Fiddle Studio

This is my second conversation with Rachel Eddy, since I forgot to record the first one! We talk about finding flow in fiddling, learning tunes off recordings (or not), remembering tunes, singing, some great stories about Rachel's dad and his fiddle journey, and some ideas for fiddle students to help relax and get balanced while playing. Rachel Eddy (they/them) hails from West Virginia, where they grew up steeped in Appalachian music and dance. Rachel’s multi-instrumental talents and soulful singing bring a powerful energy to the stage. In addition to being a performer, Rachel is passionate about teaching. They have taught fiddle, banjo and guitar at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins WV, at Sore Fingers Summer school in the UK, and different various weekend workshops from the hills of West Virginia to Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, London and Wales. Contact Rachel at reddytojam@gmail.com Rachel's website is https://www.racheleddymusic.com/ The tune this week is Rose in the Mountain, played live by Rachel on the podcast! Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

We're talking about tapes on the fiddle, or stickers, or fingerboard stick on charts, or whatever you're curious about. Did you use tapes when you started? What are they useful for and how long does it make sense to use them? Our tune is Broken Down Gambler, an Old-Time reel in G. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

When I talk about articulation I'm referring to the beginning of the note, or the attack, and how long the note is generally. Articulation, or catching the string, or getting a "scrubby" sound, has a huge effect on your sound. Our tune is Dusty Miller, an Old-Time modal reel in A. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

Have you wondered what it's like to compete in a fiddle competition? So have I. So I signed up for one and we'll see how it goes. I talk a little about how I'm planning to prepare. Our tune for this week is Old Billy Hell, a half length crooked Old-Time tune. Our album release party contra dance will be May 30th at 7pm in Baltimore at the Mobtown Ballroom. Come on down! Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

A repeat this week, as my family is on spring break. This very early episode has been pretty popular, and has a lovely slip jig for the Irish fiddlers. It's never a bad time to break out the old metronome. I'll be back with Old-Time tunes for you next week! -Meg This episode features the fiddle tune House of My Own and describes working with the metronome and how it could help your fiddling. Slow tempos for fiddling are 70-80 bpm (beats per minute) and tempos for dancing are 110-120 bpm. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

This week we have an interview with Tricia Spencer! Tricia is a well known, award winning Kansas fiddler who grew up on her family’s farm learning the tradition of old-time fiddling knee to knee from her grandpa and grandma, Vernon and Iona Spencer. Tricia takes us on a deep dive into Kansas and midwest fiddling, how she thinks about the left hand and the fingerboard, and a primer for finding your place in the Old-Time community. And I didn't forget to ask what it's like having another fiddler as a partner in music and in life. You can't listen to Tricia talk about the fiddle without hearing the deep love, respect and enthusiasm she has for this instrument and the music we make on it. The tune this week is a version of Big Taters in the Sandy Land. Check out Tricia's book the Fiddle Garden and opportunities to learn with her: https://www.triciaspencer.com/ Learn more about power duo Spencer and Rains: https://www.spencerandrains.com/ Spencer and Rains on bandcamp: https://spencerandrains.bandcamp.com/music Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

Have you ever been uncomfortable saying the name of a fiddle tune? How about tunes with slurs in the title or the Irish tune I Buried My Wife and Danced on her Grave? Without using racial slurs, I discuss problematic fiddle tune names, how I think about them and approach them. Find the Contranella album here: https://megwobus.bandcamp.com/album/contranella Our tune is Magpie's Nest, an Irish reel. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

This week we talk about where the fiddle neck meets the hand. Different ways to grip the neck of the fiddle and how it can change- even while you're in the middle of playing! Our tune is Madam if You Please from a jam at the ArtHouse Bar. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

Hear all about playing and performing on the 5 string fiddle with a bonus question from last week with Jenna Moynihan. Hear about Jenna's fiddle and how she uses it! Jenna's Interview: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2040333/14620847 John Blessing's Delight is an Irish jig in G major. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

An interview with Jenna Moynihan, a fiddler and an extraordinary member of the Boston music community. Jenna performs with harpist Mairi Chaimbeul, the Seamus Egan Project, the Hanneke Cassel Band, and has appeared as a soloist at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops. In addition to touring, recording and teaching at fiddle camps, Jenna is also an Assistant Professor in the String Department at Berklee College of Music. Jenna Moynihan: https://www.jennamoynihan.com/ Bandcamp: https://jennamoynihan.bandcamp.com/ Mailing List: https://www.jennamoynihan.com/schedule The tune for this week is Brenda and Bill's a slow reel by Jenna Moynihan and Mairi Chaimbeul from the album One Two. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

Let's talk about the different kinds of fiddling you find around the US and Canada. I share what I know about the genres more closely related to dancing and dance music, and a little about fiddling along with songs. Our tune for today is a version of Billy in the Lowground in the key of A, played in either Calico (AEAC#) or Cross A (AEAE) tuning. I use cross A. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

What?! Stop playing the fiddle? Why would I ever do a podcast on that topic, and who am I to tell anyone what they should do or not do? Our tune for today is Chinquapin Hunting, a three part tune in A, played in cross A tuning. (I originally put the wrong tune up- even I can't keep these Old-Time tunes straight- but it should be Chinquapin Hunting now!) Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

Listen in to hear how you can supercharge your practicing, or at least give it a refresh. This is the last podcast devoted to a topic from my new course How to Play Faster, which is available now on Fiddle Studio! A quick addendum to the description of mindful practice: I somehow blanked on the best use of slow, mindful practice: improving your tuning! Our tune for today is Old Granny Rattle Trap, interpreted from the fiddling of Natalie Padilla from an Old-Time jam in Northampton, MA. I play the tune in cross A, strings tuned to AEAE. See the sheet music for some fingering suggestions in cross A. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

Janie Rothfield is a powerhouse Old-Time fiddler and banjo player who performs and teaches at camps and weekends all over the country and the world! Janie shares what she thinks is important for fiddlers to learn and work on. Is it the fingering or the bowing? Hear all about Janie's Jumpstart camps and about her current projects. The tune today is Waiting for Sandy from Janie's album Out of Thin Air. Check out Janie's website to get the dates of her upcoming camps and performances! Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

Any time you mess with the left hand technique it's going to interfere with your playing. With this in mind how are some ways you can work on unlocking your hand gradually, or consider what's it like to drop everything and completely relearn the left hand. I made a mistake with the tune. I call it Fred Finn's in the podcast. That is a different reel. This reel is Fred Finn's #2, better known as Preston's. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

Slow practice and rhythms are two different ways to practice and make your playing faster. But how does slowing down help? And how is that different from practicing with rhythmic variations? Our tune for today is Ne'er Shall I Wean Her, a jig from a session at the ArtHouse bar in Baltimore, Maryland. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

How to create speed by taking the thinking out of the left hand. My current favorite exercise for beginning and intermediate players. The tune for today is Tommy Mulhaire's, a jig by Tommy Mulhaire (or maybe by Martin his son). Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

When I play out in the community and see folks who are still learning to play the fiddle, what is the biggest mistake I see them doing? Listen and find out! The tune today is The Birds, from a session with Brendan Hearn, Connor Hearn, and Dan Isaacson at the ArtHouse in Baltimore. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

An interview with fiddler and clawhammer banjo player Brad Kolodner. We talk a lot about the banjo, but Brad does more than just banjo. Topics include growing up as the children of folk musicians, the commercialization of Old-Time music, and the lack of women on bills at Old-Time Festivals. Hear all about Brad's upcoming projects, links below. Features the tune Stony Run by Brad Kolodner from the album Stony Run from Ken and Brad Kolodner. Brad's website: https://www.bradkolodner.com/ Charm City Junction: https://www.charmcityjunction.com/ The Baltimore Old-Time Festival: https://www.baltimoreoldtimefest.com/ Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

FIRST AIRED ON JANUARY 10th 2023 (BEST OF) Let's talk about how to improve your tuning on the fiddle. If you're struggling with this, you're not alone! We'll explore three key elements in tuning your hand on the fiddle; where your hand is on the fingerboard, finger spacing and placement, and the art of micro-adjustments. This episode presents a setting of The Kilmovee from a session at the Arthouse Bar and covers how Megan works with her students on playing in tune. I mentioned Music Learning Theory, Alice Kanack, and the fiddler Dermot Grogan. Email me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com. Listen and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or Buzzsprout. Find me on YouTube and Bandcamp. Here are my Fiddle Studio books and my website Fiddle Studio where you can find my courses and mailing list and sign up for my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!