Words from Winifred Horan - Solas

This weekend Cedarville University welcomed Winifred Horan and Mick McAuley, members of Solas,  for a two-day campus/community event including lessons, concerts, masterclasses and Irish sessions. This afternoon I had the privilege of taking a private lesson from Winifred. She came to Cedarville last year, although only for one day, and my group "West of Dublin" performed for her in a masterclass. I talked with her a bit and found out that she's pretty great. When I saw her again this morning she recognized me, much to my surprise. She travels year-round with Solas, so I wasn't sure if she'd

remember the amateur fiddle player from a small-town college.

Anyways, my lesson was very insightful. I played for her "Dinky Dorians" and "Jenny's Chickens", but we spent the majority of the time working on first tune. After enthusiastically complementing my growth as a player she had a few pointers.

1) Accent the appropriate beats. This can be done (practice) with all reels. The strong beats (1 and 3) should have more emphasis — this creates a "lift" and gives the piece character.

2) Ornament the long notes. I admit I am VERY guilty of letting the long notes sound without any ornamentation. The five-note trill ornament works well on the high 'G' in the B part of the tune.

3) Play, or at least experiment with playing, in the middle half of the bow instead of the very tip.

4) Spice up the tune; don't play or group the notes in the same way every time. Slide, improve, or create new slur groups to add interest.

She let me record her playing "Dinky" including all the things we talked about so I can go back and listen and improve. She said a big part of a musicians growth is brought on by listening.