LESSONS and RATES
I offer different length lessons depending on your needs. Online or in person.
​
I recommend half hour lessons for young beginners and longer lessons for teenagers and adults who have been playing more than a few months. But, you can absolutely decide what works best for you. Discounts available for Taos County students.
​
1/2 hour lessons ~ $25 plus tax
45 minute lessons ~ $32 plus tax
1 hour lessons ~ $40 plus tax
​
Lessons can be weekly, bi-weekly, or as needed for more advanced students. I am set up to use Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Facebook Messenger for online lessons. It is recommended that you have access to a printer for online lessons so you can print copies of any music I might send to you.
​
I accept cash, check, PayPal, and Venmo.
*Please cancel or reschedule your lesson appointment at least 24 hours ahead of your scheduled lesson time. Non-emergency late cancellations may be charged at the full rate as scheduled.
​
​
IF I CAN DO IT.... YOU CAN DO IT TOO!
I never thought I could be or would be a professional fiddle player. I never knew I could learn tunes by ear or play improvisationally, almost just like I'm talking, but with an instrument in my hand. What brought me to this world of playing fiddle as an adult was a love of music, the desire to play and connect with other musicians, and the enthusiasm for the music I found in the people around me.
​
If I can do it... you can do it too.
​
It wasn't rigorous practice for the sake of 'hard work'. It was the love of the challenge for its own sake, the desire to see if I could do what I saw master players doing, and plain ol' human curiosity. It led me to a path where one step at a time I learned... ~HOW to learn~ how to play this music... and I'd love to share that journey with you.
​
​
CLASSICAL, OLD-TIME and IRISH FIDDLE REPERTOIRE
Old-Time and Irish fiddle is all about the bowing and ornamentation! I played traditional fiddle from sheet music for years before I realized there was so much of what I loved about the music that was completely missing from the page! Learning to play by ear will open your playing to endless possibilities, hone your ear, give you the tools to really understand the subtleties of the music, and build your confidence to learn from recordings of the players and tunes you love the most.
I love feeling confident that I can play.... anything that I want! From Classical, to Appalachian Fiddle to Bluegrass.... I think having a solid foundation in Classical violin enhances fiddle playing, and in turn, my fiddle playing has absolutely made me a much better classical player. So, I try to incorporate as many styles as I can into my teaching, and especially the music YOU LOVE most!
METHODS, MUSIC READING, and LEARNING FIDDLE TUNES BY EAR
I start younger students playing by ear using the Suzuki Method. We'll make sure your student has a quality instrument and the right accessories, work on finger placement, violin and bow holds, bowing rhythms, rhythm reading, and right arm movement. With these foundations in place, good tone comes naturally. I also use the Suzuki Method with older students, but start working on basic music reading from the beginning. We'll also work on scales, sight reading, rhythm reading, and bowing.
​
After you can play a handful of the Suzuki tunes, we'll start adding Irish and Old-Time fiddle repertoire. I recommend Mel Bay's "The Complete Irish Fiddler" and I can provide original Old-Time fiddle tune transcriptions. We can also work on Klezmer, Jazz, Roma music, improvisation, and really any style of music you are interested in playing!
​
When you are ready to start learning fiddle tunes by ear, I'll send you home with reference recordings and a 'cheat sheet' with notes about bowing and variation possibilities. Learning to play by ear is about learning to trust that the music is IN YOU. We aren't heavily relying on the rational, 'thinky', part of the mind to learn this way. We are really using a different part of the brain, than say... the part that you'd use to memorize facts for a test. If you can trust the process, play, and experiment, playing without written music actually means that there is one LESS thing you have to think about! The process, while requiring time and focus, is really fun, exciting, and freeing! Players say, "if you can sing it, you can play it!" and I think that's absolutely spot on!
​
CLAWHAMMER BANJO LESSONS
Along with playing violin and fiddle and singing, I absolutely love the sound of Clawhammer Banjo and Appalachian Old-Time mountain banjo music (and so does Bodhi)! I've been playing banjo since 2017 learning from master player, David Bragger. Since then, I've added gourd banjo to my playing and teaching, banjo accompaniment for singing, and repertoire of old ballad songs from the Appalachian mountains. We'll start the first few lessons getting the right hand 'claw' going, then add melodic left-hand notes, slides, pull-offs, left hand plucks, extra thumbs, drop thumbs, right hand brushes, simple chords, and other techniques as you progress through the repertoire. I'll send you home with recordings and copies of custom-made banjo tab that goes along with the repertoire from each lesson.
