As a traditional Irish fiddler, I have never learned how to improvise on the fiddle. Like most other traditional musicians I know, everything I play, I learned by ear. This past week I started a class at Berklee College of Music on basic improvisation. It’s only been a week and I can confidently say it’s … More Going back to the beginning and starting over
I have rediscovered my love for mountain biking. Recently, I went out on an all-women’s mountain bike ride. I have to admit I felt a bit out of shape, especially on the climbs where I held steady as the caboose of the group. (In my defense I still ride a hard tail and was most likely … More How music is like mountain biking
One of things I love about Irish music, and most Celtic music in general, is it makes me want to get up and dance. After all, it is dance music. Dancing is such a big part of this tradition and learning the dances actually helps in learning the tunes. This weekend, whether you’re a musician … More Music that makes you want to dance
I’m always impressed with melody musicians who can just call out the key of the next tune they are going to play. I have a hard time just lifting my foot to say I’m switching tunes. Not to mention, most of the time I have no idea what keys I play in. Aren’t all fiddle tunes … More The key to being a good musician
I didn’t grow up in a very religious family. We were not required to go to church on Sundays but we did celebrate Christmas eve and Easter at church every year. Easter for us as kids was more about waking up to a basket filled with candy that some imaginary bunny delivered, a big dinner with family and the … More 100th Anniversary of the Easter Rising
Recently, I was talking to an old college friend who is a professional poker player now and has been for over 10 years. I find this profession to be very intriguing (if only I could play poker). I imagine the life of a poker player is similar to the life of a professional musician in … More How playing music is like playing poker
Today is a very sad day. In the town I live in, a 3-year-old boy named Parker Berry passed away after being lost at daycare and found drowned in a local brook. Though I don’t know the whole story or the little boy, this hits close to home as it happened in my little town. … More Making music to comfort the dead
As I get older, I realize that we can’t take anything for granted. Today on this day of remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr., I’m reminded of how we should take better care of our neighbors, our country and our community. We might think that our little gestures of kindness don’t mean much in the … More Lending a helping hand
At the end of each year it is always fun to know which posts were the most popular. It gives me an idea of what you like to read about and helps me plan for upcoming articles. Below are this year’s top posts: Here are the top 5 posts of the year: 10 Tips to … More The 5 most popular posts in 2015
What makes a tune hard and how do you overcome it? … More What makes a tune hard?
Session Obsession 