This week I joined a group bike ride for more miles and at faster pace than I normally ride. We got out of the gate and I was feeling good in the middle of the pack. But as we started climbing, one by one, I heard “on your left” as each person on the ride … More Keeping up with the pack
Now that we’re all vaccinated it’s been so fun to head out to the Wednesday night session at Radio Bean in Burlington, VT. And although I have been diligently practicing for the last year and learning new tunes, resurrecting old ones has been, well, interesting. Sometimes those old tunes have a bit of dust on … More The dust is reel
As a marketer, every year I have to write a marketing strategy complete with tactics and measurable goals. I’ve been in this field for 25+ years so these have become my modus operandi. So much so that without thinking about it, I used the same strategy when beginning A Tune A Week. I started back … More Setting SMART goals in music
Fiddlers love the keys of D and G but not so much the key of F. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because D and G are some of the first scales we learn early so we train our fingers and it sticks with us. Or maybe it’s because we just don’t like those damn … More What the F?
Sometimes thinking gets in the way of playing. At some point you just have to trust yourself to know what to do. #tunetuesday #atuneaweek … More Think less, play more
Setting up a practice schedule is easy. Sticking to it is the hard part. Back in December I decided to embark on learning a tune a week for a year. I figured it would not only add 52 tunes to my repertoire but it would keep me on task with my practicing. And it has … More Keeping on task
I’m late in recording this week’s tune and it’s all because of Simone Biles. Recently gymnast Simone Biles, walked away from the greatest competition in the world to honor her team, her body and her mental health. I can’t even fathom how much strength and courage that must have taken. She reminds us all that … More Take time to heal
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 not sure if it’s age or what but it seems when I learn a new tune, I forget an old one. Last night I played with my band for the first time in over a year. It’s been too long since I sat down and played music with live people sitting right next to … More Learning new tunes and forgetting the old
Every good sessioneer has a list — a running tab of all the tunes you’ve heard at a session and plan to learn for future sessions. Sometimes it’s just a tiny piece of paper you keep in your instrument case. Sometimes it’s a whole notebook. Other times, it’s just an imaginary collection of tunes to … More Sporting Paddy: Tune 24 of 52
Session Obsession 