Fiddlosophy

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How To Transpose Fiddle Tunes (And Why It Makes You A Better Player)

What the heck is transposition? Do I need to know calculus to do that? 🤯 Transposition means playing a tune in a different key. It’s one of the most useful skills you can build. If someone at a jam says “let’s do that in A instead of D,” you want to have the tools to … Continued

Play One Note Until You Feel Like a Master

This is something anyone can do — right now, today. If you’re an absolute beginner, play the open D string (D0). If you’re more advanced, ask yourself, “Which note do I secretly avoid?” If you’re unsure then try E3, D4, AL1 or GH3. Start by playing simple quarter notes until it starts to sound … Continued

Take the Reboot Challenge

Two weeks. One skill. See what happens. Do you ever feel stuck with the fiddle? Like you’re putting in the time but not really going anywhere? It usually starts the same way. You’re excited. You’re practicing every day. Then progress slows, motivation dips, and suddenly the fiddle is just sitting there judging you. This is … Continued

Violin Practice Isn’t a Drill — It’s a Conversation

Music is a conversation… Between practice and performance. Between silence and sound Between simple and complex Between who you are now and who you’ll become. Start simple A simple way to start the conversation is to alternate between a tune and its scale. Even a beginner learning “Mary Had a Little Lamb” can do this. … Continued

Long Distance Fiddling

New Year’s resolutions often ignite a spark of excitement and motivation. But as the weeks pass, life takes over, and we find ourselves swept up in daily routines. At the start of the year, I challenged you to set dream, short-term, and process goals. Dream goals are the big, inspiring visions you hope to achieve. … Continued

Balance Practice and Play | Fiddlosophy #5

During your sessions, find a balance between practice and play. I suggest spending roughly three quarters of your time engaged in focused deliberate practice, and then the rest of your time engaged in play. I talk a lot about Deliberate Practice on FiddleHed.. Chunking Going slow Spaced repetition Ear-training Deliberate Practice lays the foundation for … Continued

How To Meditate With Music

In this lesson, you’ll learn to play with ease using the FiddleHed Music Meditation process. Opening Questions: Do you feel tension in your body while playing? (Left-hand death grip, hunched shoulders) Hard to focus due to wandering thoughts? Introduction: If yes, this lesson will help. You’ll learn to play with ease using the FiddleHed Music … Continued

Anyone Can Learn Music | Fiddlosophy Episode #4

Anyone Can Learn Music. Period. Realize that if you really want it, then you can do it. A lot of people tell themselves, “I don’t have talent. I’m too old. I don’t have the right gear. I don’t have the right look.” None of those thoughts are true. They’re just stories that wound up in … Continued

How To Get An Awesome Sound On The Violin | Proven Techniques and Tips

Introduction One of the biggest problems that I hear about from students is that they don’t like the way they sound. I hear a lot of comments like “Oh the dog left the room when I started to play. LOL.” So in this lesson, I’m gonna give you a few practices you can do to … Continued

Slow And Fast Learning

It’s hard at first At first learning something new is slow and challenging. You’re building a network of neural connections. Like going to the gym, it can be painful and frustrating. I’ve been learning the Chop bowing. Every day I practice, and initially, it feels like I’m not improving at all. But then, something clicks—it … Continued