Fun Fiddle is a community music project based at The Wash House in the heart of Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland
WHAT’S ON
September – December 2023
Improver Beginner Adult alternate weekly classes Thursday 14th Sept – 23rd Nov 7-8.30pm
Playing Together Intermediate/Advanced weekly drop in group Thursdays 14th Sept – 30th Nov 7 – 9pm
End of term Stramash Thursday 7th December at Portobello Baptist Church
Dancing, playing, food. Celebrate and share what we’ve learnt this term. All fiddlers and friends invited.
Children’s weekly one to one lessons
We are based at The Wash House, Portobello
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Fun Fiddle 20th Anniversary Celebrations in Porty Light Box! and best birthday cake and ceilidh ever!
More About Fun Fiddle
Fun Fiddle started as a small informal group of adult learners in 2003. We celebrated 20 years in 2023! 
Founded by Jenny Gardner and led by Gica Loening, with much input from Fun Fiddlers themselves, we have grown to become a strongly entrenched community of fiddle friends in and around Portobello, and were nominated for Community Project of the Year at The Trad Arts Awards 2017. We currently have around twenty children and thirty adults learning with us.
Fun Fiddle has collaborated over the years with street bands, choirs, drummers, and bands, contributing a vibrant energy to the East Edinburgh locality.
“I enjoyed meeting a lovely group of people and being able to learn the fiddle locally”
“It built my confidence”
“It’s been great to meet other students and to learn some skills in fiddle playing and some new tunes”
“Thank you, it’s been fun, friendly and made learning a new instrument feasible”
Fun Fiddle supports students in:
- Learning by ear
- Playing together in a group
- Building up a shared repertoire of tunes
- Learning technique and traditional idiom
- Performing at informal gatherings and community events
(Gica )
‘Fun Fiddle is as inclusive as it is successful. Some of the players are very accomplished, some beginners; all are welcome in an enterprise that is fully and warmly embedded in its local community. I remind myself frequently that I am astonishingly lucky to have such a thing happening just down the road.’ (Michael)
‘It’s great to have the opportunity to play with a group of enthusiastic musicians lead by outstanding teachers. I especially enjoy playing at local events and watching everyone dancing to our music. It’s also fantastic therapy: I feel as high as a kite after each session.’ (David)
‘What I have loved over the last year has been playing with other people on a Thursday evening. As well as practicing this offers opportunities for listening to each other and I think improves how we play together! Our anniversary ceilidh at the Wash House was fabulous fun. Can’t believe how long we have been going. Playing in the community has been great; at the Towerbank ceilidh, Mentone Street party and the Porty Market! I have, and continue to, build warm and lovely friendships with people. It has also been so lovely to welcome new people who want to play; the young people joining us and the new beginners as well as more experienced players. (Loraine)
You can find out more about us at www.funfiddle.co.uk
Background Stuff
Fun Fiddle is rooted in local and Scottish culture, which we value highly, believing in the importance of celebrating, promoting, and furthering the Scottish tradition for all ages to connect with. We are an active member of The Traditional Music Forum. Through international connections brought by our tutors and participants, we also enjoy and play Swedish, American, Eastern European, and even a Japanese tune, learning about the similarities and uniqueness of other traditional cultures alongside our own Scottish traditions.
“I learnt to play by ear, enjoyed playing together, met new people, and it encourages me to practice at home regularly.”
“It has been great to get a taste of different genres of music with such good teachers!”
Watch Fun Fiddle previous events on YouTube The Portobello Music Train, St Andrew’s Night ceilidh, Porty Prom 2013