Hi all, thought I would chime in and help kick off some introductions on this wonderful platform Emerald has created for us! My name is Nicole. I never played an instrument as a child, but always wished I could have learned to play the violin. About 3 years ago I had a light bulb moment and realized that nothing was stopping me from learning as an adult. I enrolled in an online violin course and have been hooked since! I have been learning in a classical tradition, but have always enjoyed listening to fiddle. In my search for fiddling resources I found FiddleUp and have begun the journey of learning both methods. I also added cello lessons to my studies a little over a year ago. I am by no means skilled on either instrument, but enjoy every moment of the learning process. I look forward to connecting with everyone here as we learn and grow together!
Hey Nicole! Thank you so much for inspiring this and getting the ball rolling on the discussion. It’s so wonderful to hear your story! What tunes are you working on?
I am working on O'Keefe's Slide and Scotland The Brave in the beginners section. My biggest challenge has been learning to hear and then translate the tunes to the fiddle. In classical training we are very dependent on sheet music. I had to make myself backstep while working on the fiddle tunes and not just "hack away" as I heard you say. I am doing a lot of listening and singing now! I am grateful that you have the sheet music available, but I am trying to retrain myself not to be dependent upon it.
That’s great, Nicole! I’m so glad the singing is working for you. Isn’t it so liberating to be able to feel and hear the music without the fiddle first? You’re learning the tune but also deepening your musicality at the same time. Keep me posted on your progress! :)