Fiddlosophy

Fall Practice Challenge 2022 Recap

This year we had 305 practicipants sign up for the Fall Practice Challenge 2022! I am so proud of all of you who did this. The comments had me on the verge of tears (the good kind). It’s like you guys have become fiddle teachers. I pasted a few highlights below, followed by my comments … Continued

Fiddling With Desirable Difficulty

You’ll see more results if you learn to practice well.  One way is to find that perfect level of challenge so that you’re neither bored nor overwhelmed. Enter the “Goldilocks Zone,” where you’re totally engaged and practice in a state of flow.  The scientific term for this is “desirable difficulty.” Find the right level of … Continued

Fiddling With Deliberate Practice

You’ll see more results if you learn to practice well. Deliberate practice is a process which helps you to learn more efficiently. In a nutshell: Focus on hard parts that need work.  5 things to remember about Deliberate practice Improve One Small Thing The Plan-Do-Reflect Process Practice the Hardest part of the hardest part Embrace mistakes Document … Continued

How To Sing And Play Backup

In this lesson, I’ll show you how to sing while playing backup with an instrument. I’m going to break it down into a step-by-step process for anyone who wants to sing and play backup at the same time. Here’s the take-home message up front… Four Steps to Singing and Playing Backup Practice just the vocal … Continued

Playing Fiddle Backup On Girls Just Want To Have Fun

In this video I sing and play fiddle backup for Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. After I play it, I’ll talk about what we did…kind of a video “liner notes.” Chords Verse F / Dm / Bb Dm / C / Bb Dm / C / F Chorus F / Dm F … Continued

How To Play Fiddle On “Your Song”

In this video I sing “Your Song” by Elton John and play backup on the fiddle. Then after the performance I explain what I did. I’ve been learning to sing songs and play backup on the fiddle. Here are some tips I’ve picked up: Practice just singing Just like learning a fiddle tune, I’ve been … Continued

A People’s History Of The Violin

Written by Jim Guinn When first taking on the task of writing about the history of the violin, I ignorantly assumed it would be an easy and straight-forward task which I would be able to write up within a few hours. What I quickly found was the long, wandering and sometimes fiercely debated journey and … Continued

What the heck is a musical scale?

What defines it? How many notes are there in a scale? My simple definition: A scale is a group of notes used to practice a musical instrument. It’s a series of small steps defined by a root note and the scale type. Just like physical steps, it’s easier to climb the mountain (of learning an … Continued

Musical Conversation

  You can approach music practice and creation as a conversation. In the conversation, you continuously alternate between areas of practice. Musical conversation generates insight. It helps you to break through obstacles and it makes daily practice fun. Call-and-response is a simple form of conversation. You hear something and then play it back. You can … Continued

Fiddling With A Growth Mindset

What connections can you make between fiddling and the rest of your daily activity? Asking a question like this is the activity of a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is a belief that your abilities are permanently fixed. A fixed mindset says, “I am what I am, and I’ll never change”. A growth mindset is a … Continued