Fiddlosophy

Playing Fiddle Backup On Girls Just Want To Have Fun

In this video I sing and play fiddle backup for Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. After I play it, I’ll talk about what we did…kind of a video “liner notes.” Chords Verse F / Dm / Bb Dm / C / Bb Dm / C / F Chorus F / Dm F … Continued

How To Play Fiddle On “Your Song”

In this video I sing “Your Song” by Elton John and play backup on the fiddle. Then after the performance I explain what I did. I’ve been learning to sing songs and play backup on the fiddle. Here are some tips I’ve picked up: Practice just singing Just like learning a fiddle tune, I’ve been … Continued

A People’s History Of The Violin

Written by Jim Guinn When first taking on the task of writing about the history of the violin, I ignorantly assumed it would be an easy and straight-forward task which I would be able to write up within a few hours. What I quickly found was the long, wandering and sometimes fiercely debated journey and … Continued

What the heck is a musical scale?

What defines it? How many notes are there in a scale? My simple definition: A scale is a group of notes used to practice a musical instrument. It’s a series of small steps defined by a root note and the scale type. Just like physical steps, it’s easier to climb the mountain (of learning an … Continued

Musical Conversation

  You can approach music practice and creation as a conversation. In the conversation, you continuously alternate between areas of practice. Musical conversation generates insight. It helps you to break through obstacles and it makes daily practice fun. Call-and-response is a simple form of conversation. You hear something and then play it back. You can … Continued

Fiddling With A Growth Mindset

What connections can you make between fiddling and the rest of your daily activity? Asking a question like this is the activity of a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is a belief that your abilities are permanently fixed. A fixed mindset says, “I am what I am, and I’ll never change”. A growth mindset is a … Continued

Music is a fun way to upgrade your mind

Why do we play music? For most of the answer is, “I do it for fun and enjoyment.” Here’s another reason people start playing an instrument: they want to upgrade their thinking. How does learning music upgrade your thinking? Here are some cognitive processes that improve as you learn and practice an instrument. Focus Memory … Continued

Ask Questions As You Practice

  Ask questions as you practice. Don’t worry about the answer. The question brings awareness to what you’re doing. Ask questions before, during and after a practice session Asking questions before a session will prepare you, helping you to focus. Asking questions during a session will keep you engaged with the practice. Asking questions after … Continued

How To Build Your Fiddle Skills

You can steadily learn and improve any skill if you move your skills through a series of stages: Can’t do yet Can do with effort Can do with flow   In this lesson, I’m going to give you a method for doing that. It’s based on a framework Kathy Sierra teaches this in her book … Continued

Fiddling With A Master Practice List

Overview A master practice list is simply a big list of everything you’ve learned. If you write down everything you’ve done, you’ll be able to make better decisions about what to practice. The MPL acts as a practice partner. It offers suggestions to enrich the daily practice. Ultimately, your sessions will be more fun… How to … Continued