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
Playing a tune slow can often prove to be harder than playing it fast. Learn more. #tunetuesday #atuneawaeek … More Going slow
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
Now that I’m fully vaccinated and more and more people are on their way, I’m excited to start playing music in person again. It has not been an easy journey playing solo for the last 23+ weeks and it has definitely taken some discipline to keep up the practice. What I’ve learned most throughout this … More Silver Spire: Tune 23 of 52
As I get older, I find there is only room for so much information in my brain. There might just be a limit to how many tunes I can remember at any given time. I mean how am I expected to remember a tune I learned years ago when I can’t even remember where I … More Humours of Lissadell: Tune 18 of 52
This tune (also known as the Glasgow Reel) has haunted me since I’ve been playing the fiddle. I first learned it on the mandolin many years ago and even though the mandolin is strung like a fiddle, I couldn’t seem to transpose it to the fiddle and make it sound good. Bowing this tune is … More Tamlin: Tune 12 of 52
This week’s tune has haunted me for more years than I can count and I’ve been threatening to learn it for just as long. It’s a beautiful jig in the key of E Minor, called The White Petticoat. As a fiddler this tune is a true test to your bowing technique because it crosses 3 … More The White Petticoat: Tune 9 of 52
I’ve been thinking about my mother a lot lately. She passed away 10 years ago this June. And honestly, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about her in some way. Although she wasn’t a musician, she introduced me to all kinds of music growing up and supported me throughout my … More Neil Gow’s Lament for the Death of his Second Wife: Tune 8 of 52
This week’s tune is a Donegal tune called the Gravel Walks. I literally remember the first time I ever heard this tune. I was in a retail shop in Stowe, Vermont and they had some Celtic music CD playing in the background and this tune came on. I thought it was a cool tune so … More Gravel Walks: Tune 7 of 52
We’re at week 6 of my 52 week goal of learning a tune a week. This week’s tune is called Alice’s Reel and was written by the great Irish fiddler, Frankie Gavin. I hope you like it:
Session Obsession 