As you listen to music, take note of tunes that you love and want to learn someday. These tunes will inspire you to keep practicing. In general, I like to focus on the process of playing in the present moment. But having a fun goal can keep you playing and learning.
Start a list called “The Fiddle Tune Bucket List”Ā or maybe “Tunes I Love That I Will Play Someday”Ā.
Tunes I Love That I Will Play Someday
Your list can also include styles and techniques that you want to learn.
Styles to learn
Techniques to learn
- Fingered double stops
- Bow bouncing
- Singing and playing
You can have separate lists by type or one big list.
Big Ol’ Fiddle Bucket List
- Lonesome Fiddle Blues
- Klezmer music
- Fingered double stops
- Peacock Rag
- Chief O’Neill’s Favorite
- Cajun
- Bow bouncing
- Texas swing
- Singing and playing
Store this in a three-ring binder along with weekly lesson plans, your master tune list and any other written material (tabs, sheet music, inspirational quotes).Ā
Or you can use an online notebook like Evernote or Google docs. Here’s a few examples from my in-person students.
Isobel’s wish list:
Nik’s wish list:
The list is can be fun to make. It’s fun to dream. But don’t get too attached to the goal. We write lists and set goals to focus on what we are doing in the present moment, to make the today’s practice as enjoyable and productive as possible.
There you go. Hope that’s helpful. Now go fiddle with it…
Lessons complete in Module 1.10:Ā
Something by Ole Bull
… actually – just added Sailor’s Hornpipe to the bucket list š
If I’m honest I don’t ever see myself playing any kind of advanced fiddle tunes; I simply don’t have the dexterity and I doubt I ever will – so my bucket list is probably very lame compared to others with more skill and ambition.
However, the reason I began this at the end of last year was because I inherited my Father-in-Laws violin when he passed away and I kind of committed myself to learning to play one really good tune well before his birthday at the end of October, which bizarrely is the same date as the day he died. His name was Frank and I’ve called my instrument Frank’s Fiddle, after discovering that fiddle playing is what I want to do rather than violin playing.
I found a tune called Frank’s reel, which is (to my ear anyway) phenomenally complicated and well above anything I’ll probably ever play, but as it’s a bucket list, I suppose Frank’s Reel is my bucket list tune.
In reality, I’d be happy to play any number of tunes in a fiddle style and as yet, just over a month in to my fiddle playing career, I don’t have any others on my list to play š
Novice fiddler Mike
I have a bunch of numbers on my list from Grapelli, and Baker, and Clemmons as well as a bunch of Old Time Tunes. Crossing genres I know.
But one of the gems is Jerusalem Ridge.
Yes, one of my favorite tunes.
Wednesday Night Waltz as performed by Clark Kessinger….my whole reason for learning to play.
Nice. Did you put it on the request list forum?
I think Orange Blossom Special is the Holy Grail. Iām struggling with Tam Lin right now but I know it will come together eventually with practice.
Tunes that I will play someday:
Brilliancy, Black Mountain Rag, Mule Skinner Blues, Hurricane (Bob Dylan tune), Back Up and Push, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.
I am years away from most of those, though I can play a few bits and pieces of all of them.
Sounds good! I have a lesson for Peacock Rag which can prepare you for Black Mountain Rag: /level2/2-9-chromatic-scale/peacock-rag/
Thanks! I’ve already been working on your peacock rag lesson. It’s great!