jason kleinberg

A Fiddlosopher’s Guide to New Years Resolutions

I set out to write a funny and helpful post on making New Year’s resolutions. It would insightfully connect the process of learning the fiddle to living a good life. But then I started to get lost in thinking about it all and blocked by anxieties about the new year. Similar to beginning music students, … Continued

Practice Notes – December 22, 2018

Here are some notes on my current fiddle practice as of December 22, 2018.  In general, I’m practicing the “sawmill tuning” which is AEAE. So the G string is tuned up to A, the D string tuned up to E, the A and E strings stay the same. This makes the fiddle resonate much … Continued

Practice is the goal

We don’t practice the fiddle to get better at the fiddle, we just practice to practice. In other words, when you just do what you’re doing to the best of your abilities then you’ve arrived at the goal, which is realizing there is no big goal to reach other than the present moment. In other … Continued

Rolling Waves – basic and variation performance

Hey folks, Here’s a short performance of an Irish tune called Rolling Waves. I play a very simple version and then play a version with some variation added. In this version, I added: Jig Swing Triplet variation Mordents Rolls If you’re interested in adding variation to tunes, start by adding variation to one little phrase. … Continued

Thanks for everything, no complaints whatsoever!

Are you grateful? How often do you feel gratitude? It’s ThanksGiveMeMoreToEat day! The first thing thing most people think about when they hear the word “Thanksgiving” is food. Then maybe they think about the logistics of travel and seeing everyone they want to see. On the day itself, people reflect on the year and find … Continued

Hector The Hero – basic and variation performance

Hey folks, Here’s a short performance of a Scottish tune called Hector The Hero. I play a very simple version and then play a version with some variation added.  Here is an mp3 that you can stream or download for your listening pleasure:  Both versions are taught in step-by-step lessons in the Irish Fiddle Variation … Continued

Practice Notes – October 22, 2018

Trying out something new with this post. I’m going to share a few things I’m currently practicing. Stuff that I’m struggling with, stuff that I’m enjoying. In case you haven’t heard, this post comes in the middle of the Fall Practice Challenge 2018. Today is day 8. For fourteen days, fiddlers around the world will play every … Continued

Practice challenge notes – day two

Today is day 2 of the 14-day practice challenge. This is one way for you to establish music practice in your life. Would you like to be a musician? If so, then just play music every day! That’s what this is all about. It’s not too late to take part. Click here to go to … Continued

A simple tip for getting better sound

I want to offer a simple tip for getting good sound on the fiddle. The simple tip Start by playing an open string. In the video example, I play an open G string with a G drone. Focus on a simple, good sound. Become aware of your breath. Is it happening naturally or is it … Continued

Play every day, be a musician

Hey Folks, I’m leading a practice challenge from October 15-28. The main goal, as usual, is simply to play every day. This time, we will emphasize finding joy in your sound. For those of you who sign up, I’ll be sending check-in emails with cheerleading, short lessons, exercises and prompts to get you to slow … Continued