Here is a video taking you through one of my favourite jigs, by the great Paddy Fahey, Paddy Fahey’s jig #4. You’ll also find my transcription of the sheet music below as well. If you find the video useful, please do subscribe to my Youtube channel for more tutorials.
Ornamentation is fundamental to getting that authentic fiddle sound. If you want to make your fiddling sound like real traditional Irish fiddle playing, you really need to learn to play with good ornamentation. So here are my tips for practising fiddle ornamentation. Especially when you are starting out, there’s a danger that as you start … Read more
In this tutorial, we will learn a Scottish reel on the fiddle, a tune which is also very popular in Irish sessions. This reel is called Frank’s reel, and was written by fiddler and tune writer John McCusker. It is a really fun tune to play with a slightly funky rhythm in the B part, … Read more
In this 30 minute fiddle tutorial, I’ll take you through a popular Irish polka on the fiddle, called The Britches Full of Stitches. You’ll learn the tune first, and then some ways to add some spice to your playing of this great tune. This is a really popular session tune, which you can include in … Read more
Here you will find guides to the techniques of Irish fiddle ornamentation. I will take you through some of the most important Irish fiddle ornaments: long rolls, cuts, slides, bowed triplets, crans, casadhs, short rolls, joint short rolls and more. Playing with good ornamentation is key to getting that authentic Irish sound. I sometime talk … Read more
Can you learn the fiddle without reading music? Absolutely! You can certainly play the fiddle without being able to read sheet music. In fact, I’d go further and say it’s best if you don’t learn to play the fiddle by reading sheet music! I’ll explain why. Learning from sheet music v learning by ear Fiddle … Read more
In this beginner Irish fiddle tutorial I take you slowly through the Irish jig Out on the Ocean, so that you can learn to play it by ear. This in-depth tutorial is meant for those who are just starting to learn fiddle tunes by ear. Maybe this is the first tune you’ve learned this way! … Read more
If you are just starting out learning how to play Irish fiddle music, you may find that you are struggling to get your fiddle playing to sound authetically Irish. Or you can’t seem to replicate the sound of the fiddlers that you like listening to. So how can you achieve that authetic traditional Irish sound … Read more
I am now leading a new Irish session in Bristol, once a month at the Shakespeare Inn in Totterdown. This will be a fairly small session, led by a small group of top-notch players. We will be there, normally, on the 2nd the Thursday in the month. Space for the session in the pub is … Read more
A photo of me playing fiddle recently featured in The Economist magazine. You’ll also find me listed on various tutoring websites, including First Tutors, Superprof. I am listed on other teaching directories too. My one-to-one teaching and online lesson videos are regularly recommended by folk clubs, slow sessions, folk dance groups and music shops. I … Read more