Fiddle Hell 2012 will go from noon on Friday, Nov. 2, until 6PM on Sunday, Nov. 4.

The Fiddle Hell Schedule for Nov. 2-4, 2012 is under construction.

Below is the 2011 schedule.

Fiddle Hell will be held at the Colonial Inn, Concord, MA.

November 4, 2011 (Friday)

9:30AM-5PM: Pre-Fiddle-Hell Workshops Prior signup requested for this fine day of friendly workshops at beginer, advancing beginner, and intermediate levels. We have seven workshop leaders this year, with many parallel tracks and traditional styles. New in 2011: Becky Tracy will be teaching Irish and Québecois styles at Pre-Fiddle-Hell.  Other workshop leaders in 2011 are Kimberley Fraser, Dave Reiner, Andy Reiner, David Kaynor, Julie Metcalf and Clayton March.

5PM: Fiddle Hell officially starts! First, go to the Registration Desk in the Sitting Room next to the front desk. Sign in, get a stylish wristband and nametag.  Then, look around for your fellow fiddlers everywhere at the Colonial Inn!

5PM - midnight: Open jamming wherever you find a spot (like Cafe or Prescott or the Porch). Jamming even later in The Forge, Heritage Room and Alcott Room.
5:30 - 6:30PM: New in 2011: Beginner's questions answered in Alcott (Julie Metcalf) – Fiddle Hell is beginner-friendly.  Here's a great start for you!
6 - 7PM: Slow jam on tunes from the common tunes list in Heritage (Clayton March) – Get ready for Saturday night!
6 - 7PM: New England jam in MasM (David Kaynor, Eric Eid-Reiner on piano) – Get in the spirit at the Colonial Inn!
6 - 7PM: Swing/Texas jam in Thoreau (Andy Reiner, Marshall Racowsky on guitar) – It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!

7:30 - 9:30PM: Fiddle Concert (open to the public) in the Masonic Hall Lower Level, 58 Monument Square (across the street from the Colonial Inn).  This concert will feature great fiddling from Kimberley Fraser, Andy Reiner, David Kaynor, Clayton March, Julie Metcalf, Eric Eid-Reiner, and will finish with the Reiner Family Band (your Fiddle Hell hosts!).  It's free if you’ve paid for Pre-Fiddle-Hell Workshops or for Fiddle Hell; walk-ins are $10.  Tell your friends - this is the only part of Fiddle Hell that's open to the public.

9:30 - 10:30PM: Easy beginners' jam in MasM (Julie Metcalf) – Make some new friends!  Keep going later if you like...
9:30 - 11:30PM: Old time Southern jam in Heritage (Andy Reiner and Tim Rowell) – Up to speed, but with easy tunes!
9:30 - 11:30PM: New in 2011: Up-to-speed Bluegrass jam in MasU (Paul Harty) - It's 100 years since Bill Monroe was born!
9:30 - 11:30PM: New in 2011: Up-to-speed Scottish and Cape Breton Jam in MasL (no leader) - Strathspeys, hornpipes, reels and jigs!
9:30PM - midnight: New England, bluegrass, Irish, oldtime, and whatever jams everywhere else... Jamming until midnight in the Masonic Lodge, until 1AM in The Forge, and until 2AM in Heritage  and Alcott Rooms.

November 5, 2011 (Saturday)

Most workshops and jams will end 10 minutes before the next ones start, to give us time to move around and have a quick break.

9AM – midnight: Informal jamming all day in various rooms until midnight and later. Roving musicians for jams include John Robinson and Marshall Racowsky on guitar, and more.
9 - 9:50AM: Early bird jam in Heritage (no leader) – Would you rather sleep - or fiddle?
10 - 10:50AM: Fundamental bowing patterns workshop in Heritage (ABeg - Int) (Dave Reiner) – Make your tunes come alive! New in 2011: Handouts from Dave and Andy's upcoming book on bowing.
10 - 10:50AM: Kids' fiddle tune workshop in Alcott (ABeg - Int) (Andy Reiner, Julie Metcalf) – Learn tunes and techniques!
10 - 10:50AM: New in 2011: Irish workshop in MasM (Int) (Becky Tracy of Wild Asparagus) – Traditional tunes and ornamentation!
10 - 10:50AM: Swedish workshop in MasU (Bronwyn Bird of BMUZ) – A great tradition!
10 - 10:50AM: New in 2011: Rags for the fiddle guided jam in Prescott (Int) (David Masury) – Play a few, hear a few!
11 - 11:50AM: Half-speed tune workshop on tunes from the common tunes list in Heritage (Clayton March) – Get ready for tonight!
11 - 11:50AM: Swedish jam in MasU (Bronwyn Bird of BMUZ) – Fiddles, nyckelharpas, and more!
11 - 11:50AM: New England jam in MasL (David Kaynor, Eric Eid-Reiner on piano) – Put that lift in your playing!
11 - 11:50AM: New in 2011: Irish workshop in MasM (ABeg) (Becky Tracy of Wild Asparagus) – Learn a simple Irish traditional tune!
11 - 11:50AM: New in 2011: Play along with fiddle tunes with lyrics in Thoreau (Int) (Marion Webster, Bruce Pacheco, Zoel Sawyer) – From Old Joe Clark and Whiskey Before Breakfast to Tennessee Waltz and more!
11 - 11:50AM: New in 2011: Swing jam in The Forge (Int) (no leader) – Let's see who shows up to play some swing tunes!
Noon - 12:50PM: Earth String Band's recent tour to Southeast Asia in Heritage (all levels) (Andy Reiner of Earth String Band) – Andy will show videos and photos and talk about his amazing tour!  Grab lunch at the buffet in The Forge and bring it downstairs.
Noon - 12:50PM: New in 2011: Play favorite Rhode Island tunes of the Old Fiddlers Club of Rhode Island in MasL (ABeg - Int) (Matt McConeghy) – You'll know a lot of these!  You can bring lunch over from the buffet to this room.

Noon - 1:15PM: Buffet lunch ($12 + tax) in The Forge, or try one of the two restaurants, or just keep jamming

1 - 1:50PM: Free improvisation workshop in Forge (all levels) (Andy Reiner of the Earth String Band) – Andy'll spark your creativity!
1 - 1:50PM: Half-speed tune workshop on common tunes in MasU (Julie Metcalf) – Get ready for tonight!
1 - 1:50PM: New in 2011: A bluegrass fiddler's "bag of tricks" in Heritage (ABeg - Int) (Dave Reiner) – Practical, essential advice!
1 - 1:50PM:  Contradance fiddle workshop in MasM (ABeg - Int) (David Kaynor) – Learn from a well-known fiddler/caller! [Sit in with a contra dance band at 6:45PM]
1 - 2:50PM: Scottish & Cape Breton jam in MasL (with the incomparable Eric Eid-Reiner on piano) – Don't miss it!
2 - 2:50PM: Chop bowing workshop in Heritage (all levels) (Andy Reiner of BMUZ) – A modern backup technique - like playing drums on your fiddle!
2 - 2:50PM: New in 2011: French Canadian tunes and style in MasU (Int) (Becky Tracy of Wild Asparagus) – Québecois tunes and bowing!
2 - 2:50PM: Cajun fiddle workshop in Prescott (Beg - Int) (Michelle Kaminsky of the Magnolia Cajun Band) – Laissez les bon temps rouler!
2 - 2:50PM: Improvising around a sung melody in Alcott (ABeg-Int) (Ellen Carlson) – A practical workshop!
2 - 2:50PM: New in 2011: Oldtime bowing concepts in Forge (ABeg-Int) (Mark Simos) – Oldtime fiddler extraordinaire!
3 - 3:50PM: Play along with classic Western Swing tunes in Forge (Paul Harty) – Not too hard, guaranteed fun!
3 - 3:50PM: Bluegrass fiddle workshop (Int) in MasL (Art Schatz of the Reunion Band) – Learn the high lonesome sound!
3 - 3:50PM: New in 2011: Playing for New England contras (all levels) in Heritage (Becky Tracy of Wild Asparagus) – Listen to sage advice from the trenches!  [Sit in with a contra dance band at 6:45PM]
3 - 3:50PM: New in 2011: Klezmer jam in MasU (John Chambers, of J.C.’s Tunefinder, Clayton March) – Jewish music, handouts provided!
3 - 3:50PM: New in 2011: Tune writing for fiddlers (all levels) in Alcott (Mark Simos) – Practical ideas from a gifted tunesmith!
3 - 3:50PM: New in 2011: Beginners' meetup in Prescott (no leader) - meet some new friends, talk about fiddling, maybe play a tune!
4 - 4:50PM: New in 2011: Beginners' questions answered in Prescott (Julie Metcalf) – Right hand, left hand, intonation, technique...
4 - 4:50PM: Beginning old time fiddle workshop in MasU (Beg-ABeg) (Terri Lukacko) – Learn some easy old time tunes!
4 - 4:50PM: New in 2011: Gypsy fiddle workshop in MasL (ABeg-Int) (Pete Anick, Fiddler Magazine columnist) – Come to learn or just listen!
4 - 4:50PM: New in 2011: Slow speed Irish seisún in Heritage (ABeg-Int) (Clayton March, Andy Reiner) – Guiness on tap nearby!
4 - 4:50PM: New in 2011: Fiddle Forum and Fiddle Hangout meetup in The Forge (no leader) Say hello to your online friends!
5 - 5:50PM: New in 2011: Relaxation and taming performance jitters in Thoreau (any instrument, any level) (Eric Eid-Reiner)
5 - 5:50PM: Play along with a country/bluegrass singer in MasL (Berklee prof August Watters) – Try out your fiddling on these easy-to-follow tunes!
5 - 5:50PM: 5-string fiddlers' gathering in Prescott – Show me yours and I'll show you mine!
5 - 6:30PM: Full speed Irish seisún in Heritage (ABeg-Int) (Clayton March, Andy Reiner) – The craic is mighty!
5 - 6:45PM: New in 2011: Old time Southern jam in MasU (Tim Rowell and friends) – Fine old tunes in an informal and fun jam!
6 - 7PM: Bluegrass jam in Thoreau (ABeg-Int) (No leader) – Don't get too wild - help out your fellow jammers!

6 - 7PM: Buffet dinner ($20 + tax) in The Forge, or try one of the Colonial Inn restaurants, or just keep jamming

6:45 - 7:45PM: Totally New in 2011: Contra dance in MasL (David Kaynor calling, Andy Reiner, Julie Metcalf, Eric Eid-Reiner of Matching Orange) – Put down your fiddle and dance a few easy contras! Or you can sit in with the band to play typical New England tunes for the dancers!

8:00 - 10:30PM: The big Saturday Night Event! We'll gather in MasL (Lower Level) 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 available, including Eric Eid-Reiner on piano and John Robinson on guitar. Alternating with the individual slots, we'll all play some medleys of common tunes together. Free giveaways: Many sets of Helicore Strings and Zyex Strings from D'Addario, a beautiful 1870's carte de visite with a photo of a fiddler from FiddlePics, a $400 Diamond NX bow from CodaBow, a $200 Winter Greenline violin case from Vermont Violins, and a fiddle back art piece from Ed Karch Studios.

10:30PM until midnight: More jamming! Or chat with new friends and quaff a cold one! Jamming until midnight in the Masonic Lodge, until 1AM in The Forge, and until 2AM in the Heritage and Alcott Rooms.

November 6, 2011 (Sunday)

Try the Colonial Inn's breakfast buffet from 9:30AM - noon, or Sunday brunch buffet 10:30AM - 2PM. Or just sleep in!

9 - 9:50AM: Early bird jam in MasL (no leader) – Would you rather sleep - or fiddle?
9 - 9:50AM: Fiddle Forum and Fiddle Hangout meetup in Forge – Chat and jam with your online friends!
10 - 10:50AM: Contradance fiddle workshop in MasM (ABeg-Int) (David Kaynor) – How to animate dancers' hearts with your playing!
10 - 10:50AM: New in 2011: Essential bowing techniques (Beg) in Thoreau (Julie Metcalf) – Bowing is your “voice” on fiddle!
10 - 10:50AM: New in 2011: Overview of Cape Breton style (all levels) in MasL (Kimberley Fraser) – Demonstrated by a master fiddler!
10 - 10:50AM: New in 2011: Healthy musical attitudes in MasU (all levels) (Andy Reiner) – Andy's advice will help you make progress on your instrument while keeping sane!
11 - 11:50AM: Kids' fiddle workshop in Alcott (ABeg-Int) (Cathy Goode) – A fantastic teacher of tunes and techniques!
11 - 11:50AM: How to back up a singer on the fiddle workshop in MasM (Dave Reiner & Paul Harty) – An important skill, demystified by Dave!
11 - 11:50AM: New England jam in MasL (David Kaynor, Eric Eid-Reiner) – Great tunes, surrounded by friends...
11 - 11:50AM: New in 2011: Cape Breton workshop in MasU (ABeg) (Kimberley Fraser) – Learn a fine CB tune!
11 - 11:50AM: New in 2011: Your fiddling questions answered in Forge  (all levels!) (Julie Metcalf) – Techniques, tunes, anything!

Noon - 1:15: Buffet lunch ($12 + tax) in The Forge, or try one of the restaurants. Or would you rather learn a new tune from someone? Don't forget to look over the CDs and fiddle books for sale in the Sitting Room where you signed in.

12:50PM: Free giveaways in MasM: Many sets of Helicore Strings and Zyex Strings from D'Addario, and a fiddle back art piece from Ed Karch Studios.
1 - 1:50PM: New in 2011: Learn Orange Blossom Special in MasM (ABeg-Int) (Dave Reiner, with Marshall Racowsky) – The fiddle imitates a train, using double shuffle and more!
1 - 1:50PM: Swedish fiddle workshop in Alcott (ABeg - Int) (David Kaynor) – He's got the style and the tunes!
1 - 1:50PM: New in 2011: Southern oldtime fiddle workshop in The Forge (ABeg - Int) (Andy Reiner) – Play it differently every time - great variations on Old Joe Clark!
1 - 1:50PM: New in 2011: Scottish fiddle workshop in MasL (ABeg - Int) (Barbara McOwen) – Great tunes and techniques from a wonderful local teacher!
1 - 1:50PM: New in 2011: Building a bluegrass fiddle break in MasU (ABeg-Int) (Pete Anick, Fiddler Magazine columnist, with John Robinson) – Hands-on!
2 - 3PM: Cape Breton workshop (ABeg-Int) (Kimberley Fraser) in MasL – Sponsored by Boston Scottish Fiddle Club as their monthly meeting!
2 - 3PM: New in 2011: Bluegrass jam in MasU (Int - Adv) (Paul Harty) – No holds barred jam!
2 - 3PM: New England jam in Alcott (ABeg - Adv) (no leader) – We're in New England, after all!
2 - 4PM: New in 2011: Beginners' jam in The Forge (Beg, ABeg) (No leader) – Just show up and play with your new friends!
2 - 4PM: Old time Southern jam in MasM (Andy Reiner, Tim Rowell) – Fine old tunes in an informal and fun jam
3 - 4PM: Scottish and Cape Breton jam in MasL (Kimberley Fraser) – Strathspeys, reels, jigs, and more!
3 - 4PM: New in 2011: Common tunes jam in MasU  (all levels, no leader) – Last chance at the 52 common tunes [Hear them fast and slow on CDs here]
4 - 5:30PM: Mellow waltz jam session in MasU (Bob Alessio) – Play by ear or read the music - to help us wind down
4 - 5:30PM: New in 2011: Scottish and Cape Breton jam continues in MasL (led by Boston Scottish Fiddle Club) – Play Farewell to the Tay and many more!
4 - 5:30PM: New in 2011: Old time Southern jam continues in MasM – No leader, just keep those tunes coming!

6PM: Fiddle Hell is officially over. Go to dinner, take in a live performance, make your way to Boston or Cambridge. Or head home, glowing with the aura of new friends, new tunes, and new experiences.