jason kleinberg

Again

“That’s the idea. Just play it again.” “Tune up your first finger…now do it again.” “Good! Again…” I say the word “again” a lot during lessons. I’ll say it again right now. I’ve noticed a certain tendency in most students: Once they can make it through something, they stop playing and wait for the next … Continued

Document Your Fiddle Journey

Does it seem like you’re not making any progress with the fiddle? Are you feeling frustrated? The key word here is “seem”. It may seem like you’re not improving, but how can you know for sure? Here’s one way to accurately measure progress: Make “video capsules” of your playing on a regular basis. This will … Continued

Lauren Learning the Orange Blossom Special

I’m currently creating five-lesson series on the OBS. This is a super-challenging tune that I’ve resisted teaching. I now see this as a great journey which allows you to hone many fiddle techniques: Advanced string crossing Tricky rhythms Challenging double stops Sliding Here’s a sneak peek of FiddleHed Lauren learning the first step: the basic … Continued

Fiddling with friends online

Meeting with other students online can help to you going with your fiddle practice. In the quarantine era, all social interactions are more limited. But limitations lead to creative solutions. How can we stay connected in this strange time? Bernadette, Kay, and Deborah met through the FiddleHed forum. Now they meet on zoom each week … Continued

Student Story: Katrina

Katrina from Australia shares her story… This was taken while my husband and I were traveling and camping around New Zealand in February. I take my fiddle everywhere because I want to play every day. As Fiddlehed is online, it doesn’t matter where I am, I have access to the music lessons. Your fiddlosophy has … Continued

Lesson with Dayved on strumming and bowing chords

Dayved has been my student and friend for 8 years. He plays viola along with violin and loves Eastern European music.Here’s a clip from a zoom lesson with my student Dayved on strumming and bowing chords.   Dayved is a big part of why FiddleHed exists today. Back in the day, we would have a … Continued

Lesson with Jim on Arkansas Traveller

Here’s a clip from a zoom lesson with my friend Jim… He’s working on on the B part of “Arkansas Traveller.” This is a great tune for micro-practice. Play just the first four notes until you feel your body and breath relax: E3-L2-1-3. Once this starts to flow and sound better, move on to the … Continued

Newsletter July 24, 2020

Hey Folks, There’s still time to enter the zoom lesson giveaway. It ends on Monday at 12 pm PT. Six fiddle students will win a 30-minute online lesson with me. You have a decent chance of winning this since less than 200 people have entered so far. Follow the link below to the homepage for … Continued

Student Stories: Dan H.

Here’s a clip from a zoom lesson with my student Dan on the Georgia Shuffle. Dan is one of the most inspiring students I’ve worked with. A few years ago he suffered a massive stroke. He lost motor control for much of the left side of his body. He was out of commission for a … Continued

End on a High Note

Try to end your practice sessions on a high note instead of in a state of frustration. At the end of the session, I want you to be saying, “Yes!!” instead of “Rats!!”  Say you’re learning something hard like a fingered double stops scale. You spent half an hour practicing this, your time’s almost … Continued