Fiddlosophy

What I’m practicing now…

Here’s some things I’m currently practicing. I’m sharing this as part of the Fall Practice Challenge 2020. My intention is for you go deep with whatever you’re doing: learning to bow on an open string, practicing vibrato, improvising, working on 4th finger, etc. How can it be fun and productive at the same time? For … Continued

The Chromatic Scale Will Help You Slide

A student named Abee was taking my recent lesson on Sliding The Left-hand Fingers. In the video, I mention how the chromatic scale can help with sliding. More on that in a minute. First, this scale contains all 12 tones of western harmony. There is only one chromatic scale. However, I find it’s useful break it … Continued

Learning Music as a Spiritual Practice

Most people learn an instrument because they want to have fun. They want to do something enjoyable. Others may thrive on the sense of accomplishment. It’s important to constantly return to the joy and fun of learning. But there are some other amazing things you’ll pick up along the way. You get better at learning … Continued

Re-post: 20-minute scale practice

You can use this in conjunction with other routines, or simply as a warm-up before playing in any situation.   20-minute scale practice 30-minute tune practice 30-minute tune practice: Kerfunken Jig 35-minute tune review   Thanks for reading, and thanks for making music…

Re-post: Fortnite Dance – Step It Up

My friend and student Toby and I recently made a lesson on Fortnite Dance – Step It Up. Click here to take the lesson. The melody is actually just the B part to Swallowtail Jig.    I recently updated an older post on this called Fortnite Dance – Step It Up. Thanks for reading, and … Continued

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

Re-post: Dueling Banjos and the Great Folk Process

My friend and student Toby and I recently made a lesson on how to play the Fortnite song “Hootenanny”. Click here to take the lesson. The melody is also known as “Dueling Banjos”, also known as Yankee Doodle, which came from a medieval Dutch song with the lyrics, “Yanker, didel, doodle down, Diddle, dudel, lanther, … 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

Re-post: Play-practice

Someone wrote me yesterday with questions about the new subscription setup. In a post-script she said, “I spend 2-3 hours almost every evening playing “” sounds more fun than ‘practicing’. And I love it.”   I recently updated an older post on this called Play-practice. Thanks for reading, and thanks for making music…

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