During the holiday season, they usually play the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, over and over and over again on one network or another. For many years, I’d watch my dad watch this movie over and over again wondering if it was really that good. And then one day I sat down and watched it … More For Pete’s sake!
In most traditional music, it is customary to learn tunes by ear and pass them along in the same way. Musicians add variations and ornaments to personalize their interpretation of the tune. I wonder though, where the line is and why sharing tunes doesn’t turn into a huge game of operator. Here’s what I mean: … More Hello operator
My trainer told me a story of how he was listening to his kids play Monopoly. One kid landed on one of those properties where rent was only $5. The other kid said “don’t bother paying me, it’s only $5.” As my trainer was listening to their conversation he thought “clearly this kid hasn’t worked … More Every little bit counts
I’m going to risk dating myself here and tell you that when I started to learn how to play fiddle, I used a tape recorder with real cassette tapes. I may even still have some in the bowels of my basement, though nothing to play them on. I’d record, then stop, rewind, and play again, … More Dusting off old tunes
Did you ever just hear a tune and totally lose yourself listening to it? When I first heard this week’s tune, I literally stopped what I was doing to really listen to the music. For some reason it just struck a chord with me and I haven’t been able to get it out of my … More The Eagle’s Whistle: Tune 22 of 52
UPDATE: The Session at Bagitos has been cancelled in hopes to keep people safe from Covid-19. Stay healthy everyone! This weekend, we will not only be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, but we’ll also be celebrating the end of era – the Saturday session at Bagitos in Montpelier. Saturday, March 14 from 2-5pm will be the … More The end of an era and the beginning of a new one
Music and dancing have always been a part of my life. As a child, I took ballet lessons and tap dancing, and loved them both. I loved ballet because the dance was so graceful and the music so passionate. I loved tap dancing because I loved the rhythmic sound when the taps hit the floor. … More Get up and dance
As the days get shorter and winter begins to blanket the mountains in white, it’s always so tempting to play and practice in the warmth of your own home. The thing is its so much more fun to play with others and there are plenty of opportunities to get out to a session. And next … More New Session in Calais
I am always mesmerized when watching pipers play. In my humble opinion, pipes are one of the hardest instruments to play well. You not only have to learn the notes and melodies on the chanter but you got to figure out how to keep air in the bag at all times so that you can … More Bellows Bagpipe Concert
One winter, as a snowboarder, I tried to learn how to teleski. Though I can’t say I mastered how to ski, I can say that because of trying it, I became a better snowboarder. I feel the same way about music. Lately, I’ve been learning different genres of music and playing more mandolin and uke … More The power of new music
Session Obsession 