Folk Fest

In this course, you'll explore the importance of developing an individual style in English folk music and leave equipped with the tools and skills needed to bring songs and tunes to life your own way. Allow your instrument and voice to sing beautiful traditional tunes, weave fabulous harmonies with your co-musicians and groove together with infectious dance rhythms. This is an integrated course for singers and instrumentalists of all levels working together and in smaller groups to recreate a folk festival here at Benslow Music. 

Led by warm and knowledgeable tutors, there will be tailored opportunities for advanced musicians to challenge themselves with more complex musical nuances, while others can take time to explore at a steadier pace and build confidence in folk music style and techniques.  This is a friendly and supportive environment to try all kind of new sounds! All instruments and voices welcome.

By the end of this course you will be able to: 

• Play a variety of early and folk music repertoire with stylistic techniques and arrangement ideas.
• Have tools to develop harmony / chords / variation.
• Have confidence playing in small groups with others to create your own arrangements.
• Play by ear
• Understand phrasing, ornamentation, pulse, rhythm, tone, variations, harmony, and accompaniment. 

There will be small and large group work, split into three strands: 

Song - open to singers of all abilities. 
Melody - open to players of all instruments keen to learn folk tunes. 
Accompaniment - open to guitarists at all levels. 

The course will be taught by ear, but written music or song words will be given out after pieces have been taught in this way. 

This course is designed for players at all ability levels. See our Ability Levels Explained for further details. 

No previous experience is needed but Melody players need to be confident in the keys of G and D, Chord players need to be confident with the chords of G, D, C, A, Em, Am, Bm.

No preparation is required. Music will be provided by the tutors on the course you will need to bring yourself and your instrument(s). You might find it useful to have a recording device to keep a record of the melodies, as well as a notebook and pen.