Activity

Heads-up, Blossom.

Cutting guitar on 15-17 of Andre’s tunes this weekend…tunes on the tracking sheet include:

Reel A Castonguay
Reel Napolean
Andre Alain
La Soiree At Alcide
Le Torment
Poteau Blanc
Quad Franco-American
Reel Of Drummondville
Reel Du Pointe-au-pic
Reel de Sucre
Reel D’lssoudun
Reel du Hotelier
Reel of Telephone
Valse From t…[Read more]

Hi, Pat. Yeah…there are definitely benefits to playing by ear…

As far as a shoulder rest goes, I used to play without one. But once I switched, I found that I had less neck pain and also way more sound coming from my instrument. That’s one of the reasons I recommend the Wolfe Forte Segundo…it really opens up the sound of your instrument.…[Read more]

Thanks, Casey. I quit relying on sheet music about two years ago. Without it, I find it much easier to learn a tune. I do admit I look at printed noted now and then, but it is not the crutch it used to be (and no, I don’t (can’t) play every note you play). At an oldtime fiddle workshop a few weeks ago, the instructor stated that you really can’t…[Read more]

Good comments, Roland. Thx.

Hi NewFiddler – I would echo the idea that although many of the licks could be written out, there is a downside to doing so. You can’t notate groove, bow swells, vibrato, feel, etc… And the groove cannot be ignored…it is truly more important than the licks you play.

We had several requests a while back for…[Read more]

HI New Fiddler,

This is a great thread from lots of folks talking about learning by ear. I think overall any approach to learning that works for you is one that you should use. I also think being open to learning by any means necessary is the spirit of the fiddler and if the written music helps then by all means use it.

I would like to add an…[Read more]

HI New Fiddler,

This is a great thread from lots of folks talking about learning by ear. I think overall any approach to learning that works for you is one that you should use. I also think being open to learning by any means necessary is the spirit of the fiddler and if the written music helps then by all means use it.

I would like to add an…[Read more]

I am new to playing completely by ear and have mixed feelings about the experience. It can be fun but also frustrating. I do enjoy the freedom but at the same time even if I learn a tune completely from sheet music I am able to mix it up and play around with it afterward and experience that freedom anyway. In my case, I would rather some of the…[Read more]

Thanks for your reply… I was thinking the same thing about the Scottish tunes… Maybe John McAlpine’s Strathspey because it is pretty slow yet very interesting 🙂

HI New Fiddler,

Great that you read it and its a reliable fact and comparison. Not being a Classical player I’ve only observed no one is tapping their feet in Classical land so I have no idea where the downbeat would be in a classical tune with out trying to figure it out.

Fiddling on the other hand is primarily dance music in the folk tradition…[Read more]

Hi New Fiddler,

Good question you pose there. I really don’t have any answer for that other than maybe listen to some Scottish bowing in their slow tunes as they have more technique in that style of paying. Or consider tunes with harmonics or intricate moving double stops with good intonation and pitch as I would think are challenging for bowing…[Read more]

Recent Pics

Hi, Blossom. I’m with you. We’re in the process of moving between studios right now…perhaps I’ll post a couple of pics on Facebook and link to that here in a sec.

I did chat with Andre over the weekend, and we’re going to see about using his brother on piano backup for a couple of tunes and possibly one of the guitar players he normally…[Read more]

Thanks. That’s a big help.

Hi again,

I have another “fiddle contest” question. In addition to the typical contest (with age divisions, etc) I am hoping to enter a “hot bow” contest that allows more freedom with technique (hokum, for example) and style (any genre is allowed). I have ideas for which tunes to use as my “fast” options but I am unsure about my “slow” tune……[Read more]

Hi, FM.

Hanneke uses these ornamentations fairly frequently, with “The Scrunch” being the least used technique. I would start with The Cut, The Hammer On and The Flick as these are simpler and other techniques point back to these.

The Waterfall is more difficult and is based on the Flick, so learn the Flick before tackling the Waterfall.…[Read more]