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
During this pandemic it has been quite the challenge to play music with other people. If you have tried to play music together via zoom, you’ll know how challenging that can be because of the delay. It’s pretty much impossible to play together. I have been using other apps, one in particular called Acapella, which … More McGivney’s Fancy: Tune 21 of 52
I learned this week’s tune, Sweeney’s Dream, because it goes well after last week’s tune Humours of Lissadell. And now we have a set. We’re on week 19 of my tune learning venture and I have to admit, I’m pretty proud of myself for keeping it up for 19 weeks. It has definitely been a … More Sweeney’s Dream: Tune 19 of 52
This is a slip jig that I likely learned at one point and relearned this week because it’s a great session tune. And also, because dusting off an old tune gives me a chance to work on technique instead of focusing so much on learning the notes. As I spoke about in a previous post, … More Give Us a Drink of Water: Tune 17 of 52
