Vi Wickam

Champion Fiddler, Inspired Performer

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Dixie Hoedown – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 176

It’s the last day of Weiser, and I thought that a breakdown would be appropriate as everybody breaks down their tents and campers. What a great week. It was exhausting, and fun. I loved getting to see my old friends, and make new ones. Judging was a kick, although after the day judging the Junior […]

Ragtime Annie – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 168

Today, Steve Eulberg and I played our first Streetmosphere gig of the year. It’s a really cool program, that I hope other cities adopt. The city of Fort Collins pays musicians and other performers to entertain on the streets of Old Town Fort Collins every weekend all summer long. Steve is a great Dulcimer player […]

Hotfoot – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 167

I don’t have a tone of history with Hotfoot. I have a few memories. I remember hearing some of my friends play it at Weiser when I was a teenager, and I remember Texas Shorty (Jim Chancellor) play a great version of Hotfoot at the Grand Lake National Fiddle Contest one year. I learned Hotfoot […]

Durang’s Hornpipe – Fiddle Tune a Day Day 161

I don’t remember where I first heard Durang’s Hornpipe, but it has long been a fiddle contest breakdown staple. And, I remember when Cody Stadelmaier learned a kickin’ version of Durang’s Hornpipe for Dick and Lisa Barrett and came back to the Colorado and Wyoming fiddle contests to clean my clock with it. 🙂 After […]

DeGolyer Hornpipe – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 111

Inspired by Mark O’Connor’s definition of a breakdown in the infamous thread on the Facebook Fiddler’s Association that began with my post of Cumberland Gap asking the question, who is your favorite breakdown fiddler. I should have known better than to ask a question like that to 200 ravenous fiddlers. 😉 I think I had […]

Rickett’s Hornpipe – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 108

The first memory I have of hearing Rickett’s hornpipe was Ricky Selman playing it at the Colorado State Fiddle Contest, back when it was held at Keystone. I was probably 17 or so at the time. I’m pretty sure I learned it out of Cole’s 1000 fiddle tunes. I don’t really have any cool story […]

Drowsy Maggie – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 68

Drowsy Maggie is the Irish tune that I think when I want to play a raucous breakdown of the Irish persuasion. Really there’s nothing drowsy about it. The first part is rowdy and rolling in Em, and the second part is bouncy and in the key of D. Overall, it’s an interesting tune that’s lots […]

Spider Bit the Baby – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 59

Wow, 59 days of a fiddle tune every day. That really sounds like a lot. And, I’m almost 20% of the way done. The first time I heard Spider Bit the Baby, I was 11 years old at the Winfield, KS fiddle contest (at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival). If I remember correctly, Billy Ward […]