Redemption Song – Fiddle Version

Hey folks, Here’s a fiddle version of Redemption Song by Bob Marley. I recently heard a version of the tune by Macy Gray which planted the seed for doing a fiddle version. I was surprised how easily it translated to a solo fiddle format. It’s rare that a song is so sad and at the … Continued

Tam Lin – Basic and Variation – Performance

Hey folks, Here’s a short performance of an Irish tune called Tam Lin. I play a very simple version and then play a version with some variation added. In this version, I added: In the A part I’m mainly adding double stops. A simple way to practice the bowing for this is to play G0-{G0D0} … Continued

Banshee – Basic And Variation – Performance

Hey folks, Here’s a short performance of an Irish tune called the Banshee. I play a very simple version and then play a version with some variation added. In this version, I added: A part, bar 1: Roll added to D3 (G) in bar 1 of the A part A part, bar 4:  D3 (G) … Continued

Mary Had A Little Lamb – Fiddle Raga

Here’s a fiddle raga performance of Mary Had A Little Lamb. What the heck is a fiddle raga? The short answer: it’s an improvisation based around a fiddle melody accompanied by a drone. Here is a downloadable mp3 for your listening pleasure (so you can listen to this while walking the dog, doing laundry or … Continued

Mary Had A Little Lamb – Five Fiddle Variation Performance

Hey folks, Here’s a performance of Mary Had A Little Lamb in which I add five different types of fiddle variation on each pass of the tune: -Hoedown -Melodic variation -Triplets -Cuts -Rolls Here is a downloadable mp3 for your listening pleasure (without all my rambling and yammering): I also made step-by-step lessons on how … Continued

Kerry Polka – Basic And Variation Performance

Hey folks, Here’s a short performance of an Irish tune called Kerry Polka. I play a very simple version and then play a version with some variation added. In particular, I added mordents and triplets.  Here is a downloadable mp3 for your listening pleasure:  I also made step-by-step lessons on how to play each … Continued

Kerry Polka – Fiddle Raga

Here’s a fiddle raga performance of Kerry Polka. What the heck is a fiddle raga? It’s an improvisation based around a fiddle melody accompanied by a drone.  Here’s an mp3 for to listen to here or download to your device so you can listen while walking the dog, doing laundry or going to sleep … Continued

Foxhunter’s Jig – Fiddle Raga

Here’s a fiddle raga performance of Foxhunter’s Jig. If you like this track then download and listen to it while you walk the dog or do the dishes… It’s an improvisation based around a fiddle melody accompanied by a drone. It’s a term I’ve coined as I’ve explored folk fiddling and Hindustani Indian music. What … Continued

Play It Casual

What do you do when you realize you’re struggling? Do you keep pounding away at that challenging thing? Or do you change your approach? In this post, I suggest a practice called “Play it casual” which will help you to let go of mental obstacles so you can focus on the task at hand: learning and … Continued

Speak With Your Fiddle

Do you ever find that you feel tense when trying to learn something difficult? Maybe you’re practicing the hardest part of a tune, but it’s not sounding the way you you think it should. The tension you feel actually makes it harder to achieve that very goal you are trying to achieve with practice. Letting … Continued