cbFidHed2020

– Warmed up with C major scales and variations, also D major and A major.
– Practiced Jason’s Smiling Bows.
– Worked on vibrato exercises with metronome for a significant time.
– Played White Christmas with vibrato.
– Will sleep in compression gloves. Really helps with muscle recovery after vibrato and bowing exercises.
– Glad I attended this p…[Read more]

Joanne, you sound really good and steady, and that’s a Great first attempt as you describe it! This is certainly not an easy skill. I’ve been working on chorded double stops as well, and it’s a challenge.

I feel so bad that I missed Saturday’s student hangout session with you guys!! Would have loved to have heard the chord chat you mention…[Read more]

Nick, there won’t be a video anytime soon! I think of it as “their” jam, not mine, and I’m very (frighteningly) fortunate to have been invited to play and invited back. I sure won’t be starting out by posting videos of my friends on the internet right away! 🙂

Sound great, Kate. I like your instrument, your playing, and your backing track. You have a really nice voice!

Congratulations, Joanne, on your old new forever fiddle! I’ve watched your dedication in the timing challenge as well as your other videos, and it’s heartwarming to see you take this big leap forward with your new instrument. You look so contented playing it, and it does have a really nice resonance. Lovely, smooth playing on the waltz. I’m…[Read more]

Thank you, Nick!!!! I tried the Larsen’s Royal Oak string cleaner that you mentioned above. It worked great and it is going to save me a ton of money!

The other day, I noticed that the tone of my G and D strings had suddenly gone dead. Unfortunately, I’ve become addicted to some pretty pricey strings for the G and D, and the ones I’m playi…[Read more]

Hey Keya, it’s just my humble opinion, but I feel that humidity is nowhere near as threatening to an instrument as dryness is. I have a decent fiddle in coastal Florida in a house with no air conditioning, windows open all the time. When I’m away, windows closed, still no air conditioning. I have experienced no problem with this. In fact, I thi…[Read more]

Hey Tom, nice job. I like that mournful “droning lonesome sound” you evoke with your laments and the Raagini. It’s like a trip to the Isles. Love the photos! I’m sure it took some effort to put that together. Thanks for sharing.

Carolyn B.

Really nice Jenny. Nice smooth bowing with good tone!

Peter, I don’t think it’s a straightforward decision. The Incredibow will not handle exactly like a traditional bow. If you can find a way to try one out in Okinawa that would be best. I think it also depends on how long someone’s been playing, the type of music played, and personal preference.

I was given an Incredibow for my birthday last…[Read more]

Great. I really like those nice driving rhythms.

Maybe one of the more seasoned veterans on this site could comment on the whole bowing thing. The down bow is supposed to be a naturally louder sound to emphasize a beat, but to me up or down sound pretty much the same???

Hi Tom, Jason has a great video on accenting certain beats within the hoe down rhythm that may help with this: Module 1.3,…[Read more]

Joanne, I really like this. Good tone and ornamentation, plus a nice driving rhythm with momentum. Those tunes blend really, too.

Nick, wiping down your violin and strings after every session is the age old standard of violin care. I was taught to do this at my very first lesson. I’ve never used— or been told to use— a string cleaning product, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good thing. Larsen is a very reputable brand of strings so I would trust that it’s a good produc…[Read more]