|
Fiddler Magazine, Winter 2002/2003, Vol. 9, No. 4
by Brendan Taaffee
Peter Hedlund, Nyckelharpskola, Voume II
[Leydon Grafix, NS02, www.ritaleydon.com]
I will preface this by admitting that I had to have a five year old show me how to work the DVD machine, and that I was happy I swallowed my pride to do so. This is the second in a series of instructional DVDs for Swedish nyckelharpa playing, and takes the student on to more challenging pieces. If your only experience with video instruction is the Homespun tapes, this is a much more polished and flexible medium. You can choose between camera angles, either seeing the full player or just his left hand, choose languages (Swedish or English), and opt for a slow or at tempo version of the tune you are learning. And the visual presentation is very well done, with Hedlund set against a black background so that he seems to be floating. It means that there's nothing to distract you from what he's doing, which is a good thing.
The body of nyckelharpa players is probably a small one, and has likely been anxiously awaiting this release. But there's something to be had here for fiddle players as well, as Hedlund, a two-time world champion on chromatic nyckelharpa, goes over bowing and presents a lot (fifteen to be precise) of tasty tunes in an easy to learn fashion. Happy sawing.
|
|
|