Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Jul 9, 2011, 4:08 pm
Even if I can't remember what I've been doing, my cell phone has always been ready and willing to record moments in time. Of course, any time low lighting or movement of your subjects is involved, the pictures look almost as hazy as my memory. Spring and summer have found me busy with all the norma...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Apr 27, 2011, 9:00 pm
Some of you may remember that last October I posted about my then recent acquisition - a very old fiddle in need of some serious help. Paul Strelau from the Student String Shop in Fairport, New York took on the challenge (giving me plenty of time to change my mind if I came to my senses) and here ar...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Mar 13, 2011, 9:44 pm
Woof! Another favorite tune of mine (well, come to think of it, I wouldn't really be posting tunes I didn't like would I? lol.), Old Yella Dog, is a great cross-tuned tune. According to Charlie Acuff, (check out the YouTube video below) Old Yella Dog is a civil war era tune. You might even recognize...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Jan 15, 2011, 4:39 pm
Time for a new tune, wouldn't you say? It's been some time since I've gotten to play, but now that winter has set in and the holidays are over, it's time I got reacquainted with my fiddle. Susannah Gal has been one of my favorite tunes for quite some time. I never understood why, until I connected (...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Dec 20, 2010, 9:05 pm
What fun would Christmas be if you didn't make up your own wish list once in a while? I'm tired of shopping for everyone else! So, in the interest of being totally selfish, with a good deal of humor thrown in, here is my fiddle-ish wish list for 2010. 1. A Genuine Stradivarius. Why not? If you're go...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 24, 2010, 12:49 pm
We're knee deep in Fall here in the Finger Lakes and the leaf piles are ripe for jumping in. It's a great time of year to get outside for some last-minute fun before the snow arrives. When you get out for a bit of adventure, however, you never know what might turn up. For years now, it seems that th...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Sep 5, 2010, 4:40 pm
In the continuing vein of demystifying incredibly notey tunes, this week's lesson tune is Arkansas Traveler (and as long as I don't think about a big, purple dinosaur singing about a bumblebee, it's a pretty cool tune. lol.). My teacher seemed to think that Arkansas Traveler would be a great follow-...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Aug 9, 2010, 1:50 pm
Described by my teacher as a "notey" tune, Whiskey Before Breakfast has a jaunty, energetic lilt to it and gives you the opportunity for lots of string crossing practice, double stop practice and shuffle bowing practice. Did I just say 'practice' three times?!? lol. Yes, I did. This tune has a lot g...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Jul 18, 2010, 6:24 pm
Summer is flying by and I haven't been practicing like I should. (Ah, confession is so good for the soul. lol.) You're also probably aware by the dates of my blog posts that I haven't gotten in much writing either! Sorry about that! I do, however, check my blog stats to see who is visiting, where th...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Jun 12, 2010, 11:18 am
Who would have thought that awesome American old-time music would be coming to us from Sweden? I certainly didn’t. Not until a trip to the Grassroots Festival in Trumansburg, NY in the summer of 2008. It was there, on a sultry Sunday morning that I was fortunate enough to catch a performance by t...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - May 30, 2010, 9:57 am
Great News! I have my teacher back! I am so happy that I'm longer self-directed. lol. Even though I love my fiddle, I freely admit that I am not particularly disciplined at forcing myself to work on trouble spots, practicing with regularity, etc. Having regular lessons pushes the envelope for me as ...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - May 16, 2010, 10:48 am
A few weeks back, I began jotting down the names of tunes that my longtime musician friends play when they jam together. I not-so recently set about joining them somewhat regularly (How do you like that English? lol), but still don't know that many tunes by ear. That being said, I figure if I'm ever...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - May 1, 2010, 1:25 pm
Finally, a new tune. Things have been a bit crazy around here lately (and at work - can you say audit? Ugh!), and while I have several "irons in the fire" for Fiddler's Folly, nothing was "up to temperature" until now! lol. Big Eyed Rabbit is one of those tunes that is just a LOT of fun to play. It ...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Apr 11, 2010, 4:49 pm
Today was just a 'picture perfect' day and I've got a case of spring fever like you wouldn't believe! So intense was this fever that I just had to get outside and, yes, I did inhale! The air was fresh and crisp, the grass greening up nicely and buds were popping all around me (I swear I could almost...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Mar 29, 2010, 8:08 pm
Confession time. I recently purchased a new, old instrument - but it's not a violin. There I said it...no more guilt. lol. It's a SS Stewart mandolin banjo and it is so sweet! I purchased it from Bernunzio Uptown Music in Rochester, New York (an awesome place to find both new and vintage stringed in...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Mar 14, 2010, 10:18 am
ABC notation is nothing new (it's been around since late 1991), but for many musicians it remains a bit of a mystery. For those still 'in the dark', ABC notation is a computer language that was created so that people could notate tunes in plain text format. Unlike many other musical program language...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Mar 14, 2010, 10:18 am
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Feb 21, 2010, 12:44 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Feb 21, 2010, 12:44 pm
Okay, let me rephrase that. How about learning to "appreciate" the metronome? Because, let's face it - I don't love my metronome. The two of us sort of have this grudge match going on. I'm convinced my metronome just wants to annoy me, but grudgingly admit that it has a purpose and, even more grudgi...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Feb 7, 2010, 3:19 pm
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought a nice waltz might be in order. Rather ironically, however, my favorite waltz turns out to be 'Down In the Willow Garden' - an Irish murder ballad of love gone wrong! Ouch. Seriously, I don't have a morbid sense of humor - I just like the melody...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Feb 7, 2010, 3:19 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Jan 24, 2010, 12:19 pm
So, I've got this viola...and I've already lost any fiddlers that started to read this post, haven't I? lol. Sorry about that! Stick with me though - this really does pertain to fiddling. Honestly. Since playing with an amateur community orchestra several years back, I have found myself intrigued by...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Jan 24, 2010, 12:19 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Jan 10, 2010, 11:17 am
Since I've been sans a teacher, I hate to admit that I've recently found myself skipping around from tune to tune and truly not accomplishing much of anything - except to drive myself crazy. Arghh! So, in an effort to give myself some kind of direction and quit the "flitting" about, last week I dug...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Jan 10, 2010, 11:17 am
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Dec 29, 2009, 11:31 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Dec 29, 2009, 11:31 pm
I hope this post finds you well and that your holiday was a safe and happy one. Christmas was indeed a merry one at our house. Thankfully, I didn't get any coal this year and Santa delivered the goods! lol. I was especially excited to see a Danelectro N10 HoneyTone Mini Amp under the tree. Although ...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Dec 17, 2009, 7:06 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Dec 17, 2009, 7:06 pm
What better time to think about building your old-time fiddle music collection than the Christmas holidays? If you're a fan of old-time music like I am, your wish list is never empty! That said, believe it or not, buying those first few albums for your music collection can be a bit intimidating too....
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Dec 10, 2009, 10:28 pm
With Christmas nearly upon us, I thought it might be a good time to do a little holiday decorating here at Fiddler's Folly. Aren't my twinkly lights totally awesome? lol. And, what better way is there to revel in the Christmas spirit than with a traditional, long-time favorite Christmas tune - fiddl...
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Dec 10, 2009, 10:28 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Dec 5, 2009, 1:29 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Nov 29, 2009, 5:21 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Nov 24, 2009, 9:07 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Nov 22, 2009, 3:23 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Nov 22, 2009, 3:21 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Nov 14, 2009, 4:24 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Nov 7, 2009, 11:37 am
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 31, 2009, 5:27 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 30, 2009, 11:32 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 28, 2009, 9:29 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 25, 2009, 11:54 am
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 24, 2009, 11:38 am
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 20, 2009, 7:47 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 14, 2009, 6:36 pm
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Oct 10, 2009, 11:14 am
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Melissa B. posted an article on Fiddler's Folly - Sep 30, 2009, 9:17 pm
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