jason kleinberg

Play-practice

Someone wrote to me yesterday with questions about the new subscription setup. In a post-script she said, “I spend 2-3 hours almost every evening ‘playing’. It sounds more fun than ‘practicing’. And I love it.” This simple statement says a lot about the nature of learning and practicing music. The thing that struck me is … Continued

Everything Is Unfinished

A lot of you have written to me saying that you are frustrated. You can’t get a good sound, you struggle to play in tune or you can’t figure out how to play a certain song. You want your dog to not leave the room when you start practicing… As a musician, I’ve come to … Continued

How can I help you practice?

I can still hear Richard Dawson saying, “survey says!” on Family Feud, one of my favorite TV shows, along with CHiPs, Dukes of Hazzard and Night Rider. Ooops, just dated myself there, ha ha. Thanks to everyone who filled out the survey. You had a lot of good ideas and a lot of kind comments. … Continued

Renew With Review

Think about the word “review”. It doesn’t sound as fun and exciting as the word “new”. It sounds like maintenance, which sounds like cleaning toilets. But review can be a lot more fun than cleaning toilets (unless you are a fully enlightened being who has learned to equally love every single activity in each moment … Continued

Going Backwards

Going backwards seems like a bad thing. We all want to go forward. Progress and accomplishment! Going backwards means you’re getting worse, right? But wait. What does it really mean to go backwards? It’s really just a change of direction. Recently I went for a run. It was the normal course I usually take, but … Continued

The Four Elements of Good Sound

What does it mean to have good sound? It seems clear when something sounds bad and when something sounds good. But exactly do we mean by “good sound?” What are the components? Knowing this, how can you improve your sound? There are four elements to good sound: Tone Tuning Timing Flow Tone is the wholeness … Continued

Learning to practice practice

When you practice the fiddle, what do you practice? Scales, bowing and tunes. But you also practice something else, something more powerful. You practice practice itself. The practice of practice can carry over to all other parts of your life. You can apply the principles to any habit or skill: losing weight, meditation, learning to … Continued

Fiddling: The Magical Keystone

My quest as a music teacher is to understand help people practice better. Not only is this the key to becoming a successful musician, but it effects other behaviors and habits in your life. In Charles Duhigg’s book The Power Of Habit, he talks about “keystone habits”. These are healthy habits that have a ripple … Continued

The Entire Universe In A Fiddle Tune

  How is the music you play related to everything around you? Is it somehow connected to Kevin Bacon?   Where does it come from? Did you create the music or is it just passing through you?   Who are you? Are you sure?   Why is FiddleHed asking all these spacey questions? I don’t know.

What do you practice?

Reading time: 3 minutes When you practice the fiddle, what do you practice? Scales, bowing, tunes. But you also practice something else, something more powerful. You practice practice itself. The practice of practice can carry over to all other parts of your life. You can apply the principles to any habit or skill: losing weight, … Continued