East Coast Tionol, Oct 6 - 9, 2006

[Joseph E. Smith]

Posted on behalf of Susanne Ward:

So what does the East Coast tionól mean to you?

- A 3-day escape from the work-a-day life.
- A chance to hear and play with some of the finest pipers and fiddlers in the world.
- A chance to learn new tunes.
- An opportunity to share tunes you have.
- Classes for learning tunes, learning techniques, polishing skills, and generally admiring the amazing instrument you play and the musical world you're a part of.
- An opportunity to hear live and up close some of your musical heroes.
- An occasion to be with a group of people who are just as mad as you.
- A chance to see if you really can still stay up all night just for the tunes and craic.
- A raucous, rip-roaring session to make your heart pound.
- A quiet session with just a couple of other musicians to make your heart sing.
- A chance to connect with old friends and meet new ones.
- Con's beer.
- Autumn in the Catskills.
- Time to play.
- An intimate concert of extraordinary quality.
- The opportunity to breathe.
- Apple, cheese and maybe even cider tasting.
- An opportunity to show off your prowess in the Chair Sunday night.
- A chance to have the magician Benedict Koehler take a look at what ails your pipes.
- A great new t-shirt.
- A chance to pretend you're a kid at summer camp.
- No worries.

I'm sure I haven't listed half the benefits of the tionol and you could add many more (lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol, provides the answers to life's many mysteries...), but you get the point. And it's just about upon us once again.

WHEN? Columbus Day Weekend: Friday evening, October 6 - Monday lunch, October 9th.

If you take the time to register now, you will help us plan for classes, t-shirts, etc. The tionól details and downloadable registration form are on our website (www.eastcoastpipers.com). If you don't have access to the web, please let me know and I'll mail out a form for you.

Pipers: No private lessons this year, sorry.
Fiddlers: We still have a few slots open for private lessons. If you're interested, let me know. You need to be registered to sign up for a private lesson.

We look forward to seeing you all at East Durham over Columbus Day weekend!

Susanne Ward
ECIP
www.eastcoastpipers.com

Sorry KAD, Susanne for locking the original.


Let's keep this topic on topic, sans agressive or defensive posts... please.

[Beau Comiseau]

Greetings,

I am new to the forum and a beginning-intermediate uilleann piper. I don't want to bring up the previous argument, but Dr. Blevins made the following point:

1. Lessons are never what they could be...too much time wasted in class......never start on time....people of lower levels of technical ability crash higher class levels and waste time for all attendees.......some instructors pontificate instead of teaching pipering.....

Does this imply that tionols (and the East Coast one in particular) are strictly for advanced players? I was thinking of attending, but now I have cold feet, fearing that I may be an impediment to others there. If tionols are for the more advanced players exclusively, then where should beginning and/or intermediate players learn?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[No E]

You should by all means attend the tionól. There will be classes for beginners and intermediate pipers as well as advanced. The problem comes when some people attempt the intermediate or advanced classes when they're are not up to it. Rate yourself conservatively--it's better to be the star pupil in the beginners' class than to be "that jerk that couldn't even play a triplet" in the advanced class.

I've found the piping community to be very encouraging and helpful to beginning and intermediate pipers, as long as they don't go spoiling the music for those who really know how to play.

No E

[glands]

You will definitely learn "something" if you attend. First tionol or two will be overwhelming for you. You may be lucky enough to get someone to approach you and offer advice and assistance. Patrick Hutchinson is good about that. Seek out help or you may be lost in it all. Avoid the beginners class if the instructor wants to take a half day to feck with everybodys reeds. You will sit a lot doing nothing if this is the case and may get your set messed up. Go to the reedmakers table if there is a problem with your reed. If Benedict Koehler is there he will be of immense help. Tionols organizers should provide ample opportunity to arrange one-on-one lessons for new players and perhaps those with 6 mos or less experience. Good intermediate pipers make great teachers for these folks but they are the ones who need to be in class themselves. The advanced players could possibly teach but many prefer to spend a lot of time in sessions and hobnobbing with the guests. But...ask and you will likely get help.

[DarthWeasel]

Last year when I first started playing I went to this tionol and I must say it was an awesome experience. If you are at all interested in Uilleann pipes then try at all costs to go. Its worth it just for the concerts alone!

[Joseph E. Smith]

Simply watching and LISTENING to it being done by a professional/master of the instrument is an important aspect of learning this instrument and its zillions of nuances. By all means, get thee to a Tionol!

[KAD]

Joe, thanks for restarting the thread.

Beau, by all means do come. This particular tionol is absolutely NOT just for advanced students -- there will be plenty of other beginners and intermediates -- and it is a great way to meet (and commiserate with!) other pipers. Plus, you'll have classes with a variety of different teachers over the course of the weekend.

Hope to see you there.

Cheers,
KAD

[Beau Comiseau]

Joe, thanks for restarting the thread.

Beau, by all means do come. This particular tionol is absolutely NOT just for advanced students -- there will be plenty of other beginners and intermediates -- and it is a great way to meet (and commiserate with!) other pipers. Plus, you'll have classes with a variety of different teachers over the course of the weekend.

Hope to see you there.

Cheers,
KAD

Thanks everyone!!! I'll sign up and make the journey there.

[MarkS]

This particular tionol is absolutely NOT just for advanced students -- there will be plenty of other beginners and intermediates -- and it is a great way to meet (and commiserate with!) other pipers. Plus, you'll have classes with a variety of different teachers over the course of the weekend.

In fact, according to the website, each level will be further ranked as Lower or Upper (you're asked to self-assess on the registration form), with a class at each level/rank. So there should be a good fit for every skill level, especially those who who may be "on the cusp" of advancing from, say, Beginner to Intermediate level. With the added rankings, it's potentially an easier transition to go from Upper Beginner to Lower Intermediate.

It'll be interesting to see how it works out. I'm looking forward to it!

[TheSilverSpear]

I'm sorry I won't be able to make the East Coast Tionol (as far as geography goes, East Durham, NY IS the East Coast, but I'm from Colorado). The university starts that week and I will be out of the US at that point. It's not really feasable for me to fly back here for it.

It is a lot of fun and worth going to for the sessions and social life. Even if you don't take classes for whatever reasons, you will learn something from listening to good players sessioning it up. You might also get some sleep. I'm usually up all night playing or listening and then sitting through class as a complete zombie (it's kind of like college). At Catskills Irish Arts Week I was nearly mainlining the coffee. All I remember was one tune, backstitching, and a few things from just watching Jerry O'Sullivan and Michael Cooney play. But that was all worth it to me.

Classes at those things are always hit or miss. You can greatly improve the hit ratio if you ask questions (I like nagging teachers about swing, lift, and phrasing) and are smart about which class you sign up for.

[Cayden]

I have been close to giving in to Susanne prodding a few times and go. When I see the list of supposed reasons to go it has quite an opposite effect on me. I am probably just funny that way.

[Joseph E. Smith]

I have been close to giving in to Susanne prodding a few times and go. When I see the list of supposed reasons to go it has quite an opposite effect on me. I am probably just funny that way.

Awwwww, go-wann, you know you want to.

[seisflutes]

Well I fully intend to go. I should have enough cash by then, thanks to a wedding gig in September. So yeah. I went last year for the first time and loved it. I can hardly wait.

[fgibbons]

Greetings,

I am new to the forum and a beginning-intermediate uilleann piper. I don't want to bring up the previous argument, but Dr. Blevins made the following point:

1. Lessons are never what they could be...too much time wasted in class......never start on time....people of lower levels of technical ability crash higher class levels and waste time for all attendees.......some instructors pontificate instead of teaching pipering.....

I think Blevins's point used to be more true in the past, or at least I've experienced it at other tionols. But it's much less common here, and I think one of the main reasons for this is that the teachers all rotate. There used to be a tendency (at other tionols) to think that, if a piper was being flown all the way from Ireland, then s/he should teach those who could appreciate his/her skill, i.e., the advanced class. Having the flown-in teacher do a beginners' class was just throwing pearls before swine, in this view.

What's the upshot of that? Why, the "swine" stampeded into the advanced class, to hear the player who flew in from Ireland! After all, they'd driven all day to get to the tionol, the only one they'd attend all year, and damned if they weren't going to spend an hour in front of the guy who'd been flown in from 5000 miles away!

I think the organisers of the east coast tionol decided sensibly, some years ago, that if you had a good roster of teachers, both "imported" and "domestic", you could rotate them among all levels. That way, everybody gets what they came for. All teachers have their own way, sometimes their style is not to my taste, but you can learn *something* from almost *anyone*. If you don't like one teacher's style, well you'll have a different one in the afternoon, or the next day. Susanne's never told me explicitly that that's what they do, but that's certainly how it seemed to me. And I think it really works well.

I think tionols have matured a lot in the last few years. Seems like there are more teachers to go around, and a wider range of skill among the "students", such that it's possible to fill an "advanced" class with players who truly are advanced. Perhaps also the organisers have had the time to figure out that a great player doesn't always make a great teacher. I think the east coast tionol is a great opportunity. As a beginner, your mind will be blown by how much there is to learn. Then once you get home, it'll blow your mind all over again to realise how much you picked up in those few short days.

See you there,

-Frank

[djm]

Being able to play does not necessarily connote the ability to teach. I have seen a marked difference with those who took lessons and are actively teaching in Ireland versus someone local who plays well. They have a method in Ireland (NPU for instance) for breaking things down, what to watch for, how to teach, the sequence of lessons, etc. Often times I have gotten in front of well-meaning individuals at a tionól who do not have a clear lesson structure in mind (and possibly are overwhelmed by the too-wide array of skills in any one class at a tionól), and the lesson ends up less than satisfactory for many.

I would like to see NPU eventually publish a book for teachers of the UPs, teaching them how to teach, as it were, as well as what to teach.

djm