Become a better fiddler

For me, much of the fun of playing the fiddle comes from constantly trying to become a better player. Even after 35 years, I get the most satisfaction from improving. I know there are fiddlers out there who have been playing the same tunes for years, always exactly the same way, and apparently they are happy with that. I'm not. The really good players I know became really good players by always trying to improve. They love working on a new tune, or a new riff or ornament, or adding something new to an old tune that takes it to a new level. That's where the real fun is.

Because I like playing fiddle so much, I tend to give it a fair amount of thought. In the past, most of these flashes of insight have just disappeared because I have not written them down. Sad, really; but no longer. This blog will have my tips and observations on lots of fiddle-related stuff, including the care and feeding of the instrument, how to practice, how to play music with others, session and pickin' party etiquette, sources for good fiddle music, sources for learning tunes, good ways to approach learning a new tune, etc.