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Fiddling with life and learning with the occasional dad joke thrown in…

 

 

Seven Ways To Play Faster On The Fiddle

Here’s a question I hear all the time: “How do I play faster?” It may take time to ramp up your speed, but you can do it. Go into this with the right mindset: work at your edge. Don’t worry if you can’t play something as fast as Mark O’Connor. At the same time, if … Continued

Make A Tempo Sandwich 🥪

A good rule of thumb is to play everything at a medium speed, then a slow speed, then your fastest speed and then ending on a medium speed. An easy way to remember this is that you make a Tempo Sandwich. We begin and end with easier medium speeds and then the meat of our … Continued

Site Updates – November 2021

Here’s a short video explaining some recent updates to the FiddleHed site. In a nutshell: Core lessons now have links to the next lesson in the module. This means you can more easily navigate through the site. There’s been some re-shuffling of core lessons. For example, Drunken Sailor is now a core lesson in Module 1.7. We’re … Continued

Mairi’s Wedding: group lesson preview

Hey folks, I’m here in beautiful Michigan 🌳 . We just had some rain, now the sun is out. Here’s an Irish polka called “Mairi’s Wedding.” My in-laws just through a wedding party for Melissa and I, so I guess the stars sort of align on this ✨ Polkas are great beginner tunes because there’s … Continued

Do You Realize??

Here’s one of my favorite songs of all time, “Do You Realize??” by the Flaming Lips. I play chords and sing a version arranged for the fiddle. At the end of the video I offer some tips on singing and playing.  I played the song on “The Fiddle That Michael Gave Away” which was … Continued

Lonesome Fiddle Blues – performance

Here’s a simple version of a classic bluegrass tune called “Lonesome Fiddle Blues”. This tune was created by one of my favorite fiddlers, Vassar Clements. I played it on “The Fiddle That Michael Gave Away” which was handmade by a FiddleHed subscriber. We’re giving it away in a contest. Click here to enter.  The A … Continued

Today’s Request: Tam Lin

A FiddleHed subscriber named Michael made this violin. We’re giving it away in a contest. Click here to enter. I’m taking requests for tunes. Other requests coming over the next few days: “Lark In The Morning” and “Do You Realize??”   The tune is an Irish reel called Tam Lin. This tune was the basis … Continued

What is a G clef? Is it the same as treble clef?

A FiddleHed named Malik asked “Can you explain for me what a G-Clef is?” The fancy scroll with a tail that appears at the beginning of fiddle music is called the treble clef. The other name for it is called “G clef” and if you look closely, it does look like a stylized G. Different instruments … Continued

Playing an online duet with Jong Madaliday

Super fun to play some back up fiddle with this amazing singer named @jongmadaliday from the Philippines who I found on TikTok 😻. I’m kind of a noob at this, so still totally amazed that with a little bit of effort I was able to collaborate with somebody on the other side of the planet. … Continued