Learn Old Time Fiddle For Beginners

Learn Old Time Fiddle By Ear and Develop Skills to Jam With Others

What you'll learn

Learn to Play Common Old Time Fiddle Tunes

Learn to Set Up Your Violin / Fiddle

Learn How To Jam As A Beginner (Etiquette and Strategies)

Strategies For Learning Tunes By Ear

Requirements

No experience needed. Students need a violin (fiddle), bow, rosin, and preferably an electronic tuner.

Description

This course is designed to teach students how to play the violin in the old time fiddle (traditional Appalachian) style.  When you have finished the course you will be able to play multiple common tunes in a variety of fiddle tunings. You will also know how to take those tunes to jams where you can apply your skills and learn new tunes by ear. This course includes an introduction section for absolute beginners with lessons on how to tune and restring a violin as well as how to hold a violin and bow. There is another section dedicated to explaining the process of learning old time tunes, tune structure, and resources to access source recordings. Once you have completed the introduction and background sections, the lessons jump straight into learning tunes.Each lesson section has each tune split into two smaller digestible lessons for beginners. Rather than focusing on tabs or sheet music, you are taught by ear the way many people learned fiddle in the 1800s. After learning a tune, there are play along and backing tracks for students to practice their newfound skills. Play along tracks include a slow speed as well as a regular speed so you can increase the tempo as you improve.Other topics covered will be alternative tunings, fiddle specific bowings, how to jam with others, and more.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction and General Setup

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 What is Old Time Music?

Lecture 3 Tuning the Fiddle in Standard (Violin)

Lecture 4 Restringing a Fiddle and What Strings To Buy

Lecture 5 Applying Rosin and Rosin Types

Lecture 6 Using a Shoulder Rest and How to Hold the Fiddle

Lecture 7 Bow Placement and Pressure

Section 2: Background Information

Lecture 8 AABB Part Structure

Lecture 9 Bowing Essentials

Lecture 10 Varying Versions of Tunes

Lecture 11 Playing in 4/4 and Crooked Tunes

Lecture 12 Resources to Listen to Old Time

Lecture 13 Main Fiddle Keys

Section 3: First Tune: Learn to Play Bile Them Cabbages Down in Cross Tuning (Key of A)

Lecture 14 How to Cross Tune Your Fiddle to AEAE

Lecture 15 A Scale and Cross A Fingerings

Lecture 16 Sawing vs. Slurring and The Shuffle Bow

Lecture 17 A Part: First Half of Bile Them Cabbages Down

Lecture 18 B Part: Second Half of Bile Them Cabbages Down

Lecture 19 Play Along: Bile Them Cabbages Down Fiddle (Slow)

Section 4: Second Tune: Learn to Play Cotton Eyed Joe in Cross Tuning (Key of A)

Lecture 20 A Part: First Half of Cotton Eyed Joe

Lecture 21 B Part: Second Half of Cotton Eyed Joe

Lecture 22 Play Along: Cotton Eyed Joe on Fiddle (Slow)

Section 5: Third Tune: Learn to Play Cluck Old Hen in Cross Tuning (Key of A)

Lecture 23 A Part: First Half of Cluck Old Hen

Lecture 24 B Part: Second Half of Cluck Old Hen

Lecture 25 Play Along: Cluck Old Hen on Fiddle (Slow)

Section 6: Fourth Tune: Learn to Play Angeline the Baker on Fiddle in D Tuning (Key of D)

Lecture 26 D Scale and Key of D Fingerings in Old Time D Tuning

Lecture 27 A Part: First Half of Angeline the Baker

Lecture 28 B Part: Second Half of Angeline the Baker

Lecture 29 Play Along: Angeline the Baker on Fiddle (Slow)

Section 7: Jamming and Learning By Ear

Lecture 30 Jam Etiquette

Lecture 31 Learning By Ear and Teaching Yourself Fiddle

Beginner or Aspiring Old Time Musicians