Fiddlosophy

Just Play It

Before FiddleHed took over my life in the best possible way, I was studying piano and learning from a book called Re-introduction Etudes by Chilly Gonzales. It’s a great book with lots of insight into how music works along with pieces to learn and practice. Usually at the top of a classical music piece there … Continued

What Is The Best Part Of Being A Musician?

At the risk of sounding like a hippie, I’d say the best part about being a musician is the experience of pure generosity, and of realizing connection to people through this generosity. It’s generous because the universe has given me music and I’m giving it right back. There’s no thought of “should” involved. I should … Continued

Gonzervatory Story

An Opportunity This morning I submitted an application to a master class called “The Gonzervatory”. It will be taught by the great pianist and producer Chilly Gonzales next April. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun, and along the way I had some new insights into what I want to do … Continued

It’s Never Too Late To Start

Myth: I’m too old to learn how to play an instrument. Maybe you don’t need to hear this, because you’ve already proved it wrong! But there might come a day when you feel discouraged. Then you will need to remember: You are a musician if you play every day. The practice of music is not … Continued

Old Is The New New

Sometimes at fiddle jams I hear people say things like “I’m so sick of Kesh Jig. It’s totally been played out.” Maybe they just need a break from hearing and playing a particular melody. But tunes like Kesh Jig or Old Joe Clarke have been played a lot for a reason: they are great tunes. … Continued

Should I Find A Teacher?

If you want to get better at the fiddle or whatever skill you are learning, then you should find a good teacher if possible. A good teacher will: Point out your weaknesses and create exercises for you to work on those things. Get you to play slower. Correct your form. Motivate you to practice. Teach … Continued

Micro And Macro Practice Strategies

Forgive me if this title and post sounds like a phD thesis in mathematics! Don’t be put off. This is just a simple, systematic way for you to practice that will help you to work through hard parts of tunes. Here is a worksheet you can print and use to help you learn and utilize … Continued

Micro-practice vs. Macro-practice

Learning how to practice is the heart of the FiddleHed method. There are two complementary ways of working on music: micro-practice and macro-practice. Micro-practice is focusing, figuring things out and training your body what to do. Macro-practice is putting things together, letting go and just playing. In micro-practice we focus on the motion of our … Continued

Practice Challenge Insights

As a way to get people into the good habit of daily fiddle practice, I recently led the Fall Practice Challenge 2017, which I also participated in. There was a total of 105 “practicipants”. Pretty cool! I surveyed the folks who took part to better understand how it went and how it could be improved. … Continued

Learn Some Easy Tunes!

Easy, recognizable tunes are a great way to work on your tuning, timing and flow. If it’s a melody you know already, like London Bridges, then you can pick it up more quickly. Once you’ve learned and memorized it, you can focus all your attention on making it sound good. Try to get this simple … Continued