“Tater” as in po-tater po-tater or po-tato, po-tato (long – short short, long – short short bow strokes) in the Suzuki tradition, or more generally as the art of creating improvised double string back-up support parts based on the underlying chord progression of a song.  …Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds!  …as a mater of fact I do a very simple version of it in the very first lesson with a new student who has never even picked up a violin before!  I’ll show you that and much more, from adding double “drone” strings and boogie woogie patterns (Level 2) and cajun waltz back-ups (Level 3), all the way to advanced chopping technique below (Level 4).  I’ll try to make sure to link any lesson that has a tatering component in it here on this page (below).  You can alternatively just search in the tatering category list at the top of the home page too.

Tatering Origins: why it’s called that, and what you can do with it.

Tatering Overview – 4 levels:

Tatering Level 1 – Play the name of each chord (tonic). See also: Cheater’s instant back-up tater-ing – how to.
Tatering Level 2 – adding double “drone” strings
Tatering Level 3 – adding other chord tones as double stops
Tatering Level 4 – “chopping” technique

Lessons/tunes cross referenced:
Musical Priest lessons: learn the melody and how to tater to this irish/celtic tune!
Blackberry Blossom

More coming soon!

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Here’s an auto generated list of every lesson that has the “tater” category assigned to it!

• Full Fitzhugh and the Fanatics Flavor album found on YouTube!
• Free Blues Violin Primer Series
• Double Stop Tutorial – iFiddle Magazine Column
• Tater Category Lesson List
• Lightly Row
• Three Blues Tunes – Learning Path
• Experience Path – Three Cajun-Zydeco Tunes
• Oh Yeh Ya – Cajun Zydeco
• Modern Bluegrass Player Path
• MM101-Cotton Eyed Joe
• MM101-Fiddle Jam Blues
• Classical Cross-Over – Learning Path
• My Path Suggested Learning Studies
• Cheater’s instant back-up tater-ing – how to
• Fiddle Jam Book Materials
• Boozoo – traditional cajun/zydeco tune
• Pop Song Back-Ups Advice
• Tatering Level 4 – chopping technique
• Tatering Level 2 – – adding double “drone” strings
• Tatering level 3 – chord tone double stops
• Tatering level 1 – play the name of each chord
• Tater Section
• Musical Priest – Irish/Celtic tune
• All of Me
• Amazing Grace
• Potato Fiddle intros
• Sugarfoot Rag
• LOW 2 BOOGIE WOOGIE BLUES
• LOW 2 BOOGIE WOOGIE PATTERNS
• Fancy Boogie Woogie Blues – Shuffle
• FANCY B.W. BLUES
• BASIC B.W. BLUES
• Shuffle Rhythm
• BOOGIE WOOGIE PATTERNS
• BOOGIE WOOGIE SECTION
• Zydeco
• Fiddle Jam Blues
• Blackberry Blossom
• Swallowtail Jig
• Cotton Eyed Joe
• Ms. McLeod’s Reel
• Bile Them Cabbage Down
• Old Joe Clark
• Clinch Mountain Back-Step
• Cripple Creek