Mel Newton

In this lesson, I demonstrate fifteen ways to practice the tune Sail Away Ladies. You’ll learn the tune more deeply as you improve various aspects of your technique. What I really want you to learn is how to […]

Here’s a powerful practice strategy called “Transposition Loops.” Take a small musical chunk, transpose it, and then alternate between the original and the transposed piece.

Say you’re trying to learn […]

Here’s a simple yet powerful practice technique: Alternate between a tune and its scale.

If you’re practicing Arkansas Traveller, alternate between playing the tune and the D Major scale.
Use a D drone to […]

Hey folks,

I’m here in beautiful Michigan 🌳 . We just had some rain, now the sun is out. Here’s an Irish polka called “Mairi’s Wedding.” My in-laws just through a wedding party for Melissa and I, so I […]

Three Warmup Steps For Fiddling On A Tune Like a sprinter placing their feet in the blocks and their hands on the ground, you can do a few things to prepare for playing a tune. On your mark, get […]

Here’s an old-time tune called “Big-eyed Rabbit.” It’s in the Round Peak tradition of Tommy Jarrell. It was filmed by a pond in Kenneth Hahn Park in Los Angeles. The only thing missing was the smell of duck poop 🦆 💩

Here’s a simple version of a classic bluegrass tune called “Lonesome Fiddle Blues”. This tune was created by one of my favorite fiddlers, Vassar Clements.

I played it on “The Fiddle That Michael Gave Away” […]