What’s the difference between core and bonus lessons?

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In each module, there are core and bonus lessons.

The core lessons are what I consider to be the essential things to help you learn the fiddle. These tune and technique lessons reappear throughout the site. There are usually 3-4 core tunes per module and 5-8 core technique lessons.

For example, you learn to play Bile ‘em Cabbage Down in Module 1.1. The tune is later used to teach transposing, melodic variation, Intuitive Note-Reading and the Orange Blossom Special.

The bonus lessons are a way to supplement the core lessons. For example, in Module 1.4 (the image above) students learn the G major scale. Once you’ve worked through all the core lessons, you can further practice that scale by learning one of the bonus tunes (like I Saw The Light). Or, you can simply move on to the next module and do those core lessons.

I also consider the note-reading lessons to be bonus lessons. The course is designed in such a way that you can learn everything without knowing how to read sheet music. But some folks want to learn reading, and so they can do it in a progressive manner as they learn the other tunes and techniques in each module. Another way to approach the note-reading lessons is to take them all in a sequence using the Note-reading for Fiddlers course page.

Let me know if you have more questions, because someone else has probably had the same question at some point.