Hurdy-gurdy for beginners – Lies Sommer, Petra Leeflang & Phi Plomp
An introduction
Always wanted to play the hurdy-gurdy? Here’s your chance! This group is designed for beginners. The instrument will be discovered where the pleasure of playing is paramount.
Together with the teachers, the instrument will be discovered, with the pleasure of playing always coming first. We start playing the hurdy-gurdy on the basis of simple but beautiful melodies. Topics include playing posture, fingering, trumpet playing, preparing the instrument for playing (cotton wool, rosin, tuning, adjusting keyboard and trumpet).
No instrument? No problem! We have a number of instruments available for this course, which can be borrowed by the beginners.
Level of playing
None, this workshop is for beginners
Special offer for beginners: preparation morning on Saturday 19th September
To get more out of the beginner groups*, we offer participants an extra preparation morning for free: During this morning, participants will receive their rental instrument. Furthermore, participants will receive an explanation of the instrument, initial instructions and homework with which they can work at home prior to the weekend course. This morning is from 10:30 to 12:30 and takes place at the same location as the workshop day.
* With the exception of the extra beginner groups for hurdy-gurdy. The extra instruments that we borrow from others for these workshop groups will not be delivered until the Course Day. Unfortunately, it is logistically impossible to get the instruments to the workshop location any earlier.
About Lies Sommer
Lies travels town and country to play and dance. She plays in various groups, ranging from medieval to balfolk to rock and metal, and she regularly gives dance and music workshops. Lies started playing the harp at the age of ten, but really got a taste for it when she ended up in Ireland for her Celtic studies, where she discovered the folk harp and folk music. She learned balfolk dancing from old, grey ladies at the market in Brittany and later at various folk festivals in France. Besides hurdy-gurdy, she also plays harp and shawm. Lies plays in Kelten Zonder Grenzen (balfolk), Ball Noir (balfolk/metal) and Datura (medieval music)
Listen on youtube
• Kelten Zonder Grenzen – Starry Night
• Kelten Zonder Grenzen – Baby Steps
• Kelten Zonder Grenzen – O’Carolan’s Dream
• Ball Noir – Winter is Comming
• Ball Noir – The Other
• Ball Noir – Bitter Dreams
• Datura – Bachuss the Movie
• Datura – Zou een meisje gaan om wijn
About Petra Leeflang
When Petra discovered the hurdy-gurdy, she was immediately enthusiastic. She regularly attended hurdy-gurdy workshops in Germany, Belgium, Italy and of course at the Dutch Hurdy-Gurdy & Bagpipe Foundation. Many beginning players may know her: she regularly joins our ‘instrument tasting’ to various festivals to introduce festival visitors to our instruments. Her interest in hurdy-gurdy music is broad. Before entering the folk world, she therefore played in various rock bands.
About Phi Plomp
“Ever since I first encountered the hurdy-gurdy, I have been fascinated: part musical instrument, part machine. Which is also how I approach playing this instrument: analytically, yet with feeling.
I can be found on smaller stages here and there, but also as a street musician. I greatly enjoy getting more people to know the hurdy-gurdy. Teaching therefore feels as a natural next step and I am looking very much forward to sharing my passion for this beautiful instrument.”