I love Christmas music, and Silent Night has long been one of my favorites. It’s peaceful and beautiful. Silent Night is clear and has no false pretense to it. It’s not showy, or fancy, just pure and authentic. Today, I got the opportunity to play on Pirate Radio, and when he asked me for a […]
Missouri Waltz – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 330
The only things I could remember about Missouri Waltz before I looked it up tonight so that I could play it were: I played it once as a kid. It was kind of slidey. It was pretty. That was enough for me to decide that tonight’s tune would be Missouri Waltz (after I listened to […]
Fascination – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 266
I have no idea where I first heard Fascination, but it’s a beautiful melody. I didn’t have a specific tune in mind to play tonight, so I thumbed through some books, including the copy of Dale Morris’ fiddle method that I’ve had since I was a teen. When I played it, I knew I had […]
Twinkle Little Star – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 263
The first time I heard Twinkle Little Star I was just a kid at a fiddle contest. I remember an older guy (adult) announce that he was going to play Twinkle Little Star. I was a little amused thinking that he was going to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as an adult at a fiddle […]
Texas Schottische – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 229
I don’t know where I learned this tune, but I’ve known it for a long time. It wasn’t one of our family band tunes, so I probably heard an older player play it when I was a kid. That is one of the coolest things about fiddling to me. Fiddling provides a connection between the […]
Tarantella – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 154
I love playing at weddings, and it’s even more fun when you have things to make the wedding more interesting. This weekend, I had the pleasure of playing at a wedding where a substantial part of the family was Italian, and they wanted to hear the Tarantella. Since I had never played the Tarantella before, […]
Shenandoah – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 61
There is only one way about it, Shenandoah is a beautiful melody. My primary memory around this song is hearing my Dad sing it as a kid. What a great tune. Get Sheet Music for Shenandoah Learn to play Shenandoah on fiddle here This tune is also featured my album with Steve Eulberg, Not My Monkey […]
Great Big ‘Taters in Sandy Land – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 4
I first heard Great Big Taters in a Sandy Land played by Dick Barrett. It’s an oldtime fiddle tune with a similar melody to Sally Ann. Since I happened to be at the Great Sand Dunes National Park today, I couldn’t think of a better tune to play for my fiddle tune a day.
Can you hear music before it happens?
I know it sounds like time travel, but most of us can do it to some extent… As a musician, I am acutely aware of melody. I am always listening for good melodies, and with my musical experience, I can often predict where the melody is going to go before it goes there. Good composers […]