Horsecross Arts is urging traditional music fans to take up a new skill for the New Year by coming along to fortnightly Trad from Scratch workshops in Perth Concert Hall’s Norie-Miller Studio.

Led by professional musicians, the Sunday workshops are aimed at players of all instruments who would like to join in a traditional music session in a pub or club but need to build their confidence before they do.

Workshop attendees then have the option to take their instruments along to The Horsecross Sessions in Greyfriars Bar on Sunday evenings and put their new found skills into practice or just listen in on the fortnightly free sessions which are also led by well kent faces from the trad scene.

Noëlle Cobden head of creative learning at Horsecross Arts, the creative organisation behind Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre said:

“Playing along at a traditional music session in a pub is a key part of the scene and something that all players whatever skill level should be encouraged to join in. Trad from Scratch workshops aim to teach players some stock trad tunes that they can confidently play along to in the pub after their afternoon workshop.”

The Trad from Scratch workshops run at 4pm on Sunday 18 January, 1 February, 15 February and 1 March followed by Horsecross Sessions at 7.30pm in Greyfriars Bar on the same dates led by Kyle Howie and Anna Olafsson, Pete Clark, Grant McFarlane and Mhairi MacKinnon and Doris Rougvie and Roy Henderson respectively. The Horsecross Sessions continue on a fortnightly basis until 19 April.

Trad from Scratch workshop participant Helen Flemming said:

“I really love coming to these sessions. I’ve probably learnt more in the 3 or 4 sessions, which have made lots of things fall into place, than I have in the last 40 years of trying to join jam sessions.”

And another workshop participant Eilidh Klemm said of the workshops:

“Really welcoming, inclusive and encouraging. Trad is all new to me, so the introduction based on patterns really opened up the music and made learning the tunes so much easier than expected.”

For further information contact Horsecross Arts Box Office on 01738 621031 click here.