This Sunday, May 13, will be the last Irish session at The Shoreham Inn. Not because of lack of interest but because it’s being shut down by an outside company who has requested money from the Inn to collect music royalties. There are companies out there that “collect license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers and … More The day the music died…
The Irish band Téada, visited the Barre Opera house on Saturday night and wowed the crowd with lively music, touching songs and funny limericks. … More Téada, a little bit of Ireland in Vermont
Tips for leaning new Irish tunes. … More Learning tunes backwards
A few weeks ago I got 100 miles in on my bike and 100 miles in on my fiddle. I mean with two gigs and two sessions during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend I think we can count that as miles on the fiddle don’t you? Anyway, it got me thinking that my two passions … More Why playing fiddle is much like riding a bike
St. Patrick’s Day week is one of my favorite weeks of the year, for obvious reasons. Not only do I usually have a handful of gigs to play at but usually some of the finest Irish musicians come out of the woodwork to share their craft. This year is no different. There are a bunch … More St. Patrick’s Day week, the festivities continue
Every musician at some point reaches a plateau in their playing. During this plateau, we aren’t really that motivated to practice, or learn new music and sometimes it seems like a chore just to open up the case and tune the darn thing. This happens at least once a year for me. During this “dark … More 5 Ways to get musically motivated
I used to work in the violin shop. My favorite part of the job was when parents and their kids would come in and get fitted for violins, violas and cellos according to which instrument tickled their fancy. It is a process fitting instruments to kids and families are usually in there for more than … More It’s never too late to try
Find out how the names of traditional tunes with the Tunepal app. … More When your memory is gone…
Once, while waiting for a session to begin, I overheard someone at the table sitting next to me explaining to her friend what a session was. “It’s where a bunch of musicians get together and practice,” she said. Practice, hmm…Interesting observation. If you’re an avid reader of my blog, chances are you not only know … More Irish sessions – practice or performance?
Thanks to all who read, commented and shared my blog in 2011. I had fun writing for you and am looking forward to writing more in 2012. To receive email updates every time I post fill in your email address on the right (I won’t share your email address with anyone). Thanks for making 2011 … More 2011 in review
Session Obsession 