Welcome to BUCKET LIST FIDDLE JAM!

A few short announcements before we begin…

• FJi Newsletter: If you are not already on the Fiddle Jam Club Newsletter List, sign-up HERE.
• Promotional materials review: I released quite a few promotional and informational pieces leading up the launch of Bucket List Fiddle Jam, including a Buy or Borrow piece on whether you should purchase, rent or borrow an instrument to get started; detailed info on my teaching methods and philosophies as they pertain to adult learners; a longer webinar replay; and a frequently Asked Question (FAQ) list.  If you need to see any of those again, I’ve re-posted all those materials HERE (there will be a link back to this page at the bottom).
• Facebook Option: Private Bucket List Fiddle Jam Facebook Group Page. Click HERE to join.  <<:BuLiFiJa Facebook page ON HOLD until further notice:>>
• A QUICK COMMON SENSE DISCLAIMER: Of Course, if you have had neck, back, or shoulder surgery, or have any more serious physical problems that might bring harm to yourself by playing violin/fiddle PLEASE PROCEED WITH THE UTMOST CAUTION by consulting with your preferred professional health care practitioners BEFORE STARTING THIS COURSE!

Is a quick bit of humor before we start OK?: I can safely assume that everyone viewing this, since it’s a course for adult beginners… is an adult and can handle a small bit of adult humor without insulting anyone???  I hope so… Here’s the quick joke I recently heard comedian Jerry Seinfeld say on a NPR show:

“yeah… I’m getting older… I decided that I’d get a bucket list together… I took a good look at it… decided that I’d just change the “B” to and “F”… and decided that I was already done!!”  Ha! ;~))))))

I hope you won’t take that joke too seriously and give up before you begin to get to your very achievable goal below.

LET’S GET STARTED!!

Just click on the titles or pictures below to navigate to that lesson’s page… don’t worry, there will be other links when you are there to get back here, or options to go to the next lesson directly from there as well.

Pre-Course Materials:

Let’s get you ready to play!…

1. 1. Don’t Hurt Yourself Playing the Violin/Fiddle! An interview with Chiropractor: Dr. Rob
   2. Open & Shut Case – unpacking your new violin/fiddle.
   3. Violin Parts Tutorial – know the lingo
   4. Tuning the Violin Strings – How to & How NOT to BREAK them on your first try!
   5. Special Report – Planetary tuners, a modern improvement
   6. The Bow and Rosin – How to and what NOT to do.
   7. Shoulder Rests – Which one to get and which ones to avoid
   8. Chin Rests – styles and what works for you.
   9. Fingerboard Stickers – intonation and learning aids
   10. Strings – what type or brand to use?
   11. Violin: Sit or Stand? – advice on how to avoid posture problems
   12. Bucket List Fiddle Jam – the song – listen to the tune you will learn by the end of this course – start to get it in your mind now…

Bu-Li-Fi-Ja Course Sessions:

Clicking on the highlighted titles in the lesson list below will take you to that lesson’s page where there will be both a more detailed Main Lesson explaining the materials, which you will have the opportunity hear, see and try things, and an actual Practice Session video where I will practice with you (around 10 min.).

Lessons 1-6 are all about simply producing a good sound, so be patient… it’s well worth the effort!  Lessons 7-9 introduce the fingering hand, with lessons 10-15 being more details about how the two hands combine, before finally being ready for learning the actual Bucket List Fiddle Jam song starting with lesson 16.  Feel free to poke around, but, since I’ve designed the lessons to each build on the previous skill learned, I highly recommend studying each lesson in the sequence provided!

1. Ice Breaker – make your first sounds (and music!)
2. The Business End – sound good prep
3. Get Good At Sounding BAD – on purpose so you will know what NOT to do later!
4. Straight Strokes for Fiddle Folks – 2 dimensional geometry of sounding good
5. Bow Planes – Single String 3D bowing
6. Calming the Seas – eliminating bow bounce, shakes & trembles PLUS #1-6 BOWING REVIEW
7. Getting Noted – Moving Up The Ladder! – finger placement, pressure and pitch
8. Digital Mechanics – cross-string finger muscle exercises
9. Rock n Roll Mojo – cross-string finger skipping coolness factor
10. Alphabet Soup – the ABC’s of the musician’s language PLUS #7-10 FINGERING REVIEW
11. Banana Bows – avoiding the worst slip ever!
12. Double Drones – the secret of sounding “fiddle”
13. Call & Answer – earning split-brain learning
14. Double String “Do-Re-Mi” – D.I.Y. intonation trainer
15. Eggs & Walnuts – a recipe for effortless mastery PLUS #10-15 MECHANICS REVIEW
16. Bu-Li-Fi-Ja “A” Section Melody – 1st section spoon fed one note at a time
17. Holistic Listening – “A” section back-up accompaniment
18. Bu-Li-Fi-Ja “B” Section Melody – the 2nd half of the tune
19. Deepening Your Roots – Bu-Li-Fi-Ja “B” section back-ups
20. Take It To Heart – whole song memory tricks and review
21. Stage Prep Stages – broadening your experience with accompaniment tracks
22. Soup It Up! – add some EZ pro-fiddle tricks
23. Fiddler’s Etiquette – secret intro & outro lingo
24. Graduation Dress Rehearsal – congratulations – you have arrived!
25. Bonus 1: No Net Back-Ups – how to back up other instruments without even knowing the song!
26. Bonus 2: Fiddle Jam! – short cut to oozing authority
27. Bonus 3: All BuLiFiJa Audio Tracks & Charts on one page: no sense in scrolling through every lesson looking for it!
28. Student Question Forum – Still wondering about something?  Don’t be shy! No question is too simple.  I always say, it’s better to ask what you feel might be a “dumb” question than make a dumb mistake! ;~)
29. Student Showcase!  Embed your video in the comments here to show off what you’ve learned!
30. Commencement: What’s next for you?

Link to Store – for 3-song packs – Fiddle Pack and Cajun/Zydeco available now, more COMING SOON! (Available Jan. 2021)