Casey Willis

Hi Brian. Consider it added to my running list for when Hanneke gets back in the studio. Driving celtic. I’ll also ask another celtic player I have lined up for recording if he knows it. I like the tune, sir!

Hey there, David. I second Roland’s advice that the grace note is really the player’s choice. I know that The Flick is really one of the most common notes used in Scottish playing, but that doesn’t mean that a substitution is a bad thing.

I tend to play certain ornamentations which “feel” right, but may not be right for the next player. I…[Read more]

Hi Luke. Thanks for your post. I will add this to the request list for the next oportunity to get in the studio for recording. In the mean time, I would recommend using that great resource YouTube…there are tons of free videos out there to head you in the right direction. Good idea, and thanks again for the suggestion! And thanks for…[Read more]

Hi, Debora. That one is high on the list for when we get back in the studio. Good suggestion.

Hi Cindy. I’ll email you to get those files to you. I wonder if it’s a pop-up blocker. We’ll get it figured out. Catch you on email.

Hi Brian. That’s a great tune. I’m hearing a bunch of feedback that folks want to hear more Bluegrass fiddle on this site. I’ll put Shady Grove on the list of tunes to cut as soon as we head back to the studio. Thanks for the input, and KEEP FIDDLING!!!!

Hey there Fred – Sorry it’s taken me a couple of days to respond. I’ve been traveling and just now had a chance to dial into that section of the video. So if I understand the question, you are wondering how to get back from the double stop B/G note which is played in substitute for the D/G double stop. The walkdown which follows is 2,1,0 on the…[Read more]

Hi, Rene. Thanks for the comment! I really hope you are well-occupied as you work through some new tunes.

As far as advice I could give you for bow exercises, that really is the life-long pursuit of a violinist/fiddler. One idea I would suggest is to pick a paticular slur pattern you’d like to master and start playing it over a scale…then…[Read more]

Hi there, Tim, and thanks for the question. I have a setup which includes a custom built condensor microphone suspended over the f-hole (built by Joe Mills in Nashville) as well as a L.R. Baggs peizo pickup mounted in the bridge. Essentially, I can mix and independently eq the signals using a Rane AP13 preamp, depending on the application. For…[Read more]

Hey there, Fred. Sorry I’m just now getting around to replying. I would say that learning the notes must come first, for sure. Once you get the tune down, you should identify areas in which you are having trouble getting the groove going. Then you can check out the bowing I provide for that section and see if it helps. I will say that for…[Read more]

Hi, Thomas, and thanks! My kids give me crap about that, but I can’t seem to help it! Hope you’re enjoying the site, sir. Take care!