Mandolins At Settle takes place in the lovely North Yorkshire town, and is now firmly established in my mandolin calendar. It contrasts with shorter, weekend gatherings I host elsewhere, partly because it lasts four days, and also because we take over the whole of the Falcon Manor Hotel for the duration.

I’ll be using a combination of favourite pieces from recent years alongside new material, some easy, some challenging, in a broad mix of musical styles. Ensemble playing remains at the heart of these gatherings and we’ll be aiming to polish the sound of our mandolin group as much as possible over the time we’re together.

Music (in both standard notation and tablature) and guide sound files will be sent out well in advance. The main sessions are in the mornings. The afternoons are less structured but there’ll be things to do: I often invite guest speakers and tutors (watch this space for details), and you’ll have time for some informal playing.

I try to cover all aspects of mandolin technique in the sessions, to de-mystify music theory, and to choose a varied repertoire with pieces that relate in some way to particular aspects of technique. I’ll be on duty throughout if you want to buttonhole me about any mandolin related issue.

There will no doubt be playing in the bar in the evening too. If you prefer to do something non-mandolinny in the afternoon, you can explore the lovely town of Settle, go for a walk in the surrounding countryside, seek out a steam train, go down a cave or whatever.

Simon Mayor & Hilary James
– evening concert

Venue to be confirmed, but we usually arrange something in Settle to coincide with the workshop. Watch this space!

The Venue

Accommodation is all single rooms – unless you choose to share.

Falcon Manor is a cosy, country house hotel. Click here to take a look at their website.

We have had nothing but glowing comments about the hotel on previous visits. It’s comfortable, characterful, and set in very beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. The food has always been unfailingly good and the staff warm and friendly. With just sixteen rooms, it’s also much smaller than other venues I’ve used. Oh, and it’s got real ale if that’s your bag.

How good a mandolinist do I have to be?

Ideally you’ll be able to get from start to finish of a fairly simple tune without stalling, and you’ll be able to read music or tablature to a reasonable standard (if you’re an experienced player but have only ever played by ear, tablature is very easy to learn). If you’re a guitarist or violinist trying a mandolin for the first time, you should be OK, but this is not going to be suitable for a beginner. I will send out PDFs of music/tablature and sound files in advance.

With the above in mind, your skill level is not the important thing here; it’s simply a chance to push your boundaries a little and to learn from each other in what – as veterans of these things will know – is always an atmosphere of wonderful camaraderie and mutual support.

Costings

You’ll receive details of how to pay upon receipt of the form on this page.

£1008 Single participant.
£1192 for two people, room sharing, only one of whom is a participant.
£1642 for two people, room sharing, both participants.

We ask for a non-refundable deposit of £300 per person to secure your room and place, balance payable one month before the event.

What’s included in the price?

All tuition, accommodation, breakfasts, evening meals (three courses) and teas and coffees.
NB. Lunches are not included, but there are many cafés in the town. ‘Mandolins at Settle’ spans four days from 5th October (arrive from 3.00pm) to breakfast on 9th October.
We’ll schedule use of the hotel’s function room until mid-afternoon on 9th, but the hotel requests that you vacate your room after breakfast.

If you have any enquiries please call:
+44 (0)118 926 8615.