Learn great Balkan tunes and how to play them amazingly.
This is the first unit of 2025, continuing from a wonderful year of 6 successful units that were both fun and high-quality education. Current participants describe it as "fascinating, enthusiastic, insightful and valuable, with a good pace for learning tunes” and “a systematic approach to training embellishments, ornaments, and uneven rhythms.”
When? Wednesday evenings, 19:00 – 20:15h BST
Where? Online on ZOOM
This course will explore authentic Balkan tunes, emphasizing essential techniques for playing with precision and expression. The curriculum is taught via a mixture of by-ear learning and sheet music, allowing participants to delve into dynamic phrasing, articulation, ornamentation, tone, and speed. The course also offers exercises to enhance overall technique and flexibility.
Sheet music in PDF format is distributed before and/or after each session. Recordings of the Zoom sessions are shared afterwards, allowing participants to review the material taught or engage in self-study if a session has been missed. Additional practice videos or MP3 audio for playing along are distributed throughout the course.
The course runs weekly throughout the year, expect school holidays. Booking either annually on a 6-weekly direct debit, or by booking 5-lesson units.
Participants: Players of any melodic instruments from intermediate to advanced.
Fee: £65/£49 concessions for one Unit of 5 weeks (half a UK term), the next unit will start on the 15th of January 2025, although you can join any time - contact me for adjusted payments or check the website page for extra information, discounts and all-inclusive fees!
Detailed Information
The Balkan region is known for its rich and diverse musical heritage, which has been influenced by various cultures and traditions over the centuries. I am launching this new course to share the finer things about Balkan music. The correct notes can be played by any musician, but how often do I find myself in tears when listening to a great musician who gets it so wrong, simply because they did not have the opportunity to travel, listen, and learn from native masters?
Instead, they might have learned it third-hand or from a piece of sheet music. Western classical music notation cannot fully capture the essence of other types of music, and a metronome can stifle the authentic phrasing of asymmetric Balkan rhythms.
I am not a native Balkan music master either, but I feel very privileged that I had the opportunity to learn from several of them, and engage in endless, wild jam sessions. In this course, I aim to convey not only the right musical feel but also the fervor and passion for this music.
More info and booking: gundula@magicviolin.co.uk www.magicviolin.uk/balkanacademy
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