Group beginner fiddler lessons have begun at The Cabot Inn in Lancaster, NH on Sundays at 4pm. These Mp3's are to follow up on those lessons. *
Unless otherwise expressed all exercises start with a downward bow motion and are to be played between the middle and the tip of the bow.*
Four recordings for the lesson on April 3,2011
Click HERE to watch a tutorial on how to hold the bow properly.
The Following recording is designed to play along with.
It's like the game, "Simon Says" but it's called, "Call and Response".
Listen carefully for the click sound of the metronome.
Over the duration of the first four clicks is when the, "Call" occurs. The second four clicks are for you to, "respond" or play on your fiddle. In this recording I also play the response. In the future the response section of each call and response will only be the sound of the metronome for you, the responder to mimic what I, the caller called. All Calls and Responses on this track are played using open strings only.
The following play-along- track is designed to assist in the articulation of playing the D Major scale in one octave. Starting on the open D string. Eight bow motions per note starting on a down bow. Ascending the notes are as follows. D, E, F#, G, open A string, B, C#, D.
The following track is a slowed version of Frere Jacques or Brother John. Only attempt this once you have successfully played the D Major scale without any errors.
The following play-along-track is a fiddle style bowing pattern starting with a down bow. Notice that two open strings are being played at the same time. It is a three motion pattern starting with a down bow. The first bow motion is longer than the following two. Because it is an odd number of bow motions the pattern is reversed every time through with the longer bow motion being the up bow.
Three recordings for the lesson of March 27, 2011.
The following Mp3 is to play along with. A repetitive pattern that has short medium and long bowings. Open strings only.
The following recording is an exercise to play along with which focuses on bowing only one string at a time followed by two strings at a time.
The following Mp3 is faster. A four note pattern. The first two notes on one string, the third on the neighboring string and the fourth note back to the starting string.
Four recordings for the lesson of March 20th, 2011.
The following Mp3 goes over the names of the strings and is designed to be a reference to tune the fiddle. It also demonstrates basic bow application to the strings.
The Following Mp3 teaches basic pizzacato or, "plucking" with the right hand to prepare for left hand finger placement. A great way to think about one hand at a time as a beginner.
The following Mp3 is an introduction to the use of a metronome.
The recording is designed to practice bowing single strings without touching neighboring strings.
Bonus Track:
Same as the last recording including bowing on two strings at the same time.
