Tutorial 90! Killiecrankie.
I’ve always loved this tune, and I finally learned it properly so I can teach it to you! Last weekend, at our Chaisson Family Reunion, we had lots of tunes… My cousin, JJ started playing this when I was sitting at the piano (I could not figure out the chords so I had a good…
Read MoreTutorial 89! Out On The Ocean.
Hey guys! I’ve always loved this old Irish tune, and I’m sure a lot of you may already know it! It’s definitely a popular one (if you YouTube it, there are MANY versions). There are also many different ways to play it (that’s what happens when a tune is so old, and popular), so don’t…
Read MoreTutorial 88! Pat Dunphy’s Reel.
Happy July Friends! I hope you’re all settling into a chilled out summer (is that possible?! ;)), and soakin’ up the sun! I’ve got another Prince Edward Island tune that’s making its way around the session scene, written by ol man, Kevin Chaisson. It’s called “Pat Dunphy’s Reel” and it’s a corker in A major! …
Read MoreTutorial 87! Walk On The Moon.
I’ve got an ear-worm for you this month! My band was just performing at The Orkney Folk Festival (Orkney, Scotland) and we caught Dochas, a great Scottish band, playing this tune (I had to whip out my phone to record a bit so I wouldn’t forget to learn it)! It’s written by Addie Harper (Scotland),…
Read MoreTutorial 86! The Mortgage Burn.
It’s Fiddle Friday! Tutorial #86 is here, and it’s a corkin’ A major reel from Cape Breton Island, called “Mortgage Burn”. It was written by Gordon MacLean and it has spread like wildfire through the session scene, appearing on recordings all over the world too. It can be slightly tricky, but the more you listen…
Read MoreTutorial 85! Primrose Lasses.
Hey guys! It’s hard to find much history of this tune, other than that it’s trad-Irish and was adopted by Cape Breton many moons ago. The two versions are quite different – I first heard it on a Natalie & Buddy MacMaster recording, and later by Solas. I was jamming with my brother the other…
Read MoreTutorial 84! In Memory Of Herbie MacLeod (FREE)
Jerry Holland knew how to write ear-worms that you didn’t mind floating around in your head all day! This waltz is absolutely beautiful, and I think it should be played more (I think you’ll agree when you hear it). I start the tutorial off for beginner players, and then we move into an intermediate lesson…
Read MoreChristmas Fiddle Tune Tutorial! Silent Night.
Silent Night is fairly easy to tackle on the fiddle for a beginner player (we’re in the people’s key of G), but if you’d like to make a wee performance out of er, you may want some drones, double stops, hammer-ons, grace notes, slurs, etc. Soooo, in this month’s tutorial, we start with the basics…
Read MoreTutorial 83! Lime Hill.
Written by Cape Breton’s Dan R. MacDonald, ‘Lime Hill’ had been recorded by many folks around the globe… But I’d have to say John Morris Rankin playing it on The Rankin Family’s 1990 album, “Fare Thee Well Love” is my fav. If you haven’t seen this live YouTube vid of him playing, I’d highly recommend…
Read MoreTutorial 82! West Mabou Reel.
Heyo everyone! We’ve got the “West Mabou Reel” for ya, a classic Cape Breton tune 🙂 I’ve been hearing this tune forever because it’s been recorded many, many times and it’s a corker reel! It’s hard to have a jam or dance out here without hearing this tune, so I’m glad to have a tutorial…
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