All instruments – Ensemble: Maarten Decombel (Be)

This workshop ensemble playing is intended for players of (semi) advanced level. All instruments are welcome in this workshop: violin, accordion, accordion, guitar, wind instruments, bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, bass or percussion! Please indicate instrument and tuning clearly when registering.

Maarten wrote:
“During this ensemble workshop, we will explore a number of delightful melodies and inspiring tunes from the wonderful world of folk and traditional music. After learning the melody (by ear!), we will focus on the groove, character, and embellishments that are essential to forging everything into a swinging whole. Together, we will explore the underlying chords and harmonic structure. From there, we will investigate what else the lead melody needs: a clever bass line? A grinding counterpoint? Rhythmic extras? An opening for a wild solo? No one knows where the journey will take us, but that is precisely what makes it so exciting. In any case, the arrangements are made according to the instruments/levels present in the workshop, so we always get a unique group sound, in which each musician has their own place.”

Level of playing

Participants must have a good command of their instrument in order to be able to play together with other musicians. They have outgrown the beginner’s level and are of (semi) advanced level. Participants can of course tune their own instrument correctly & the instrument is in good condition. They can quickly pick up a melody to play together. Music is learned by ear, with sheet music afterwards.
The workshop will probably be given in Dutch or English, depending on the languages of the participants.

Toon emphasizes the following in the level requirements:

• Percussionists, drummers and bassists must also be able to play subtly (and in time)
• For participants with a loud instrument (such as bagpipes or bombarde) it is advisable to also bring another -softer- instrument that you can play, such as a flute. Experience indicates that not every melody will be suitable for permanently playing non-stop loud instruments.

Maximum amount of participants: 25

Maarten Decombel

Maarten Decombel is a lover of many types of music and obsessed with anything that has strings. His musical journey began at the age of nine. As a teenager, he discovered folk music and studied guitar (classical and jazz) at the Higher Conservatory. The world of open tuning was a real revelation and he immersed himself in guitar tunings such as DADGAD and CGCGCG. His style can best be described as a unique combination of powerful energy and gentle lyricism. Since 2002, he has been the regular string player with Naragonia Quartet, a well-known band on the balfolk circuit around Toon Van Mierlo (accordion/bagpipes) and Pascale Rubens (accordion).

As a mandolin player and composer, Maarten truly flourishes within Snaarmaarwaar, a power folk trio on strings that is quickly building a solid live reputation. Started in 2006, they caused a sensation with their unique sound, based on Jeroen Geerinck’s powerful guitar playing and Ward Dhoore’s clear mandolin. They mainly play their own songs with an unmistakable groove, firmly rooted in European folk. In the summer of 2014, their third album ‘B.L.O.C.K.’ was released.
In 2011, he released ‘October Sunrise’ under his own name, a very personal album at the crossroads of folk and jazz. His guitar music is coloured by double bass and drums, and the trio has received very good reviews.

The mandolin quartet MANdolinMAN – in which Maarten plays the mandocello – focuses entirely on traditional music from Flanders. In 2011, they recorded the CD ‘Old Tunes, Dusted Down’, a tribute to the fieldwork of folk pioneer Hubert Boone. They play festivals all over Europe, Canada and Brazil. Later, they took on bossa nova and Latin American music, among other genres. With ‘Unfolding The Roots’ (2016), they delved even deeper into their own heritage and in 2018 they toured Flanders with singers Jan De Smet, Liliane Saint-Pierre and Herr Seele under the banner of Bazaar Bizar.

In 2017, the long collaboration with hurdy-gurdy virtuoso Gilles Chabenat was crowned with the release of Tondo’s ‘L Adorable Leurre’. The inspiration of the hurdy-gurdy-guitar-(bass) clarinet trio is often found in contemporary art and they play a series of concerts in Belgium and France.

Earlier in his musical journey, Maarten played with Jim Boyes, Griff, Eleonor, Evelyne Girardon, Les Tisserands, Wör, Rémi Decker, Trip To Ireland, Amorroma, Urban Trad, Christian Merveille, Filippo Gambetta, Kevin Seddiki and Michel Godard. Maarten often gives folk guitar/ensemble courses and teaches at the music academy in Deinze.

Listen to Maarten:
• La Cuvée Spéciale | Patrysse & The Oblique Jig | 4 avril 2024 | Gîte Chalendeix (87)
• Maarten Decombel en Toon Van Mierlo//Session nr.2
• Fleur de Lys – Maarten Decombel
• Göze – Mazurka des Tuilleries
• Göze – Skaloval/ Neverending
• Snaarmaarwaar – Blekkerbos
• Snaarmaarwaar – Slagwerk
• Snaarmaarwaar – Architek
• Naragonia Quartet – Lilac / Dave The Watchman
• Tondo – A Toi A Moi
• Spilar – Voor Marie-Louise (Live in De Zevende Dag)
• Spilar – Roosendaal (live at Studio Trad )
• Spilar – Pertank
• MANdolinMAN – old tunes, dusted down
• MANdolinMAN – Scottische van Zaventem
• Maarten Decombel – October Sunrise