Workshop and Jam Levels:

Beg = Beginner.  Knows 6 tunes or more; working on basics of rhythm, tone, intonation, bowing, repertoire; has fun!

ABeg = Advancing Beginner. Knows 15 tunes or more; working on rhythm, tone, intonation, bowing, repertoire, style, playing with others; has fun!

Int = Intermediate. Knows 30 tunes or more, can play up to speed in one or more traditional styles, working on technique, on going beyond the basic tune, and perhaps on jamming; has fun!

Adv = Advanced. Knows larger repertoire in one or more traditional styles, plays with nuance within these styles, has generally solid technique, has a fair amount of experience playing with others; has fun!

All levels = Appropriate for all players.

These levels are approximations that you can use as guidelines to pick your workshops and jams. However, if you find a session to be too difficult or too easy or are not enjoying it, please head off to a different one. 

Room Locations:

These rooms are located at the Colonial Inn.  Rooms not assigned to sessions can generally be used for informal jamming.  We also will have 3 to 4 jam areas in the two halves of the Cottage behind the Inn.

Sitting = Sitting Room by the Front Desk (Registration, CD and T-shirt sales)
Heritage = Heritage Room (workshops and jams at the only room that's on the lower level)
Thoreau = Thoreau Room (fiddle vendors, fiddle books, T-shirts, flyers)
Prescott = Prescott Room (workshops and jams)
Alcott = Alcott Room (workshops and jams)
Café = The Café (workshops, informal jams)
Forge = The Forge Tavern (informal jams when it's not full of diners, Fiddle Hell Open Mic Saturday 8-10PM, has a piano, workshops on Sunday)
Cottage 36 Bedroom = Cottage 36 behind the Inn, downstairs, large bedroom (used for a few small workshops and for jamming)
Cottage 36 Kitchen = Cottage 36 behind the Inn, downstairs, kitchen area (jam space)
Cottage 37 BR1 = Cottage 37 behind the Inn, upstairs, large bedroom (jam space)
Cottage 37 BR2 = Cottage 37 behind the Inn, upstairs, small bedroom (jam space)

We'll also be using the Concord Scout House, about a six minute walk away at 74 Walden Street.

Some locations have more space than others! Based on past experience, we've tried to match sessions to appropriate locations. If you find a session to be too crowded (sorry!), look for a different one, take a break, grab a bite, or head off to jam with your friends.

Parking options:

You have at least four parking options:
(1) There is free parking behind the Colonial Inn; but this will fill up first. 
(2) There are many free spaces in the parking lot behind the Masonic Lodge (across the street at 58 Monument Square - take the driveway to the right of the Masonic Lodge to the parking lot). However, this lot is reserved Sunday morning until noon for the First Church of Christ, Scientist. 
(3) There is a large, free municipal lot on Keyes Road, near Main Street (from the Inn, go right on Lowell Rd, left on Keyes Rd, lot is on left just before Main St.; after you park, look for the footpath that will take you past the Masonic Lodge driveway and over to the Colonial Inn in just two minutes).
(4) There is also metered on street parking.  It's free on Saturday and Sunday, although some spaces are restricted to one or two hours. Read the meter to find out.

2013 Schedule

Audio recording of Fiddle Hell workshops and jams is generally fine, for your own use only.  In other words, don't go posting them online. Of course, you could bring your old tape or minidisc recorder, but the state of the art has advanced, and compact MP3 recorders with integrated microphones can record a lot of material with generally very good fidelity.  Zoom H1, Zoom H2n, Roland R-05, Tascam DR-05, Tascam PR-10, etc.

Video recording requires prior permission from the workshop or jam leader, and should also be only for your own use. Many of the leaders are professionals who make all or part of their living from music; please respect their wishes about recordings, and take a look at their CDs, books, and DVDs in the Fiddle Hell store in the Thoreau room.