www.reinerfamilyband.com

Look below for schedule, common tune list, and jamming guidelines.

Photos from 2008 and previous Fiddle Hells are here! And here, too.

What: Fiddle Hell is a free, informal gathering of fiddlers to meet, jam, learn, and have fun.

The invention of the late, great fiddler Dale Hopkins, Fiddle Hell occurs periodically in fun locations worldwide. Prior Fiddle Hells have occurred in the US, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. The term "Fiddle Hell" refers to the Saturday night portion of the program when all the fiddlers play tunes together. Last year we had 130+ musicians, mostly fiddlers, at the fourth Massachusetts Fiddle Hell, including fiddlers from 13 states and 4 foreign countries! The gathering starts at 6PM on Friday and goes until 6PM on Sunday.

There is no registration process -- fiddlers can just show up when they like. We have very limited space for non-fiddlers; please contact me first. We do need to pay the Inn for the space and the workshop leaders for their time, so we'd appreciate a donation of $20 or more per person when you're there, if you can afford it. Please understand that Fiddle Hell is not for novices who can't play any tunes yet; it is intended for beginners (who know at least 8 tunes, say) through intermediates and advanced players. If you're not sure about your level, contact me to ask.

There will be lots of different styles represented at Fiddle Hell, by fiddlers with a variety of experience, which makes it all the more interesting. Last year, we played and heard New England, Irish, bluegrass, swing, Texas. Scottish, Southern, Scandinavian, and French-Canadian styles. The only "optional but encouraged" requirements are: (1) to play a tune of your choice for the group on Saturday night; and (2) to play along with the group (on the tunes you know) when we all play the same tunes together. Fiddle Hell is loosely sponsored by the Fiddle and Alternative Strings Forum. At this website, you'll find discussions, event listings, and other resources; you can join for free and read about past and future Fiddle Hell meetings.

Pre-Fiddle-Hell Workshops are a relaxed and informative introduction to Fiddle Hell, taught by several experienced and friendly fiddle teachers (10AM - 5PM, Friday, Nov 13).

Where & when: The Stagecoach Inn, 128 Main Street, Route 119, in Groton, Massachusetts, 01450 (877-782-4346), a beautiful old country inn about an hour west of Boston. Pre-Fiddle-Hell Workshops will be Friday, 10AM-5PM. Fiddle Hell itself will be Friday (Nov. 13) from 6PM to midnight, Saturday(Nov. 14) from 9AM to midnight, and Sunday (Nov. 15) from 9AM to 6PM. Come join us for a single day or the whole weekend. If you're coming from far, come early or stay on -- there's lots to do and see in the area.

Lodging: The Stagecoach Inn has great rooms if you'd like to stay over. Single or double rooms are about $95/night plus tax. The Inn has 17 rooms - let's fill them all! For the Boston area, this price is quite reasonable. Book your room now to be sure -- ask for Vicki at 877-782-4346 and tell her you're coming to Fiddle Hell.

Alternate lodging: Once the Stagecoach Inn is full: Westford Regency Inn, 219 Littleton Road, Westford, MA, 01886, (800-543-7801). This is about a 15-minute drive away from Fiddle Hell; tell them you're attending Fiddle Hell to get the $99 rate for single or double room.

Food: The Stagecoach Inn has a good restaurant for dinner. Lunch and dinner buffets will be available there on Saturday, and brunch and lunch on Sunday morning, or you can forage elsewhere.

Activities: The Inn has several big rooms, and we'll be headquartered in the Grandma Moses room near the restaurant. This will accommodate everybody Saturday night. During the weekend, we'll be able to split out into 3 or 4 simultaneous jams in smaller rooms around the bar and porch. We already have several very interesting workshops planned, on bowing shuffles, chords for fiddle, chunky chop bowing, improvisation, rags, bluegrass fiddling, and fiddling for kids. We've also set up some loose jams in particular styles, like Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian, and Western Swing. There will be half-speed tune workshops Friday night and early Saturday to prepare for the common tunes on Saturday night.

The Inn's bar has a nice ambiance, with a couple of adjacent rooms with tables; this is where the Boston Bluegrass Union has monthly jam sessions. So the Inn is used to dealing with musicians and jam sessions. Usually we get at least 3 jams going on simultaneously with the BBU. Under-age fiddlers may attend this event, but obviously can't drink alcohol. We will be inviting a selected local players (fiddlers and otherwise) to join in the jams. There will be several fiddle vendors (moved to a separate room in 2009) with their wares on display - try them out! And we'll have Bill to do minor fiddle repairs and tweaking on the spot.

Getting there: Here are directions if you're local. The nearest airports are Boston, MA and Manchester, NH. Cabs are available, but there are various sharing and pickup options available. Perhaps someone local will offer to help with an airport pickup, or give a ride from the Boston T (subway) stop at Alewife in Cambridge.

Questions: Email me or call me at (781)-863-0140, or post to the FH threads on Fiddle Forum with any questions. Follow FiddleHell on Twitter.

Look below for schedule, common tunes list, and jamming guidelines

Dave Reiner

2009 Fiddle Hell Schedule (This is still under construction) (Workshops and times are subject to change and availability)

November 13, 2009 (Friday)

10AM-5PM: Pre-Fiddle-Hell Workshops

6:00PM: FH officially starts. Look for fellow fiddlers in the dining room or the Grandma Moses Room at the Inn. Sign in, donate, get a name tag.

7:00PM - midnight: Open jamming in Grandma Moses Room (=GMR), around the bar, and in the Sitting Rooms

8:00 - 9:00PM: Slow jam on common tunes in GMR (Clayton March and friends) [Get ready for Saturday night!]

9:00 - 10:00PM or later: Beginners' jam in Sitting Room 1 [No leader, just show up and make some new friends!]

9:00 - 10:00PM or later: Old time Southern jam in Back Bar (No leader unless someone wants to volunteer...) [Up to speed, but with easy tunes!]

9:00PM - midnight: Bluegrass, swing, Irish and whatever jams in Grandma Moses Room, Front Bar, Porch, etc.

November 14, 2009 (Saturday) (Some workshop leaders listed are from 2008, and are not finalized yet for 2009)

Most workshops and jams will end10 minutes before the next ones start, to give us time to move around and have a quick break.

9:00AM - 7:30PM: Informal jamming all day [your choice of jamming or workshops -- we have multiple rooms available]

9:00 - 9:50AM: Early bird jam (no leader) in Grandma Moses Room (=GMR) [Why not? Would you rather sleep - or play your fiddle?]

10:00 - 10:50AM: Amazing bowing patterns workshop in GMR (Dave Reiner) [What you need to make your tunes come alive!]

11:00 - 11:50AM: Half-speed tune workshop on common tunes for tonight in GMR (Clayton March and Mark Cordova) [Get ready for tonight!]

11:00 - 11:50AM: Scandinavian jam/workshop in the Front Bar (John Chambers, of J.C.'s Tune Finder fame) [Bring your own herring!]

11:00 - 11:50AM: Playing healthy discussion/workshopin the Back Bar (Led by Worldfiddler Jim Dorans) [Ouch! Drat! Relax...]

Noon: Buffet lunch break [in the restaurant, or forage elsewhere, or just keep jamming]

1:00 - 1:50PM: Improvisation workshop in GMR (Andy Reiner) [The amazing Andy will spark your creativity!]

1:00 - 1:50PM: Essential left hand techniques workshop on Porch (Worldfiddler Jim Dorans) [Techniques/tunes from a super teacher!]

1:00 - 2:20PM: Scottish and Cape Breton jam in the Front Bar (No leader, but with the incomparable Eric Eid-Reiner on piano)

2:30 - 3:20PM: Chop bowing workshop in GMR (intermed-adv) (Andy Reiner, Julie Metcalf) [A modern backup technique - like playing drums on your fiddle!]

2:30 - 3:20PM: Cajun fiddle workshop on the Porch (beginning-intermediate) (Paul Harty) [Laissez les bon temps rouler!]

3:30 - 4:20PM: Play along with classic Western Swing tunes on the Porch (Paul Harty) [Not too hard, guaranteed fun!]

3:30 - 4:20PM: Intermediate Bluegrass fiddle workshop in GMR (Art Schatz of the Reunion Band) [Tunes / techniques from a fine local player!]

4:30 - 6:00PM: Irish jam in GMR (Brendan Carey-Block & Steve Brown (twice All-Ireland bones champion)) [Reels, jigs, and more! ]

5:00 - 5:50PM: Beginner's questions answered workshop in Sitting Room 1 (Worldfiddler Jim Dorans) [Ask! Learn!]

6:00 - 8:00PM: Dinner break at the Stagecoach Inn [or elsewhere, or just keep jamming]

7:00 - 7:50PM: 5-string fiddlers' gathering in the Front Bar [Show me yours and I'll show you mine!]

8:00PM: The big Saturday Night Event! We'll gather in the GMR to listen to and appreciate each other's playing! A fiddlers' round robin, with each of us encouraged to play one short tune - regardless of style, age, or experience. Backup musicians are available. Alternating with the individual slots, we'll all play some common tunes together. Various free giveaways, including a carbon fiber Diamond NX Bow thanks to Codabow, many sets of Helicore strings, thanks to D'Addario, and a bow rehairing, thanks to Shannon Strings in Concord, MA.

10:30PM until whenever: More jamming at the bar and surrounding rooms.

November 15, 2009 (Sunday)

Try the Inn's Sunday brunch from around 9:00-10:30AM Or wander out into Groton for breakfast. Or just sleep!

10:00AM to 6:00PM: More jamming and workshops. Jam, chat, trade tunes, wander around Groton.

10:00 - 10:50AM: Essential bowing techniques workshopon Porch (Jim Dorans) [Work on your bowing with the one & only Worldfiddler]

10:00 - 10:50AM: Learn a Missouri tune in Back Bar (Michael Richwine) [beg-int level, a fine tune taught by ear]

10:00 - 10:50AM: Contradance fiddle workshop in GMR (leader is TBD)

11:00 - 11:50AM: Kids' fantastic fiddle workshop in Back Bar for kids who know at least 8 tunes (Cathy Goode) [A great teacher of tunes and techniques!]

11:00 - 11:50AM: Your fiddling questions answered workshop in GMR (Worldfiddler Jim Dorans) [Techniques, tunes, anything!]

11:00 - 11:50AM: How to play backup on the fiddle workshop in GMR (Dave Reiner) [an important skill, demystified by Dave!]

Noon: Lunch? Or would you rather learn a new tune from someone?

1:00PM: Free giveaways , including many sets of Helicore strings, thanks to D'Addario.

1:00 - 1:50PM: Rags for the fiddle workshop in GMR (Dave Reiner) [Learn rag techniques and a rag!]

2:00 - 4:00PM: Beginners' jam in Sitting Room 1 [No leader, just show up and play with your new friends].

2:00 - 4:00PM: Old time Southern jam on the Porch (Tim Rowell and friends) [Some fine old tunes in an informal and fun jam]

2:00 - 4:00PM: Scottish and Cape Breton jam oin Back Bar [Led by friendly members of the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club ]

3:00 - 4:00PM: Workshop TBD in GMR

4:00 - 5:00PM: Mellow waltz jam session in Back Bar [Play by ear or read them - bring copies of your favorite waltzes to help us wind down]

6PM: Fiddle Hell is officially over. Go to dinner, take in a live performance, head to Boston or Cambridge.

List of Common Tunes for Fiddle Hell

On Saturday night at Fiddle Hell, alternating with individual fiddler slots, we'll play some common tunes together. Here are some suggestions to start with -- tunes that are often played by all the fiddlers together after a New England fiddle contest, plus a few more. Some of these are "overplayed," but still can be fun, especially in adding harmonies. We'll group tunes into medleys.

Reels and Hornpipes

D Soldier's Joy

D Liberty

D St. Anne's Reel

D Angeline the Baker

D Maid Behind the Bar / Judy's Reel

D Ragtime Annie

D Over the Waterfall

D Staten Island Hornpipe

G Redwing

G Golden Slippers

G Turkey in the Straw

G Flowers of Edinburgh

G Seneca Square Dance / Waiting for the Federals

A Old Joe Clark

A Devil's Dream

A Bile Them Cabbage Down

A Red Haired Boy

A Laird O'Drumblair new

A Big John McNeill new

Em Cooley's Reel

Em Drowsy Maggie

Em Ships Are Sailing

Am Shady Grove

Am Cluck Old Hen

Am Gravel Walk

C Billy in the Lowground

C Stone's Rag

Dm Julia Delaney's

Jigs

G Irish Washerwoman

G Kesh Jig

G Gary Owen

Am Ten Penny Bit

Am Coleraine

Am Brian Boru's March

Em Swallowtail Jig

Em Road to Lisdoonvarna

Em The Butterfly (slip jig)

D Haste to the Wedding

D Smash the Windows

A Athol Highlanders' March new

Waltzes

D Ashokan Farewell

G Over the Waves

D Tennessee Waltz

D She Bhag She Mhor

A Bodine's Waltz (by Dale Hopkins, creator of Fiddle Hell)

Guidelines for Jamming at Fiddle Hell Massachusetts

Most of you are here to join in on the jam sessions.  It’s a great way to meet new friends and create spontaneous music together.  Here are some rough guidelines from experience to help you out.

1. There are two fundamentally different types of jams, usually (but not always!) depending on the style.  It’s a good idea to observe which type is happening before you jump in:

- All players play together just about every time through: Southern Oldtime, Irish, New England, Scottish styles

- Players take turns playing instrumental breaks: Bluegrass, Swing, Texas, Blues, Rock styles

2. Some jams have a leader (either appointed or de facto).  Leaders call or coordinate the selection of tunes, including medleys, and may call out arrangements on the fly. Other jams have no fixed leader, in which case the tunes are often selected and led by the players in some order, such as going clockwise around the circle. 

3. Some coherency in jam style is expected.  An Irish jam shouldn’t suddenly change into a Southern Oldtime jam, or a bluegrass jam into a Scottish jam.  On the other hand, some players play multiple styles, and their jams may wander among styles (which may be fine, or may cause problems).

4. Jams may vary in their choice of tempos, usually depending on the level of the players.  Some jams are rather speedy!  Occasionally, jams are designated as “half-speed” or “slow.”  Beginner jams are also slower.  It’s good manners to let the person calling a tune start it at his/her tempo, Sometimes a group may agree to play a tune slowly at first, and then speed it up.  If tunes are falling apart rhythmically, it’s better to slow them down.  Good taste is better than raw speed any day!  Keep the beat.

5. Sometimes you may be invited to join an ongoing jam.  If not, it’s polite to ask to join in.  But it’s generally fine to stand or sit on the periphery (“outer circle”) of a jam, playing along quietly (perhaps learning the tune!) and not getting in the way.  Be conscious of the level of a jam before jumping in at full blast.  And tune up before joining in.

6. Listen to the other players!  Watch them, too.  Support singers or soloists; don’t play over them or back them up disruptively.  For jams where many players are playing together, such as oldtime, the goal is to converge and lock in on a common version, getting tighter as the tune is repeated.

7. Tend towards choosing tunes that are common or at least easy to follow.  A large jam with multiple levels of players isn’t the time to trot out a complex, obscure tune.  That being said, advanced players like to challenge themselves, and may throw anything out.  Or a player may really want to teach everyone a new tune. Whatever the level, it’s a common practice to mention any strange chords, crooked parts, or other structural oddities before starting a tune.  Oldtime sessions with clawhammer banjo players usually stay in a chosen key for quite a while.

8. Be kind to beginners and new jammers.  It takes courage to join in and play along, and many players don’t have much jamming experience.  Ask what tunes they know, keep tempos down, and help them out where you can.

9. At jams with breaks, such as bluegrass jams, the lead singer or the person who started the tune calls the breaks by nodding at players or raising an eyebrow, or shouting out a name or instrument.  Indicate your willingness to take a break by smiling, nodding, or stepping forward.  Indicate that you’d rather pass this time by shaking your head no, or avoiding eye contact in the first place. 

10. It never hurts to play melody on a break.  Don’t throw in every lick you know! If you screw up part of a break, keep going if you can.  You may find your touch again.  If not, nod to another player to step in and finish the break. 

11. Whoever starts a tune determines when it’s over.  It’s common to raise a foot (or yell “out”) to indicate the last time through.

12. Minimize noodling around between tunes.  This isn’t the time to show your virtuosity, practice tunes you don’t know, or raise the noise level in general.  If you want to suggest the next tune, say it, don’t start noodling on it.

13. Step aside to tune or converse at length. 

14. If you don’t want to continue with a jam for any reason, split off and start your own.  Or just listen for a while.

15. Seek out jams at the right level and in a style you can play.  Your jamming skills will improve over time.