Practicing an instrument is a daunting task. I mean who wants to sit home and practice their keys and intonation or learn harder tunes just for fun? Who does that? Most of the time when I take out my fiddle, I just want to sound good so I play what I already know. That isn’t … More What makes us practice
Happy birthday Mom. Today you would have been 74 years old and wearing purple, according to your favorite poem. I wanted to take the time, on your birthday, to let you know just how much influence you had on me when it comes to music. Though you weren’t a musician yourself, you introduced me to … More An open letter to my late mom, about music
As a musician, your worst nightmare is to physically hurt yourself rendering you unable to play your instrument, especially if that’s how you earn your living. This past fall, I broke my middle finger on my left hand (and before you ask it wasn’t from using it too much). My injury has forced me to … More How my broken finger will improve my playing
When I first started playing fiddle many years ago, my aunt sent me a poem by Irish poet, William Butler Yeats called The Fiddler of Dooney. I loved it because it is about a fiddler, because an Irish poet wrote it, and heck, because it rhymed and who doesn’t love that? I memorized the poem … More And dance like a wave of the sea…
Being a full time musician is one job you don’t do for the money. You do it for the love of music. You do it for the love of spreading your message. You do it so other people can enjoy the very thing you are so passionate about. Because after you pay for lessons, instruments, … More Music that helps heal the world
“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet implies that the names of things do not affect what they really are. Maybe that’s true. After all, love is love, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Montague or Capulet you can’t help … More What is in a name anyway?
To those who don’t listen to Irish music all that often, listening to a set of tunes may sound like one long song that goes on forever, kind of like what techno sounds like to me. If you listen long enough though, you begin to recognize the unique style of each musician. If you’ve ever heard Martin Hayes play … More Learn to play like yourself
Everything comes full circle and I’m reminded of that more often than not. Take for example, bell-bottoms and leg warmers. Who would have thought they’d be cool twice in my life-time? Or platform shoes, of which I’m still afraid to walk in. Even when it comes to my writing. I come up with an idea, I start … More The joy of coming full circle
Though I keep learning new things on my fiddle, the one thing that is the hardest thing to do while playing, is smile. But smiling can be the difference between a good performance and a great one. … More Smile, it’s contagious
More than a few years back, I saw the Wailin Jennys perform this song live in Vermont. If you have ever seen them perform, you know you can feel their 3-part harmonies through your core. Their songs are passionate and emotional and the stories behind them are poignant. Today, on one of the most important 24 hours of our lifetime, … More One Voice – Make it heard
