ifiddler

History

Member for

2 years 34 weeks

Biography

I am 4-time Southern California fiddle champ and 12 year judge at the Topanga Banjo/Fiddle contest. I was a park musician at Knott's Berry Farm and Magic Mountain and toured to Japan with Knotts. I've been in several local bands such as Dick Tyner & Train 45 and toured the Midwest with them, GoldCoast (we opened for groups like Nickel Creek), and in the Phoenix, Arizona band, Shady Creek, which was a finalist bluegrass band in 1998 for the Pizza Hut International Bluegrass Showdown in Louisville, Kentucky (IBMA).

TEACHING: I teach out of my home in Fountain Valley and I teach 1 hour lessons. I teach my own method (of 19 years), no reading, ear training only! I specialize in beginning adults. Bluegrass, old time, Irish, Texas styles. I give fingering and bowings and teach Timing, Technique, Theory, Tuning.

I also run a jam on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays at Orange County Archery, 18792 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley, CA 92708--714.965.1125. Feel free to come in and introduce yourself, sit and listen, or sit in and play!

Check out:
Southwest Bluegrass Association: http://www/s-w-b-a.com
Bluegrass Association of Southern California: http://www.socalbluegrass.org/
My Yahoo Group: Bluegrass_in_OC@yahoogroups.com
My Website: http://www.ifiddler.com

Violin and bluegrass are definitely apples and oranges as to approach. Playing bluegrass is understanding a melody and improvising on the general theme. Bluegrass is diverse and songs and tunes can be played very slowly or burning hot fast! To learn and understand what the music should sound like, I suggest purchasing recordings and listen to how they play. The Fiddler's Fakebook by Oak Publications is a good place to see/learn basic tunes with a wonderful discography..but make sure you memorize everything you learn!

SUGGESTED LISTENING:

1. Kenny Baker: Farmyard Swing; Frost on the Pumpkin; Grassy Fiddle Blues; Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe; Portrait of a Bluegrass Fiddler; High Country; Bakers Dozen; Kenny Baker Country; Dry and Dusty

2. Mark O'Connor: Festival Favorites; Texas Jam Session; National Junior Fiddle Champion; Markology; Pickin in the Wind

3. Bobby Hicks: Texas Crapshooter; Fiddle Patch

4. Richard Greene: The Grass is Greener; Duets

5. Byron Berline: Dads Favorites; Pickin & Fiddlin (The Dillards with Byron Berline)

6. Blaine Sprouse: Blaine Sprouse

7. Earl Collins: That’s Earl

8. Aubrey Haynie: Doin' My Time

9. Rickie Simpkins: Dancing on the Fingerboard

Posted by ifiddler: Posted 18 Mar 2008 - Last edited 5 Jan 2009

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Contributions

rss feed of these contributions

• 48th Annual Topanga Banjo/Fiddle ContestThis is a festival

  Agoura, CA United States

  Contributed by ifiddler on Fri, 11 Apr 2008
• Open Bluegrass JamThis is a recurring jamWeekly on 1st Thursday, 3rd Thursday

  Fountain Valley, CA United States

  Contributed by ifiddler on Wed, 14 Mar 2007

Instruments

Any acoustic instrument, Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin, Dobro, Harmonica, Resonator guitar, Voice, Bass, Electric bass guitar

Styles

Bluegrass

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