In the last 14 weeks I’ve been diligent about either learning new tunes or dusting off old ones. I can’t say whether or not I am actually sounding better, but I can say I’m listening better. I’m listening to myself and listening to others with a keen ear. And I’m noticing things I’ve never noticed … More Stop, Look and Listen
Aside from learning a tune a week, I have been taking a harmony singing class from Old Town School of Folk Music. Singing harmony has always been a challenge for me. I learn the harmony but then when someone starts singing the melody, my part becomes more of a hybrid of the melody and harmony … More Repetition is the name of the game
Learning tunes is the easy part. Giving them life is the challenge. Read more on how to give life to your music. … More Music that Make the Dancers Dance
I’ve never been much of a visual artist. Drawing, painting, and even coloring has never been my forte. I can appreciate the final product and even have an emotional connection with it but envisioning it from the start has always escaped me. Recently, I’ve been watching Blown Away, a reality TV show about glass blowers. … More Coloring outside the lines
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
The following post was written by Sally Writes. When my daughter got her first guitar a little over two years ago, she could not have been more enthusiastic. At the risk of sounding like the typical mother living vicariously through her daughter, I was certain that she would progress beyond the “just about able to play … More Three Cs: Practicing without annoying the neighbors
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
For the past 5 weeks I’ve been taking an Irish music class with The Vermont School of Traditional Irish Music and learning a new tune each week. It’s been great as not only have I been adding tunes to my repertoire but I’ve been learning some valuable lessons about how to practice. Here are a … More Practice tips for the traditional Irish musician
You just learned a new tune and you play it over and over in your living room when no one is home. Each time you play it, it gets better and better. At some point it sounds so good that you think of quitting your day job and taking it on the road. You envision yourself … More Play like you have nothing to lose
A few months ago I adopted Bloo, a rescue dog from a local shelter. And since we’ve been together I have to admit I have spent more time playing with him than I have been practicing my fiddle (look at that face, can you blame me?). Today though, I finally got back to it and … More What I learned from my dog about music
