No 1 of 52. How to play the Isle of France, the first song in a series where we look at the songs in the Folk Orc Repertoire. thefolkorc.substack.com
Chris J Barber-Hopgood
@chrisjbarberhop.bsky.social
Teacher, Musician, Writer, and Thinker. I publicly write about learning and music. I secretly write about trolls and wizards.
The Folk Orc Festival Band - Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 2026. All ages, all abilities, one big sound. Thanks to all who joined us. Www.folkorc.co.uk
Coming soon to thefolkorc.substack.com : Haul Away Joe, the song that has as many variations as there types of biscuit, which is relevant in a kind of way. #thefolkorc #befolk #traditionalmusic #guitar #mandolin #fiddle #bodhran #tenorguitar
Finally getting back to recording some of the Folk Orc Repertoire for future substack posts. substack.com/note/m-ea7a3...
Substack
The app for independent voices
substack.com
Why do we like the music we like? Is it experience? Nostalgia? Or something deeper? open.substack.com/pub/thefolko...
When A Song Finds You
Why the music that changes us is rarely the music we expect
open.substack.com
The sister band to The Folk Orchestra RSB is the CODA Blues Orc. And they played a blinder on Monday: youtube.com/playlist?lis... #blues #folkorc #befolk #communitymusic
CODA Blues Orc - Grain Store Gig - 6th July 2026 - YouTube
This playlist features the complete live performance by the Coda Blues Band from our gig on 6 July 2026. The band is made up of adult musicians who meet each...
youtube.com
Just some arty photos from the allotment for a Monday.
Glenlivet: the 3rd tune from the Folk Orc Arran Boat Set. A tune about illegal whiskey distilling in the the beautiful scottish countryside, probably. Read about it at thefolkorc.substack.com #mandolin #traditionalmusic #befolk #scotland #fiddletunes #thefolkorc youtu.be/cCpd2WoH2zs?...
Glenlivet | Scottish Reel | Mandolin | The Arran Boat Set
YouTube video by The Folk Orc
youtu.be
The Arran Boat Song - the first tune in the Arran Boat Set of tunes. A set which tells three stories of Scotland: Boats, Bagpipes and Whisky. Read more and download the mandolin tab from thefolkorc.substack.com youtu.be/f2QbXuL3xA4
The Arran Boat Song | Scottish Traditional Tune | Mandolin | The Arran Boat Set
YouTube video by The Folk Orc
youtu.be
If you are interested in playing music, our relationship to music and how to get over those anxieties of learning, then this is for you. It's where I write about all this and more. Lot's of exciting stuff coming up over the next few months. thefolkorc.substack.com?r=5h8qax
The Folk Orc | Chris J Barber-Hopgood | Substack
This is about music. Why and how we play music. Lessons, tips, motivation and more. The aim? To encourage more people to play music. Click to read The Folk Orc, by Chris J Barber-Hopgood, a Substack p...
thefolkorc.substack.com
I’ve been playing folk music for nearly thirty years. In 1954 a definition tried to pin it down: oral transmission, continuity with the past, shaped by community. But does it survive the modern world? open.substack.com/pub/thefolko...
Are you watching Dirty Business? I can't believe how much water companies have gotten away with. They're putting profit before public health - it’s a scandal and the Government MUST take action! Sick of sewage? Add your name to the petition today: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/en...
End the sewage pollution scandal
We're sick of it. Sick of the lies, sick of the greed, and sick of a system rigged against us. This is a scandal and this dirty business must end. For more than 30 years water companies have put corpo...
you.38degrees.org.uk
This week on the Folk Orc Substack: Failure, Your Friend. Mistakes in music and why they are a good thing. open.substack.com/pub/thefolko...
The Craft: Failure, Your Friend
Reinventing our fear of failure and why mistakes are important.
open.substack.com
This weeks Substack post is a little different. I’m doing some music related research at the moment and thought it right to share some thoughts on what I have been reading. Less book review, more reading notes. Read all about it here: open.substack.com/pub/thefolko...
Listening Across Time: What an Archaeology Book Taught Me About Music
A musical detective story and what it suggests about why we make music.
open.substack.com
Happy New Year everyone, a bit late to the party but miserable January is over. Here is a post on the folk orc Substack giving a simple guide to A sections and B sections in folk tunes for the uninitiated. open.substack.com/pub/thefolko...
The Craft: The A's and B's of folk tunes.
A simple guide to tune structure, repeats, and first and second time bars.
open.substack.com
Latest post on the Folk Orc Substack, a brief thought on musics healing power. open.substack.com/pub/thefolko...
Music Humans: Can Music Save The World?
From Wyld Stallyns to World Peace (Bogus? Maybe. Worth Considering? Definitely.)
open.substack.com
Fancy a tale of a highwayman who got hanged for his handwriting: open.substack.com/pub/thefolko... #traditionalmusic #thefolkorc #befolk #musicisgoodforthesoul
Turpin Hero: The Highwayman Who Got Hanged Because of His Handwriting
How a cocky highwayman, a dung-hill chicken, and some terrible handwriting became immortal in song.
open.substack.com