Art of Fiddling

This is a collection of lessons, modules, and mini-courses designed to take your fiddling to the next level. You’ll learn new scales, bowing techniques and practice strategies which will help you to add variation to tunes. You’ll also learn things that prepare you for improvisation, playing chords and more.

 

Rhythmic Variation

Sliding the Left-Hand Fingers

Here’s a mini-course on sliding the left-hand fingers.

Preparation for sliding:

Here are the sliding lessons:

 

Melodic Variation

Melodic scale variation is the addition of little patterns to scales. This will better your technique, allow you to learn tunes more easily and give you ideas for improvisation. If you practice melodic variation, you’ll start to hear the scale in the tune.

Tunes for melodic variation practice

Vibrato

  • Vibrato 1: Overview, Basic Hand Motion, Chromatic Shifting
  • Vibrato 2: Micro-sliding into vibrato
  • Vibrato 3: Slow vibrato pulsing
  • Vibrato 4: Applying vibrato to 1st & 2nd fingers in tunes
  • Vibrato 5: Vibrato on third and fourth fingers
  • Vibrato 6: Apply vibrato to 3rd & 4th fingers in tunes

Adding Variation to Tunes

General Approach to Variation

Mary Had A Little Lamb variation series

This moves from simple to more challenging versions. Familiar songs are a great way to practice variation and more challenging skills.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star variation series

Kerry Polka variation series

Adding variation to other tunes

When The Saints Go Marching In – Variation

I’ll Fly Away – Variation

Ode To Joy – Fiddle Variation Lesson

Brahm’s Fiddle Waltz – Variation

Ashokan Farewell – Variation

15 Ways To Practice Sail Away Ladies

17 Ways To Practice Jenny Lynn

Courses

To dive deeper into adding variation, take lessons in these courses:

Irish Fiddle Journeys

Appalachian Fiddle Journeys

Shifting Up The Neck

Shifting Up The Neck Workshop

Orange Blossom Special

 

How To Play On Songs

Here’s lessons to help you play on songs. Learn strategies and techniques to help you play on songs with others.

You can also learn to play chord backup on fiddle as sing. See this page of lessons if you want to go further with chord backup: Chord Backup Central

Improvisation

Improvisation lessons (shorts)

Pentatonic scales

Pentatonic scales unlock the power of variation

Improvisation workshops

Blues Fiddle

Blues Fiddle Workshop

Practicing Call-and-response is a form of improvisation.

Melodic Variation is a form of improvisation. See the tab above for lesson links.

Skills & Musicianship

Transposition