You can steadily learn and improve any skill if you move your skills through a series of stages: Can’t do yet Can do with effort Can do with flow In this lesson, I’m going to give you a method for doing that. It’s based on a framework Kathy Sierra teaches this in her book … Continued
It’s easier to bow on the D and A strings for most beginners. Why are the G and E strings harder? The E is challenging because it’s temperamental. It tends to sound screechy. It requires a lighter touch. Also, if you’re sitting down, it can be awkward. The right arm might be hitting the right leg. G string … Continued
Are your string crossings sloppy? Do you unintentionally hit other strings as you play? Are the fingered notes a bit mushy? If so, you’re not alone. These are common bowing pitfalls. In this lesson I’ll give you strategies to practice precision. This will also help you with fingering precision. 👌🏼 4 tips to improve your bowing precision. … Continued
Do you struggle with getting a good sound on the fiddle? Are you unsure of how much pressure to use? Do you want a smoother bow sound? If so, take heart. You’re not the only one. In this lesson I’ll show you some ways to improve your sound on a daily basis. If you do this, … Continued
Do you struggle with holding the bow correctly? Do you find it slips out of your hand? Does it feel awkward? If so, take heart. You’re not the only one. You can improve this a little every day with focused practice. This lesson is for beginners, but also for intermediate fiddlers who are uncertain about … Continued
A lot of my students want to improve their timing and play faster. But when I suggest using a metronome their eyes glaze over. It just doesn’t seem like fun. I get it. I believe that learning and practice can be fun for a student. And that they can make real progress as they have … Continued
Playing on the open strings is your magical amulet for more fun and productive sessions. Do this at the start, middle and end of a practice period. It’s a way for the mind and body to relax and reset. This practice is for everyone, beginner to expert. Start with open strings Play an open string G. … Continued
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
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
Make your fiddling sound more like fiddling
Here’s an intermediate lesson on the Figure 8 bowing. This rhythmic texture will help you to play Old-time, Bluegrass and probably any fiddle style on Earth.
It’s a string-crossing pattern in which you get your hand to move in a Figure-8 pattern. You bow primarily on one string and then add double stops accents using another string.
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Watch your hand move in a clockwise direction to trace a circle shape. Try to make an even circle.
Note: if you want to turn the video looper on or off, click the button in the lower left corner. Also, you can adjust the speed of the video by clicking the gear icon ⚙
Now we’ll play a double stop (D0A0) instead of just a single note (A0). When you go to the A string, tilt the bow less so that you play both strings. Master this basic exercise.
Use he play along tracks below to learn and practice each step. If you master it on these exercises, then you’re ready to add it to tunes.
Learning chunks™ 🍰
I’ve made some “Learning Chunks” to help you learn more easily. These focused exercises contain sheet music, tabs and mp3 snippets to guide you on your fiddle journey.
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