Fiddlosophy

Ida Red Animation – Fiddle Journeys

Here’s an old-time tune I played with a drone track. It’s part of a current project called “Fiddle Journeys”. Yurie Goto-Manning created the animation from a drawing I made while in Italy. Let this inspire you to make music on your own 🎶

Hometown Requiem

Here’s a piece I wrote and recorded on Saturday night May 30, 2020; the night the George Floyd riots broke out across the world. I’m now living in LA, just south of the Fairfax neighborhood which was an epicenter of looting and vandalism. Deeply saddened by the situation. But I’ll let the music do the … Continued

What did you have for dinner last night?

When learning something new, try this trick. Pause on that new or challenging thing and try to remember what you had for dinner last night. Really try to picture it. How much time did it take to prepare it? What time did you eat? When was the last time you had that meal? How did … Continued

Figure 8 Bowing on Mary Had A Little Lamb

I’ve been practicing the figure 8 bowing, trying it out on simple things like Mary Had a Little Lamb. In the last office hours livestream I talked about it some. Later this year, I’d might  create a full lesson with exercises if you are interested. Let me know in a comment below…     View … Continued

Practice Loops

In a practice loop, you alternate between to areas of practice to improve a specific musical technique. Here are some examples: Alternate between a tune and its scale Alternate between listening and playing Fiddling with chords and melodies   For those of you who’ve followed and subscribed to FiddleHed, you know that looping is a … Continued

The Two-Minute Rule

How to establish a regular fiddle practice  Do you have trouble practicing on a daily basis? If so, the Two-Minute Rule may help you to establish this healthy habit. The term was coined by author James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. The basic idea: Make it easier to establish the habit by committing to … Continued

Clare Reel – Fiddle raga

I recently dug up this video…I played a ‘fiddle raga’ version of Clare Reel while with my girlfriend in Santa Barbara in 2018. Please forgive the wind noise…think of it as part of the performance ? I also made some lessons for this tune: Clare Reel – Basic Clare Reel – Variation These are part … Continued

The Ultimate Beginner Pitfall

🎯 What You’ll Learn In this lesson, you’ll explore one of the most important mindset shifts for learning fiddle: going slower to go farther. Many beginners hit a wall when they try to tackle tunes or techniques that are too advanced too soon. This lesson offers a new approach—using deep practice, repetition, and creative play … Continued

How can I clean up the bow sound on the violin?

A student named Shauna asked me this during office hours. You can clean up the sound of the bow by adding little pauses in between the notes. This is especially good for string crossing (I call the practice “stop n’ rock” when adding pauses to string crossing). Stop n’ Rock You may notice some sloppiness … Continued

Why can’t I get a good sound on the fiddle?

People often write to me saying they struggle with getting a good sound. While playing something challenging, you may notice that it is sounding worse.  If you do notice, then take heart! You’re already on the way to sounding better. Now you just need to pause, simplify what you’re doing and connect with your basic … Continued