Check out our Forum Rules. Lets keep this forum an enjoyable place to visit.
Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
(2 votes) 
Offline
Perhaps a local music school. Plenty of potential teachers studying at the universities and music schools. I remember how many of my colleagues wanted to find students when I was studying.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Regulars
Offline
Very cool indeed that FiddleHed attached a customized MP3. Lots of fun with the lessons. Hope you find a local teacher too, I don’t think it matters if a teacher is classical trained or not. The most important thing is that you have faith in the teacher and that he or she will teach you what you want to learn. Most teachers know a lot of different genres.
Good luck and lots of fun 
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about dancing in the rain!!
Regulars
Offline
Thanks @mookje I have a number of feelers out for a teacher based on recommendations folks have given me here on the forum.
I am really liking Fiddlehed more and more. Yesterday, I moved from the bowing exercises to plucking. He has lessons on holding the fiddle kind of like a Ukulele and placing the fingers on the strings while plucking to hear the notes to get used to some basic finger positions without having to coordinate the bow at the same time. By the end of the day, I was playing a basic Boil 'em Cabbage Down tune with my bow, and sounding good if I do say so myself! I know that may not seem like a lot to some here, but to me it was fantastic. I was making music. Watch out Carnegie Hall! 😮
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Regulars
Offline
Great to hear and making music is one of the most beautiful things. I’m glad you are positive about your tune and sounding, good work 👍
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about dancing in the rain!!
Regulars
Offline
Thanks @mookje I went to your YouTube site. I am very impressed with your ability after just one year (The butterfly / Fig for a kiss). And, I watched a few other videos you posted. Looks like you live in a beautiful area. Thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate it.
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Regulars
Offline
Thanks for watching and your compliments @MoonShadows I really enjoy your blog, it’s a pleasure to read! Hopefully we will see you playing in a video soon 
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about dancing in the rain!!
Regulars
Offline
😮 Soon...I don't know about that...I'm playing basic Boil'em Cabbage Down, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and yesterday I started on When the Saints Go Marching In. Not exactly video-ready just yet. 🙂
Thanks for the kind words about my Blog. I just put up two new posts this morning. One about conditioning exercises and the other about the new chin rest I put on my fiddle.
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Regulars
Offline
MoonShadows said
....Not exactly video-ready just yet. 🙂
Don't stop that from recording yourself playing. It's good as a tool to watch back yourself for learning: (listen to your intonation, watch your bowing in a way you can't in the mirror) and it's also just fun to look back on in a few months or years. I recorded my first day with my fiddle so I'd have something to look back on and remember where I started 😀 I never intended it to share, but did eventually.
☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
World's Okayest Fiddler
☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨* •☆•*¨*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
Regulars
Offline
I want to get a camera and microphone for my PC, but have to wait a bit after spending money on my fiddle and lessons. I do have a smart phone, for the past few months, but I have never even taken a picture with it, never mind a video. Maybe I have to start there first. I would like to record these basic tunes I am doing now, so I can listen/watch them a few months down the road.
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Regulars
Offline
In the beginning I just used my phone to record myself, since it was the most handy. I still use it a lot, it doesn't do too bad at recording the fiddle.
☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
World's Okayest Fiddler
☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨* •☆•*¨*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
Regulars
Offline
I also record on a smartphone.
An extra bit of advice: some smartphones are a little too "smart" and use filters that end up oversaturating the audio. I've had some success correcting it by downloading a camera app that allowed me to change the audio filters. I use Open Camera for Android. For me, the best results have come from setting the audio filter to optimize for voice recognition. (Unfiltered doesn't work well because it picks up far too much background noise.)
Regulars
Offline
I actually found an app called Voice Recorder Pro that is really easy to use. I can record, convert to mp3, and download right to my computer. I wrote a blog entry about it here. https://fiddlingforolderfolks.com/voice-recorder-pro/
Here is my first ever recording! It is a basic playing of Bile 'em Cabbage Down. I recorded it in haste, and the sound quality is not that great, but I recorded it on the basic settings. I will have to look at all the settings to see if I can get better quality sound, but for now it serves it's purpose.
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Regulars
Offline
Sounding good MoonShadows! Believe it or not that little tune will come up at jams especially the ones aimed more at beginner level players. It could be something you want to keep under your fingers. Maybe even learn the variations fiddlehed has. That and cripple creek come up alot sometimes in A sometimes G. Keep it up! Sounding good.
Regulars
Offline
I have been with the Fiddlehed Online Lessons member website for just about a month now. Today, I wrote a review on my Blog: https://fiddlingforolderfolks.com/fiddlehed/
While online lessons can never totally substitute for having a teacher, I think Fiddlehed does an extremely good job in the online medium. (I finally found a teacher in the next county whose main area of interest is Old Time, but so far haven't heard back.)
I really like and appreciate Jason’s (he's Fiddlehed) approach to teaching. If you read my blog post, Deliberate Practice (https://fiddlingforolderfolks.com/disciplined-practice/), you read about K. Anders Ericsson, a leading researcher and authority in the psychological nature of expertise and human performance and his Major Principles of Deliberate Practice. These Principles are Dr. Ericsson’s synthesis of over 30 years of studying expert performance in many fields, such as medicine, music, and athletics, and how structured, sustained, consistent, and purposeful hard work (read: practice) is how expert practitioners in their field of work acquire their superior performance. For Ericsson, it’s not the length of practice (the debunked 10,000 hour rule), but the quality of practice that counts.
After reading about Ericsson’s research, it became quite apparent to me that this was the outline Jason was using in structuring the Fiddlehed Online Lessons, and this was confirmed by Jason in an email after I asked if he was familiar with Ericsson’s work. Jason has read Ericsson’s book, Peak, and is incorporating Ericsson’s philosophy and principles into his Fiddlehed Online Lessons.
I'm very happy with Fiddlehed. If you are like me, someone who hasn't gotten a teacher yet, or even someone who does have a teacher but wants additional lessons, I think Fiddlehed is a good choice.
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Regulars
Offline
Sending this card (@4" x 5") to some of the colleges in my area and keeping some in the car to post on any community bulletin boards.
I'm pretty much shying away from seeking a classical violin teacher. While I need to learn violin basics, from everything I have read, having a classical violin teacher would be like going to a cardiologist for a joint problem when what I need is an orthopedist. Both are doctors, and know human anatomy and systems, but they specialize in different areas of interest. That's why I am seeking someone with Old Time Fiddle experience.
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Offline
Good luck Jim.
I like your card. 🙂
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Regulars
Offline
Thanks @Fiddlerman
I'll let you and the Fidderman community know if I get any "bites".
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Regulars
Offline
I just want to follow up...
I now have a fiddle teacher. Her name is Betty Druckenmiller and she teaches out of Meadowood Music in Blandon, PA. My lessons will be 1-2 times a month. It is a long 120 mile round trip, but I think it will be worth the effort.
You can see Betty's bio here: https://www.meadowoodmusic.com/druckenmiller-b
Jim
There are only two things keeping me from becoming a great fiddler...My right hand and my left hand.
Regulars
Offline
Moonshadows,
She sounds like a good match for what your wanting, GL with lessons.
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
Offline
@ Moonshadows - Very happy to hear it. Sorry about the long trip. 🙁
Glad you are motivated enough to drive it though.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Most Users Ever Online: 231
Currently Online:
55 Guest(s)
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Top Posters:
Mad_Wed: 2849
Barry: 2673
Fiddlestix: 2647
Oliver: 2439
DanielB: 2379
Kevin M.: 1969
damfino: 1907
cdennyb: 1814
TerryT: 1726
Ferret: 1575
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 2
Members: 20530
Moderators: 0
Admins: 8
Forum Stats:
Groups: 16
Forums: 58
Topics: 7728
Posts: 96600
Newest Members:
claudiahe4, EdwardsKrista, ritakumkova, kirjanovalola, rosellacg4, cararr4Administrators: Fiddlerman: 14222, KindaScratchy: 1732, coolpinkone: 4168, BillyG: 2826, MrsFiddlerman: 1, Jimmie Bjorling: 0, SimplePressHelp: 0, peopleshost: 0
Loading ...