Introduction

Over the years, I've come in contact with some great people who were interested in learning how to play the fiddle. Some of them heard a popular song on the radio with a great fiddle solo, and others stumbled upon the music played live in a local venue. Wherever they first heard fiddle music, all became interested in the beautiful sounds that the fiddle makes.

I was classically trained as a violinist, but somewhere along the line, I fell in love with the sound of the fiddle and had to learn it. I had an advantage because I already knew the fundamentals of the instrument (the violin and the fiddle are the same instrument but differ in the style of music they play). So when people come to me and are interested in learning to play the fiddle, I always cover the fundamentals of the instrument first. Whether they want to learn Charlie Daniels or Beethoven, it all comes down to starting off with the proper fundamentals.

Because some of the best fiddle players in the world are classically trained, I'm excited to take my approach to learning how to play and show you how to apply it to some of the most popular fiddle genres in the world. My approach to teaching may be a classical approach, but it's also mixed with my years of experience playing the fiddle and also as a Nashville fiddle player. I hope to build passion in you that will continue to grow for a lifetime.

About This Book

This book aims to explain everything you need to know about playing the fiddle properly. Even if you have no musical experience, this book teaches you what you need to know in detail. It's the closest thing to having a private fiddle lesson with me!

There are many great songs associated with the fiddle, including "The Irish Washerwoman," "Turkey in the Straw," "Arkansas Traveler," "Mississippi Sawyer," "Cripple Creek," and more. This book teaches you not only how to play the notes for these songs but also how to apply various techniques to make the songs sound even better.

Instead of jumping right into learning songs on the fiddle, the first half of the book starts with the basics, including what type of instruments I recommend. I cover everything you need to know about what to do with your right and left hands, and I teach you how to read music. These chapters give you the perfect foundation for learning to play various styles of songs.

In the second half of the book, I start by showing you some of the popular styles of fiddle, including Scottish, Irish, old-time, and bluegrass music. I include many song examples for you to try out, and I give you suggestions of various fiddle techniques to apply. As you progress through these styles, I give you tips and point out spots in the songs that are important to practice. Tips related to specific songs help you get the best sound out of each and every song. This is very similar to what I'd do in a private lesson with you. You'll find it helpful to hear the songs as well, so I include many audio clips throughout the book.

Toward the end of the book, I cover some of the more advanced concepts of playing the fiddle, including how to play double-stops and how to get a great sounding vibrato. I also cover improvisation and working with an electric fiddle system.

This book focuses on the practicality of playing various songs rather than the history and background of styles, although there is a little of that too! The goal of this book is to get you to the point where you can pick up a fiddle music book and know exactly what to do to play a song properly. To do that, you need to understand music theory, know how to produce a good tone, know how to play properly in rhythm, and much more. This is all covered throughout the book and taught in a progressive format.

Foolish Assumptions

The only assumptions I make about you are that you're interested in discovering more about playing the fiddle, that you're using standard tuning (G, D, A, E), and that you're playing with a bow. I don't assume that you can read music, that I know what style of music you want to play, or that you're interested in only one style of music. I don't even assume that you own a fiddle yet.

I also don't assume to know your level of experience. See which one of the following categories you think you fit into, and read some of my suggestions for you.

• Total beginner with no musical background: I recommend taking your time through this book and spending a good two months on Chapters 3 through 6. These chapters teach you how to create a good sound. If you can tolerate not playing songs right away, this is the best road to create a solid fundamental foundation. Because you don't have experience reading music, you can also take those two months and work on Chapters 7 and 8 at the same time.

  After you get through Chapter 8, you should take another month going through Chapter 9. This chapter was written to follow a progressive format, and it should take you at least a few months before getting to Chapter 10. I wouldn't start Chapters 11 to 14 until you feel confident with the fundamentals of playing. This can happen as soon as three months, but the average length of time (if you practice about two hours per week) should be about six months. I don't recommend you start Chapter 15 for at least a year if you're a total beginner. Everything after that you can certainly read, but I wouldn't recommend trying anything in those chapters until you have a solid understanding of the instrument.

• Total beginner with musical background: I recommend taking the same track as a beginner with no musical background, but you don't have to spend as much time on Chapters 7 and 8. You may want to start Chapter 9 after about a month, but you can take longer; there's no rush to go through the beginning Chapters 2 through 8.
• Some experience playing violin, but now you want to play the fiddle: In this case, you may want to just briefly touch on Chapter 5, but everything else before Chapter 8 may be repetitive knowledge. You'll want to get to Chapter 9 as soon as possible after you review the beginning chapters. You'll want to focus on Chapters 9 through 14 for the first six months and then progress to later chapters when you feel you're ready.

  Remember, with any new technique you learn after Chapter 9 (things that are unique to learning fiddle), you may want to look back at Chapter 5 to make sure you're doing the new technique fundamentally correct. For example, when you start doing the drone technique in Chapter 13, you may be holding the bow tighter than you should. Going back to Chapter 5 and doing the drills can be very effective to create a clean sounding drone.

• Intermediate/advanced violinist interested in fiddle: Chapters 1 through 8 won't be that helpful to you, although you may like some of my suggestions on technique in Chapter 5. Chapters 9 and 10 may be too easy for you, so you may want to start at the end of Chapter 10 and then go to Chapter 11. After a month (or sooner), you can get into Chapter 15, which covers vibrato, shifting, and double-stops. There are plenty of songs to learn, but remember that it's not just about playing the notes but the technique you're putting into the tunes. Listen to the audio clips to see the difference between the way you may be playing it and the way it should sound.
• Fiddler who doesn't have interest in the fundamentals: This isn't the best road to take, but I know there are many of you out there. You aren't going to like Chapters 1 through 8, so you may want to just start at Chapter 9 or Chapter 11 to get into the heart of the different fiddle styles. If you don't have interest in reading music and have more knowledge of chord structures, you'll get a lot out of Chapter 17 on improvisation.

Icons Used in This Book

To highlight different types of information throughout the book, I've marked certain paragraphs with the following icons:

This icon points out tips, tricks, shortcuts, and more that make your life as a fiddle player a little easier.

This icon points out especially important concepts that you don't want to miss or forget.

This icon highlights common mistakes and pitfalls you want to avoid.

This icon highlights technical information that you can skip if you're short on time (or if you just want to focus on the need-to-know stuff).

This icon points out the audio tracks and video clips I've recorded to supplement the text and figures.

Beyond the Book

As if all the great information in this book weren't enough, you can go beyond the book for even more!

I've recorded numerous audio tracks and video clips so that you can view and listen to various scale patterns, songs, techniques, and musical styles. Go to www.dummies.com/go/fiddle to download these files.

Also be sure to check out the free Cheat Sheet at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/fiddle for all sorts of super-handy info, including a checklist to help you make sure your fiddle...