Fiddler’s Playground

Welcome to the Fiddler’s Playground!

This a collection of more advanced techniques for the continuing fiddler. The reason it’s called a playground is that the exercises are designed to be fun like fiddle tunes.  In addition, I want you to approach each thing you do with a sense of play.

This doesn’t mean that you can run from the sandbox to the monkey bars to the handball court. I want to encourage you to dive deep into each practice. Once you’ve learned a particular exercise, master it by practicing it in creative ways. I’ll suggest things along the way, but I want you to remain open to new variations and combinations.

Left-hand focus

• Lesson: Eight-Note Patterns
  • Practice: Eight-note pattern exercises
• Lesson: Triad scales
  • Triad Scale Practice
• Chordal Scales
• Full Range Scales for Free Range Fiddlers
• Fourth Finger Double Stops
• Eight-note Patterns
  • Eight-note exercises

Bowing focus

• Bouncing Bow
  • Bouncing bow exercises