Going to the gym is so hard for me. And it’s not because I don’t like it. I actually do. I feel good, once I’m there. It’s getting there that’s the hard part. For many years now, I have hired a personal trainer. Not because I can’t figure out how to exercise but because I … More How practicing music is like exercising
For the past 5 weeks I’ve been taking an Irish music class with The Vermont School of Traditional Irish Music and learning a new tune each week. It’s been great as not only have I been adding tunes to my repertoire but I’ve been learning some valuable lessons about how to practice. Here are a … More Practice tips for the traditional Irish musician
Music makes you happy. It’s true. Music causes the release of dopamine, a “feel-good” chemical in your brain. So listening to music literally makes you happy. That’s why during this time of year when the days become shorter, cooler and we enter into what us Vermonters like to call “stick season,” I try to immerse … More Music is the cure for the stick season blues
You just learned a new tune and you play it over and over in your living room when no one is home. Each time you play it, it gets better and better. At some point it sounds so good that you think of quitting your day job and taking it on the road. You envision yourself … More Play like you have nothing to lose
Many, many years ago, when I first started learning tunes by ear, I diligently learned every note of an Irish tune from a CD I was listening to. I practiced it over and over, note for note and then brought it to my teacher at the time. I played it for her. She listened and … More Making Irish music, Irish
School is not yet in session but anyone who loves Irish music will be in school this weekend – the Four Corners School House that is. On Saturday, August 15, the Vermont School of Irish Traditional Music presents Tommy McCarthy and his wife, Louise Costello at the Four Corners Schoolhouse in East Montpelier.
Though the bow doesn’t look like much, you simply can’t play the fiddle without it. The bow is the rhythm. The bow is what makes the fiddle sing. And bowing is probably the hardest thing to learn when it comes to playing the fiddle. Learning to a bow a tune can be tricky. Sometimes when … More Mastering the bow
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? This weekend marks the 9th Annual Carolan Festival, a gathering for people who play, listen, sing or dance to the music of Turlough Carolan, a blind Irish harper and composer. The Irish festival takes place in a beautiful Vermont country setting overlooking the North Branch of the Winooski River … More Carolan Festival this weekend
This Wednesday head out to the Irish session at McNeill’s Pub in Brattleboro. Below is some information on it written by flute and whistle player, Dan Restivo. McNeill’s Pub Session Currently, I co-host the monthly second-Wednesday session at McNeill’s Pub in Brattleboro. Originally founded by fiddler Randy Miller and guitarist Roger Kahle, its first home … More An Irish session in Brattleboro – McNeill’s Pub
I was told a story when I first started playing fiddle by one of my teachers who heard it from another teacher who basically said the following: “When first learning Irish music, it all sounds the same. You then start to learn the tunes and it all sounds different. Then you start to really get … More Set Dances, Hornpipes and Mazurkas, Oh My!
Session Obsession 