Cotton Eyed Joe
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. The idea is to start with small musical bits, get good at those, and then put them together into bigger pieces until you have the whole tune. I call it Micro-practice.
For those of you who read (or want to read), all snippets use this key and time signature:
Preparation
Warm up with A major scale using A drone.
A part, first quarter
First quarter: E0 0-0-A2
A part, second quarter
A part, third quarter
A part, fourth quarter
Interlude
Creativity, Fun and Adventure ?
Always try to find creative ways to make practicing fun. How can you practice the same thing in different ways? Can you learn to enjoy the sound? Can you even learn to enjoy the struggle?
If you explore different options for playing the same thing, then you will be able to enjoy practicing that for a longer time. Remember, the brain gets bored easily, but the hands need lots and lots of time to learn things.
B part, first quarter
B part, second quarter
B part, third quarter
B part, fourth quarter
Play Along Track – Full Tune
Drone in A – No Beat
I learned this from a Bruce Molsky recording. The rhythm of the first quarter is tricky. Spend time looping on the first and second quarters.
Warm up exercises
Intervals
D2-H3
A major scale
A1-0-D2-H3-A0
Cotton Eyed Joe – Full Tabs & Sheet Music
A part
First quarter: E0 0-0-A2
Second quarter: E0-2-1-0-2
Third quarter: A2-3-E0-1-0-A2-1-0-D2-H3
Fourth quarter: A0-1-0-D2-1
B part
First quarter: (D1-2)-A0 0-2-1-0
Second quarter: D2-H3-A0-1-0-1-2-1-0
Third quarter: A2-1-0-2-1-0-D2
Fourth quarter: A0-1-0-D2-1
Sheet music
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Workbook
Don’t forget to add Cotton Eyed Joe under “List the things you practice” in your workbook