• Tom started the topic Celtic Laments in the forum Student Videos 2 years, 11 months ago

    I fired up my Raagini drone in D Major this afternoon, and it goes great with four Scottish/Irish laments on this rainy April day in Covid Times, reminding me of bagpipes. It’s either depressing or uplifting, depending on your point of view.

    I hoped to add some interest by using some photos from Ireland/Scotland trips we took in the past few…[Read more]

  • Tom replied to the topic River John Sunset Waltz in the forum Student Videos 3 years ago

    Some good thoughts, Carolyn (@cbfidhed2020). Bowing suggestions do vary a lot depending on genre, personal taste, skill level, etc. I’ll have another look at Module 1.3 as you suggest.

    Overall, I am not too concerned about getting it “Right” if there is such a thing. I can strive for some structure, but I much better enjoy the flow from some well…[Read more]

  • Tom replied to the topic River John Sunset Waltz in the forum Student Videos 3 years ago

    Thanks Nick. Lots of moving parts in the Machine for sure: Notes, intonation, rhythm, some embellishments and then trying to use a down-bow to emphasize the first beat of each measure. I pretty much gave up on the last one for now. Probably should have learned the initial song with more attention to bowing, as is is hard to change it after the…[Read more]

  • Tom started the topic River John Sunset Waltz in the forum Student Videos 3 years ago

    Here is a tune we have been working on in our Saturday hangouts sessions. (Hi Sue and Mary!) It’s a Canadian waltz by Florence Killen, named after her home community of River John, Nova Scotia.

    With apologies to dancers who may have to throw in an extra step or two when the timing takes a it of a stutter.

  • Tom replied to the topic First Video From Raw Beginner in the forum Student Videos 3 years ago

    If I can offer one suggestion, it might be about holding the bow. Jason has some good start-up lessons on the site at https://fiddlehed.com/beginner/start-fiddling-now-course-page/pick-up-that-bow/

    I know there are different bow holds people use successfully, but I think your hold in the video is a bit rigid and perhaps forces your elbow to be…[Read more]

  • I agree with MoonShadows… The tunes I really like are easy to learn and memorize. Once memorized, they are easier to improve on as I can concentrate on technique and form without having to glance at the music while I play. Lyrics can make it easier, but if I really like a tune, I find myself humming it throughout the day while learning it, which…[Read more]

  • Tom replied to the topic Hector the Hero in the forum Student Videos 3 years, 1 month ago

    Thanks. The H3 finger reach on G and D strings is quite a stretch, especially the opening two notes, going straight up from G1 to GH3, while trying to keep the G1 still in place for a couple notes later!

    I used the selfie camera on my 4-year-old Samsung S7 cell phone, set on a music stand, uploaded straight from the phone to YouTube. No tweaking…[Read more]

  • Tom replied to the topic Hector the Hero in the forum Student Videos 3 years, 1 month ago

    Thanks CB.. So, how long have you been part of Fiddlehed community?

  • Tom replied to the topic Hector the Hero in the forum Student Videos 3 years, 1 month ago

    Well, I thought I would jump on board and try my first video upload to the Fiddlehed site. Here are three versions of Hector the Hero, in preparation for Online Lessons tomorrow: A-Major in lower octave (a bit rough – just started today); In upper octave (as taught in Fidlehed basic version); and upper octave with variations.

  • Tom posted a new activity comment 3 years, 1 month ago

    A couple of theories on origins of Hobart, listed in this post on The Session: https://thesession.org/tunes/8961
    • Anybody in British Columbia working on Modules 2.1 – 2.9 interested in Zoom sessions?

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