Welcome to Fiddle Mastery, a site dedicated to the pursuit of bluegrass fiddle mastery and the method devoted to
HOW TO PLAY ANYTHING YOU HEAR
After hearing the great fiddler Michael Cleveland play a wicked break (improvised solo) over Dolly Parton’s tune Jolene, I knew I had to learn how to make the violin I had sound like his fiddle. I began my fiddle training in earnest when I moved to Asheville NC in 2002., Here I’ve studied with Arvil Freeman and Bobby Hicks, and countless other wonderful musicians at the many jam sessions and gigs over the years. And by study, I mean we played tunes together. I asked question. I recorded it on my minidisc player. I slowed it down and learned it note for note. I figured out how to find the melody, play it clean and clear and pretty, and add the harmony where necessary.
I am by no means a master fiddler. I have developed enough proficiency to play bluegrass with almost anyone. I have great mentors and I’m always asking questions “Why does it sound that way?” “How do you do that?” “How do you hear a tune once and are able to play it?” I”ve spent years figuring out how to think about fiddling, in order to be able to play anything I hear (at least in bluegrass, my primary fiddle language). This website is a place for me to share what I’ve figured out, and in doing so, clarify my thinking so that I can continue to improve as a player and a teacher. Thanks for visiting.
