Cajun Fiddle!

It's time to start the next quarter of fiddle tunes from around the world! Next up the students will learn all about Cajun fiddling! Cajun fiddling has such a joyful energetic sound full of double stops and spice!

Cajun fiddle music has a rich history. This music is heavily influenced by the French settlers that migrated to Nova Scotia in the 1700's. Around 1750 the British in this area forced the French settlers to assimilate to their culture and rule- or leave. Many French settlers were forced to leave and migrate south in what was called the Grand Derangement.

One place that welcomed these people was Louisiana where many of these French people settled and were able to create lives for themselves as farmers. With such a concentration of French people in this area, the unique Cajun culture immerged which was influenced by a mix of the traditions of these French people and the African Americans living in the area.

Fiddles were a huge part of the characteristic Cajun sound. The music was created to be played in dance halls which is in part why the Cajun music has such a driving rhythmic beat. Around 1870 the accordion emerged in southern US and became a huge part of Cajun dance music. Due to its loud volume, it was the perfect instrument to be played in noisy, lively dance halls.

As the accordion became more common, the Cajun fiddle music shifted to accommodate the limited keys of the accordions. It also shifted to be more simple in nature, since any fancy note passages were mostly drowned out by the accordion. It wasn't until the invention of amplification that Cajun music made it's final great shift to include many of the sounds from Texas such as rock and roll, country, and Texas swing that we hear in Cajun music today.

We have selected a unique tune for each student to learn over the next two months which will be performed on November 14, 2021 for the next student concert! More details to come soon!

Great job!

I was so proud of all the student performances this past weekend at our Russian Fiddle Student Concert! It was especially special to all be together once again and making music in a group! Enjoy a clip from the grand finale of our concert- all the student together performing "Khorovod," a traditional Russian round dance tune!

Irish Fiddle Bowings Class Starts July 14!

Hello fiddlers and friends! On July 14 I will start my Irish Fiddle Group Class again!

This class will be a 6 week session occurring weekly on Wednesdays at 7:30pm on Zoom. This class will be a little different than my usual Irish fiddle group classes. This class will focus specifically on Irish fiddle bowings. Bowings are a HUGE part of creating a true Irish sound, and being able to identify the note patterns that lend themselves to specific bowings will help you when learning new tunes for the rest of your musical career!

In this class you will be given the sheet music for each tune prior to class, and each week we will go through the basic notes of the tune then dive deeper into understanding bowings and note patterns in the tune. By the end of the 6 week session you will have learned 6 traditional Irish fiddle tunes, and the specific bowings and note patterns to create a true Irish sound! This class is going to be so much fun!! I encourage every student that has been playing their instrument for at least one year to join this exciting class! It is $72 for the 6 week session. CLICK HERE to sign up!