Didier François has taught nyckelharpa at the Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli, Italy[1] and Akademie Burg Fürsteneck, (Germany)[2] as a member of the European Nyckelharpa Training. He conducts seminars and workshops on relaxation technique based on the Belgian violin school of Arthur Grumiaux: relaxed and fluid movements for beauty of sound, freedom of expression and avoidance of tendinitis.[3] He is also a member of the Cadence project supported by the European Commission.[4][5]
François is known for his unusual technique and posture when playing the nyckelharpa. Holding the instrument in front of the chest, one is able to move both arms in a more natural and relaxed fashion. Using a violin shoulder rest to keep the nyckelharpa away from the body so it can swing freely also causes it to sound more open.[6]
Shoulder rest to keep the back of the instrument free for vibration
For many years François worked with the Nyckelharpa builder Joos Janssens (Dunières) for the further evolution of the instrument. Later with the nyckelharpa and bow builder Jean Claude Condi (Mirecourt), he helped with the creation of a study instrument for children. He himself plays nyckelharpas of both builders.
Today Didier Francois plays on an nyckelharpa with gut strings specially built for renaissance-baroque music. it has an other sound close to the viola da gamba and therefore has the name viola d'amore a chiavi. This instrument is built by Alex Pilz
^CADENCE – Cultural ADult Education and Nyckelharpa Cooperation in Europe, 2011, Reichelsheim: Verlag der Spielleute / Tullinge: Tongång, ISBN978-3-943060-00-3
^ ab"Tussen kunst en kunst – Didier François & de nyckelharpa", SABAM Magazine 64/2011, p. 27
^"Didier François – Le musicien belge emmène la nyckelharpa au-delà de ses territoires connus", Paris, Trad Magazine 124 – Mars/Avril 2009 (in French)
