extra gear that helps

To get started with the fiddle, you’re supplies are limited to just a few beginner must-haves. Besides your violin and bow, you’ll need to get a few little extras to make the whole process of learning a new animal easier on you. I suggest an electronic tuner, fine rosin, an old handkerchief for wiping your strings and fiddle with when the rosin cakes on (can hurt the stain), and fine tuners if you’re instrument didn’t come with them. These four things are inexpensive and can make a world of a difference in how fast and easy your training will be. You can order a tuner for fewer than twenty dollars and a decent rosin cake can wage about ten. If you need help finding a place to obtain them, email me for suggestions or hunt on ebay. You can get a great used tuner, spare bows, rosin and more on there for a steal.

required reading

Getting started in old time fiddling, is pretty simple. All you really need is a fiddle, a cd player, and the book mentioned here. Wayne Erbsen's "Old Tim Fiddle for the Complete Ignoramus" is the textbook of choice for new or rusty fiddlers in the association. The book speaks to brand new musicians stressing casual enjoyment over disciplined perfection. Fiddling is a far cry from traditional violin methods, which focus on perfection in everything from how you hold your bow to how every note sounds. The goal of this organization is to get players to learn songs by ear, memorize the old tunes so they can play them anywhere, and we could really care less how you hold your bow if you're getting notes out of it! Before coming to a lesson, try to order a new copy of this book with the cd, reading through the first few pages and listening to examples of tuning and bowing will have you leaps and bounds ahead for your first introduction lesson.

makin' music

Green Mountain Old Timers is going to be a casual group of musicians who are either brand new to their entrustments and want to learn in a friendly atmosphere, or seasoned players who want to jam and network with other locals who share their love of mountain music. I'm trying to start up this group as someone in the middle of these two types of people. I've been playing fiddle and dulcimer for a few years, making me a little beyond a beginner but certainly far from seasoned with a lot to learn. But I feel confident and comfortable getting other started on their own paths as music makers and feel I can introduce the fiddle, dulcimer, banjo and other like instruments to new players in an easy to understand and comfortable way.

Group lessons, private lessons, music festivals, trips to the smoky Mountains, concerts and more are all in store for the Vermonters, New Yorkers, and anyone else interested in picking up a fiddle and playing a few songs on their front porches. The real point is to teach without making time or finances and issue to the students, and to keep a style of music alive for generations to come. Please comment, or email me at jenna@itsafarwalk.com if you would like to know more about lessons, events, or anything else related to mountain music here in the green ones.

coming soon...