Archive | By Sight

Learning by watching others do.

Amazing Grace

Description: This very popular Christian spiritual tune* has crossed many style boundaries.  Countless students have requested it from me over the years.  I’ll include it here.  I’ve included it here in two separate but popular and fiddle-friendly keys: G & A.  The G version is lower and sweeter sounding, and

Continue Reading 1

Shave Endings

”Shave and a Hair Cut… Two Bits!” History & Culture: Ubiquitous traditional fiddle tune ending… and friendly hello/goodbye rhythmic gesture… at least here in America.  Knock this rhythm on your friend’s door to signal it is you.  Often done in a call and answer way, where the “caller” will do

Continue Reading 0

Potato Fiddle intros

”Po-tato, Po-tato, Po-tato, Po-tato”… Common count in for fiddle tunes.  Usually done by the “lead” musician in an ensemble (most often the fiddler… you?).  This is the fiddling equivalent of a rock drummer clicking his/her sticks while counting the band in: “one – two – three – four!…”

Continue Reading 0

Acadian Two-Step

Description: This one’s a bit more challenging, but well worth the effort.  I personally love the whole Cajun “thang” (see Side Notes below).  I honestly do NOT hear this tune much at Pickin’ Parties and jams, but it is pretty cool, and the chords are easy enough to teach others

Continue Reading 0

Sugarfoot Rag

Fiddle Tune Topics: Melody, A Mixolydian, A Blues, A Major Pentatonic, slides, intermediate technical challenges, creating backup parts, improvisation. Description: I like this one.  It is decently simple and fairly repetitive.  It was taught to me by a friend the old fashioned way… by ear, one note at a time

Continue Reading 5

Angeline the Baker

Hey!  That’s not Bluegrass!… yes, that is true… you tell ME what style it is! …a good tune is a good tune, and can be re-interpreted in any number of ways.  That’s my good friend Michael Ward Bergman on accordion… we are calling this group “Viordion”!?! Description: One of my

Continue Reading 2

A-toodz – A minor

Introduction to A minor A-toodz studies A minor is a very popular key in the modern styles… especially in guitar dominated Rock and Blues music!  These studies can help you build up a vocabulary of ideas, licks, and tricks that you can then call upon in your improvisations later. The

Continue Reading 6


Web-Site Design by Majestic Vision

Powered by WishList Member - Membership Software