Ceilidh in the Campo
Ceilidh in the CampoWe had to cancel the 2020 event due to the pandemic, but are hoping to reschedule one day soon!Please get in touch with a note of interest if you'd like to attend.
About
Sometimes in life we travel new roads and this happened to Amy last year whilst working on the show 6 Feet 3 Shoes, an ambitious mix of Scottish Step, Flamenco and Contemporary dance! Amy was commissioned to write music for the piece, so set off on a research trip to Madrid to study Flamenco. As chance dictates, her good friends Mandy & Kenny had moved the year before to Andalusia. Mandy had just had a set of Borders Pipes made and needed them delivered from Pathhead to Còmpeta, so off Amy went with Fiddle, Pipes and suitcase for a Spanish adventure…… Ceilidh in the Campo was duly conceived!
The course will be centred around beautiful Còmpeta - one of Los Pueblos Blancos. These so called “white villages” (white because of the lime wash paint used to keep the houses cool) were frontiers in the secular struggle between Moors and Christians and characteristically sit on mountainsides with steep, narrow winding streets. Còmpeta nestles in the foothills of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama National Park, where there are fabulous mountain trails for keen walkers. Awash with fascinating history and culture, this area is the home of Flamenco. There are Fiestas throughout the year and it’s a wonderful area to visit, full of great places to eat and drink and fabulous local shops, selling everything you need as well as delicious local produce and artisan crafts.
We have chosen to run the course in early June so as to avoid the searing heat of July & August. It will already be hot in early June though, certainly warm enough to swim in the sea or the pool. Classes will be outside on a beautiful veranda overlooking the Campo (the farmland) and facing South to the Alboran Sea (in the Mediterranean) and the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, which can be seen on a clear day.
Tutors
Tutors for the week are Fyne Fiddles founders Amy Geddes and Donald Knox. Amy is leading the course on fiddle with Donald there to play guitar during classes & sessions, to lead any short practise sessions as required and generally to keep Amy right at all times! You can read lots more about Amy and Donald on our tutors page.
This course is for fiddle players of a few years. We recommend you are comfortable playing jigs & reels at a steady tempo (breakneck speed not necessary) and confident in the following keys C,G,D & A Majors and A, E & B Minors. We may do some pieces in Major Flat keys - if so you do not need to have experience of this as all relevant technique will be covered.
There will be a maximum of 12 students, so plenty opportunity to focus and time & space for everyone to receive some individual input within the scheduled lesson times. This can also be supported after morning class where Amy will be available in the afternoon each day for short 1:1 (or small focus group sessions as required). We’ll be covering many elements of fiddle playing - exploring various techniques through the tunes we learn, developing musical confidence, as well as expanding knowledge of harmony and group playing. Because the group is so small and we have a week together we will have time to address specific issues as they come up. So there will also be an element of flexibility which will allow for exciting and creative developments as the week goes on!
Amy is very experienced at leading small groups of mixed experiences and abilities and makes sure that there are always multiple learning options. With Donald, she will build pieces with several different parts, rhythm, counter melody etc. Each student will be encouraged to decide for themselves how far to go - or when to stop learning new things and focus on developing what has already been started. This way we can guarantee that working as one group will offer varying & appropriate levels of challenge.
Tuition is normally by ear, but we can also offer scores for anyone who needs them. Sheet music and recordings for all the material taught on the course will also be made available online at the end of the week. The final content of the course will be decided once we know who’s coming, but there is a plan to learn one Spanish piece - maybe with a little Flamenco influence - in keeping with our surroundings.
Venue
Classes will take place daily at Mandy & Kenny’s home, a Finca recently and aptly renamed Cortijo de Croft. A Finca is a small farm (much like a croft) and Cortijo de Croft is midway between Torrox & Còmpeta.
Transport will be provided daily to and from Còmpeta town centre to the Finca. The tutors will be based at the Finca, staying in the adjacent holiday home with a pool which will be available for students to use when at the Finca. You only need to bring your swimming costumes as towels will be provided.
There are also indoor spaces and lots of shaded areas dotted around the Finca - you can spend time sitting under the grapevine watching the daily work of the farmers in the Campo.
Schedule
The main class will be each morning from 9.30am-12.30pm. This is the best time to learn, while the sun is coming up and temperatures are still cool. We’ll then stay at the Finca until 2.30pm, having lunch, making use of the pool, practising the new tunes, having a wee 1:1 lesson or just relaxing. Then it’s back to Còmpeta for Siesta until the evening classes / activities.
Daily timetable
9.30am - 12.30pm Classes at Finca
12.30pm - 2.30pm Free time & Lunch at the Finca
2.30 - 5.30pm Free time in Còmpeta and / or 1:1 sessions
5.30 - 7.30pm Classes, evening meal and session at Finca
Exceptions to this are on Wednesday when there will be free time from 2.30pm and Thursday when we will all go to a favourite local Tapas Bar in Còmpeta for the evening classes and session.
Meals, Accommodation, Travel & Booking
Meals
Lunch will be provided daily after morning classes. Chef for the week is our host Mandy. She’ll gather fresh fruit and vegetables from her 5 terraces daily - it really does sound too good to be true - but it is, we promise! Evening meals will be provided on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, as well as teas, coffees, snacks & wine all at the Finca. Students will organise their own breakfasts, evening meal on Wednesday and Tapas (or meal) on Thursday.
Accommodation
Accommodation is not provided, but there is an excellent range of self-catering accommodation in Còmpeta on both Air B&B and Booking.com. Please note that Còmpeta is on a steep hill, so if you have any mobility issues you are best booking somewhere central, near to the car park which will be our daily meeting point.
We are happy to offer more advice before you book accommodation, please just ask.
If you’re thinking of coming but don’t know anyone else who is or to stay on your own, then please get in touch and we can match you up with other students for a house share.
Travel
The nearest airport to Còmpeta is Malaga, about 80km and 75 minutes drive away. We recommend flying to Malaga with Easyjet direct from Glasgow as they allow fiddles in the cabin in the overhead lockers. Some airlines do not, so be careful to check policy thoroughly if you are booking with anyone else.
There are local service or private hire airport buses to Torrox. From Torrox it’s a 20 minute taxi ride to Còmpeta. Or if you prefer, there are plenty car hire options. We can help book taxis / buses etc once you are booked onto the course and know your flight arrival & departure times.
Prices and Booking Information
Ready to book? Click here to secure your place! Or e-mail vicky@fynefiddles.scot
Fees for 2021 tbc, but will be around £400 for the week long course.
Fees include all lessons, transport to and from the Finca, refreshments, lunches (lunch is the main meal of the day), 3 evening meals as well as the pool and the grounds at the Finca being available to you all week.
Accommodation in Còmpeta is inexpensive and can easily cost as little as £100 for the week for a house share in good quality accommodation. Please remember that you are responsible for paying your own accommodation, flights and airport transfers. We will help organise these for groups of students so you can travel together and make sure that you are not left on your own to find anything. Flights to Malaga are around £200 return, airport transfers £20 (less if sharing). Remember some airlines make fiddles buy their own seats (yes really), so please, please check very carefully before booking!
Amy can offer up to date advice on this.
Course fees can be paid in instalments, but a deposit will be required.
If you have any questions about the course before you book, please contact amy@fynefiddles.scot
