26 April: Polska on the hurdy-gurdy! with Sebastian Falk
Unique online workshop for the Zona da Zanfona Spring Masterclasses in April-May of 2026. Taught by Sebastian Falk from Sweden, musician specialised on Folk and Contemporary Traditional music.
The two hours workshop includes material for further study to understand the cultural background of the Polska in Scandinavia and specifically in Sweden where it has today a very live tradition, the different types of dances and tunes of the slängpolska, the eight-note or triplet polska, etc. its variants, the way to adapt it on the hurdy-gurdy with ornamentation and trompette rhythms.
This masterclass is indicated for all levels from introductory contents to more sofisticated ones for the advanced players.
Details:
- Type: online + extra study material
- Duration: 2 hours
- Times: 6 pm to 8 pm (UTC+2 or Central European Summer Time)
- Date: Sunday 26th of April 2026
- Language: English
- Enquiries: matricula@folque.com
- Fee: 35€ + banking fee (2 €) Discount for all 4 sessions: 120 € (+ banking fee)
- Registration: ZdZ’26 Series here
About the masterclass
The Polska will be explored during this workshop. One of, if not the most common type of dance in traditional Swedish folk music. It will be an introduction to the tune type through a number of tunes and techniques connected to the different variations on a varying level of difficulty, from beginner to more advanced.
From the basics of what makes the polska a polska but also working with different variations of the tune type from different regions of Sweden. Sebastian will present his approach to adapt the music to the hurdy-gurdy from what has been mainly played on the fiddle. Addition content on ornamentation, rhythmical variations, dynamics and different trompette patterns to match the tunes and to make them danceable.
Attendants will be provided with material such as sheet music and recordings to be able to continue to work with the music and hopefully be inspired to further explore the groovy world of polska and Swedish folk music!
About the teacher
While not originally a hurdy-gurdy player, Sebastian picked up the instrument around 2015 and started a journey that has become more important than he would initially anticipated. With a main focus in traditional Swedish folk music he studied at the Contemporary Traditional Music bachelors programme at Gothenburg University in Sweden with the vevlira as his main instrument. With the guidance of different teachers, such as Mia Marine (fiddle) and Johannes Geworkian Hellman (hurdy gurdy) among others, he has explored the place and possibilities of the instrument in both Swedish/Scandinavian folk music and in other traditions from other parts of the world. He has also developed his style of playing in combination with effect pedals while composing music that takes inspiration from traditional Swedish folk music and post-rock/instrumental rock. Today Sebastian aims to create more music, go out and play it.