The Spirit of Balkan Folk

The 2026 Balkan Music weekend course explores the folk music of Bosnia and Kosovo. Although these styles are less familiar to British and Western European Balkan music enthusiasts, they contain strong stylistic influences, along with the vibrancy and charisma of both Ottoman and Yugoslavian traditions.

This course is suitable for any pitched instrument, including accordions, guitars, mandolins, ouds, bowed and plucked strings, and wind instruments of any tuning and tradition. If your instrument is unusual, please provide your notation requirements and, if possible, the range of your instrument in advance. The level is intermediate to advanced. No previous experience in this style is required.

By the end of the course, you will be able to confidently play several instrumental pieces with accompaniments from the region. You will be familiar with the appropriate ornamentation and phrasing, although reaching full performance speed may require some additional practice. In addition, we will have created a simple band arrangement for each piece, which you can take home and perform with your own group.

As in previous years, we will learn the tunes primarily by ear. However, sheet music for all pieces will be provided to support musical memory and note-taking.

In addition to learning the melodies, we will explore chords, embellishments and harmony lines. In the later

sessions, we will bring all parts together into performance arrangements, which will be recorded and shared with the group. This way, you can take home a ready-made arrangement for your band. If there is interest, and if a piece lends itself to it, we may also explore improvisation.

No specific preparation is required for this course. Teaching is initially done by ear; however, you will receive sheet music and can decide for yourself when and how to use it. Most participants refer to the sheet music after several pieces have been introduced, but typically as a prompt rather than for sight-reading. The quality of performance tends to be much more authentic when the initial learning is done by ear.

Ornamentation is mostly not notated, as classical symbols only apply in some cases – we will add these together during the course.

The course is suitable for a range of playing levels, from intermediate to advanced. The tunes are often quite straightforward when played without ornaments, but they become true virtuoso performance pieces once ornamentation is added. The course is also appropriate for both musicians who read music and those who prefer to learn by ear. No previous experience in Balkan music is required.

No specific preparation is needed for this course. 

Bring your instrument(s) in good working order, a pencil, and recording equipment (a phone or voice recorder will do). 

If you would like to join the dance steps, wear comfortable clothes and shoes that allow free movement.