Peghead Nation

And if Fiddlevideo isn't enough to chew on, I just discovered Peghead Nation. Where Fiddlevideo focuses on Scottish and Cape Breton tunes as well as some Old Time tunes, Peghead Nation has Old Time Blues, Improv Fiddle, and more for fiddle as well as online lessons for all other manner of string instruments (banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro and ukulele) with a variety of well-known teachers. So when it's cold and snowy out there this winter, I will be cozy inside with my fiddle.

Fiddlevideo

I am working my way through Rhythmizing the Bow, little by little, and I am also looking at all the free videos on Fiddlevideo.com which focuses on Fiddle and Scottish Fiddle. When I finish getting what I want from the free videos, I will probably subscribe for a month or two or more to access more of the content.

So far I have focused on bowing, so I've worked with Hanneke's Scottish Groove videos for the Jig and the Reel, and also with Casey's Advanced Bow Techniques. I am hoping that I will be able to integrate these techniques into playing the tunes.

As for playing on the off-beats, I am going back to fundamentals and working with the metronome. Funny how that seems to work....

Fiddling in Switzerland

This blog has taken a hiatus with our move to Zürich, Switzerland three weeks ago. Now that we are here, and the violin I ordered has come in,  it's time to really think about my goals for music this year. 

I find it harder to have goals sitting in my own little flat, but I have created some opportunities for myself. On Monday I am going to an Old-Time Music Jam at an Irish Pub, and I just got the set list for the tunes. I am going to try to familiarize myself with the tunes before I go, so I can at least act as though I know what is going on.

I also want to work on my chopping, and I have pulled out this video I bought from Homespun and my goal is to practice chopping at least 5 minutes / day. Little by little I hope to get better at this. 

I also want to keep working on the tunes I learned at Sierra Fiddle Camp in June. Not just the tunes, but the accompaniments. Either learning or creating them.

In a few weeks the string orchestra that I have contacted will start rehearsing. That will give me some specific goals for classical playing.

Now, if I could just figure out what my composition goals are for this year.....