Cattle Call brings back fond memories for me. As a kid, we used to visit my Grandparents just about every weekend. My grandpa played guitar, and we would always end up spending time making music when we visited. My dad would play Tenor Banjo and guitar, and my brother Aaron would play bass. If we […]
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 […]
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, […]
Sally Growler Hornpipe – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 143
Sally Growler is just plain hard to play. On it’s face, it doesn’t sound that tricky, but it sure feels that way to my fingers, especially the B part. Sally Growler is another hornpipe that I learned during my infamous week at Dale Morris‘ house. That week, he gave me a bunch of hornpipes to […]
Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further Into the Fire – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 141
It’s a great day for a new fiddle tune. With about 1 minute of learning/rehearsal time, I played Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further Into the Fire with Brittany Haas and Lauren Rioux. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to jam with those lovely ladies even for such a short time. Next time, we will have […]
Clarinet Polka – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 136
I never really play Clarinet Polka. I know the melody, and I have taught it to a student here or there, but I haven’t ever worked it up or played it publicly (before tonight.) It’s not that I don’t like it, or think it’s cool. I guess it has just sat there on the periphery […]
Old South Waltz – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 135
The first person I heard play Old South Waltz, was Danita Gardner, and she played it beautifully. It was at Weiser some time in the early 1990’s. Later, I heard Levi Dennis play it with a G minor part at the beginning that he said he learned from Ace Sewell. I wanted to add that […]
Fiddle Tune a Day
Last October, I was inspired to make a go at the National Fiddle Contest in Weiser, ID. I haven’t been to Weiser since 2002, and if I’m going to make the trek, I want to make it worth my while. So, I started thinking about what can I do to make sure that I am […]
Back 40 Ripoff – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 127
I learned this tune while staying at the Ludiker house when I was a teenager. The Ludiker family had a gig and this was one of the tunes they played. I thought it was so cool that I had Tony teach it to me the next day. I have done quite a bit of looking […]
12th Street Rag – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 119
12th Street Rag is another tune that I used to play with my Grandpa, and my dad as a kid. I didn’t really do anything fancy with it until I heard Danita Rast play it. While, I incorporated some of her fanciness in it, and a little of my own, she has one of the […]