Thanks to all who've replied, wishing me good progress and a good experience on FM's webpage! Robert, I see Kent between Seattle and Tacoma so I'm even farther away than you guessed. I'm in Northeast Oregon, La Grande, so more like 7-8 hours or more from you. I've been retired to this area for 10 years and only just this past summer learned about some fiddling activity, and even some for beginners. That rekindled my interest in taking up the fiddle after years off. A local lady who's very influential in offering middle-school fiddle activities (after schoo) for kids also is teaching an adult beginning fiddlers class. It was already in progress when I finally learned about it and joined. It meets once a week and there were 7 folks in it when I joined. Several had never touched a fiddle before, several like myself had had some playing experience in the past but had quit and were wishing to take it up again. A popular fiddle tunes book (Ludiker) is used and the goal so far has been to learn 10 common fiddle tunes. I was several tunes behind when I joined, but I've since caught up. It's lots of fun. The teacher also organizes a "slow jam" once a month as well as a "fast Irish jam" once a month, both held at a local pizza parlor. All the tunes we've learned in the class are played at the slow jam, so even the folks who are just learning fiddle can get some experience playing in a group setting if they wish. I usually go to the slow jam. I've been to the fast Irish jam once so far. At the fast jam they play fancier tunes with lots of notes, and play the tunes very fast, as the jam name would indicate! And probably 2/3 of the group, at least the one time I attended, were grade school kids that the teacher has in her after-school fiddle activities. Boy those kids really pick that stuff up and can eventually play those tune flawlessly at breakneck speed! At 65 years old I can see I have a loooong way to go to reach the level to play those tunes at those speeds, ha. But the slow jam is something I can actually participate in and feel I'm halfway holding my own. So, Robert, keep practicing, and I bet you can find a "slow jam" in your own area.

Steve in NE Oregon