

‘The teacher was excellent, very encouraging and with endless patience.’
– M. McCluskey

‘I’m absolutely delighted that I signed up for the course, which is at the perfect level for a group of adult beginners. Rebecca is a fantastic teacher with an approachable and accessible teaching style, and she communicates so well with our group. There is a lovely rapport in the class. Overall, the New School has a great atmosphere and is a great environment for learning music. The staff and teachers are so professional and accommodating. I would definitely recommend it to a friend!’
– J. McMorrow

‘Great fun, great teacher, great group and a great skill learned!’
– J. McShane

‘A very patient teacher. She moves the class at just the right pace to push you forward, but she doesn’t leave anyone behind.’
– C. Nally

‘I really enjoyed the course and have signed up for the continuation group. I found the delivery of lessons very effective and benefited hugely from them.’
– P. Needham

‘[A] very patient teacher, and I really enjoy her classes. She moves at a steady pace, neither too slow nor too fast, and uses a variety of teaching methods. It’s amazing to see how much we have progressed in such a short time.’
– N. Owens

‘The course was great. The 10 weeks flew by, and I can’t believe how much we learnt in that time.’
– D. Robertson

‘When I took music lessons as a child I hated the regimen of scales, etc. with no tunes. In ten weeks I can play five tunes that folks can recognise.’
– N. Traynor

‘Excellent online beginner’s course. I really enjoyed the classes and would recommend the course to beginners of all ages.’
– R. Wims

Have you taken – or are you taking – this course? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.

FEEDBACK

Class Schedules & Fees

2023-2024 Third Term
Class Schedules

CLASS 1
10 weeks, 16 April – 18 June 2024
Tuesdays 6.30 – 7.30 pm
Class Type: Online

CLASS 2
10 weeks, 17 April – 19 June 2024
Wednesdays 7 – 8 pm
Class Type: In-School

Tuition Fees

Class 1: €190 *
Class 2: €210

* The online version of this course is offered at a 10% discount.

Enrolment

Enrolment for this course requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the tuition fee. Places in each class are limited to eight and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. Many of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.

ENROL NOW

Purchasing this course as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.

BOOK NOW

Questions about the course?

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

Recommended Instruments

If students don’t already have instruments for this course, the following reasonably-priced student violin outfits – all available from Waltons Music – are recommended:

Martini Student Violin Outfit • €112
(Includes bow, case, digital tuner and spare strings.)
Martini Student Plus Violin Outfit • €145
(Includes bow, case, digital tuner and spare strings.)
Martini Deluxe Violin Outfit • €195
(Includes bow, case, digital tuner and spare strings.)

These violin outfits can be purchased from Waltons Music at 5% discounts for students enrolled in the course. Wolf Forte Secondo Shoulder Rests (€36.95) can also be purchased from Waltons Music at a 5% discount. If you would like to obtain a discount, please contact Waltons with your instrument choice and include a scan or photo of your course payment receipt.

CONTACT WALTONS

What happens after the course?

Two weeks before the end of each Introducing course, participants will be given options for continuing their tuition with the New School if they would like to do so. Although an ‘improvers’ or continuation course cannot be scheduled on the same day/time as the Introducing course, one can be arranged if enough course participants would like to continue and the teacher has timetable availability or there is timetable availability with another teacher. Participants can also continue their tuition with private (one-to-one) lessons or ‘partner’ lessons with another class member. (See Tuition Options – Private • Partner • Small Group Lessons.) We are happy to discuss these options with you.

Trad Slow Sessions

Participants in this course are also welcome to attend our Trad Slow Sessions. These are traditional Irish music sessions in all ways except one: the tempo. We play the session tunes at a slower than normal pace (often less than half the speed), so that beginning and intermediate players can more easily learn the tunes and join in the session. Trad Slow Sessions take place around once a month on Friday evenings.

See our Trad Slow Sessions page for more information, a tune list, printable sheet music for all tunes and dates.

Tuning Your Fiddle

Tuning your fiddle (violin) – and keeping it in tune – is an essential first step to playing it. Below are some general recommendations, as well as two videos about violin tuning and a list of violin tuning apps.

The Basics

Violins are tuned in 5ths, and their strings, from lowest to highest, are as follows (including a link to online note sounds):

G | D | A | E • Online Sounds

Violin strings can be tuned with both fine tuners and pegs. Some violins only have fine tuners on the E string, while others have fine tuners on all four strings. As their name suggests, fine tuners are used for tuning the string if it is off-pitch by a small interval of no more than half a tone or so. When the string is out of tune by more than half a tone, then the pegs are used to tune the note initially, with the fine tuner used afterwards to make sure the note is exactly in tune. To begin with, you should not tune with the pegs unless absolutely necessary, in order to avoid unnecessary string breakages, and in any case always adjust in small increments. When tuning with the pegs, stand the violin on your knee, facing you, and place your left thumb across the strings to avoid a string hitting you in case it breaks.

When tuning any string instrument, you should always tune from below the note, up. This prevents string breakages and systematises the process of tuning, so you eventually become more familiar with the sound of a perfect, in-tune string. When a fine tuner has been wound right down to the end of the screw, you will need to loosen the fine tuner near to the end of the screw before carefully tightening the tuning peg. This way, you prevent the string from being over-tightened.

It is advisable to start by tuning the A string first, followed by the D, G and then E string. When you start to become more familiar with the sound of the notes of the different strings, you can try tuning the strings against each other. This is known as relative tuning.

Tuning Videos

Here are two videos demonstrating some of the basics of violin tuning:

Tuning Apps

There are a number of free smartphone violin tuning apps available. Here are five of the most popular, listed in alphabetical order:

Master Violin Tuner

Android Only:

Pano Tuner

Android:

iOS:

Tuner-gStrings