37 matching results
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18270 min18-part Violin course145 CQ
This course prepares total beginners to hit the stage with a repertoire of no less than 11 traditional fiddle songs, and the ability to play and improvise with other musicians. Anyone can fiddle!
with Pete MartinThis course prepares total beginners to hit the stage with a repertoire of no less than 11 traditional fiddle songs, and the ability to play and improvise with other musicians. Anyone can fiddle!
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Lessons Sort By Relevance
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16 minFREEMusic Theory lessonFree9 CQ
Learn basic vocabulary for the violin or fiddle (same thing), and get more comfortable with this challenging instrument, both physically and musically.
with Pete MartinLearn basic vocabulary for the violin or fiddle (same thing), and get more comfortable with this challenging instrument, both physically and musically.
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16 minViola lesson9 CQ
Now that you’ve learned good fiddle form, attempt your first fiddle song! “Boil the Cabbage Down” is often the first tune beginning fiddlers learn.
with Pete MartinNow that you’ve learned good fiddle form, attempt your first fiddle song! “Boil the Cabbage Down” is often the first tune beginning fiddlers learn.
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17 minMusic Theory lesson9 CQ
Fiddling is playing by ear, so learning songs by ear is very important. This lesson demonstrates a step-by-step method for learning fiddle songs by ear.
with Pete MartinFiddling is playing by ear, so learning songs by ear is very important. This lesson demonstrates a step-by-step method for learning fiddle songs by ear.
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12 minViola lesson7 CQ
Continue to expand your fiddle repertoire with another American folk classic, “Rubber Dolly.” This is another beginner-level song that many fiddle players know.
with Pete MartinContinue to expand your fiddle repertoire with another American folk classic, “Rubber Dolly.” This is another beginner-level song that many fiddle players know.
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19 minViolin lesson10 CQ
This lesson demonstrates good ergonomics for playing the fiddle with the left arm and hand. These positions allow for comfortable playing with a good sound.
with Pete MartinThis lesson demonstrates good ergonomics for playing the fiddle with the left arm and hand. These positions allow for comfortable playing with a good sound.
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18 minViolin lesson10 CQ
Learn good ergonomic methods for holding the fiddle. Knowing how to hold a fiddle correctly makes a huge difference in the comfort level for the player.
with Pete MartinLearn good ergonomic methods for holding the fiddle. Knowing how to hold a fiddle correctly makes a huge difference in the comfort level for the player.
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24 minMusic Theory lesson13 CQ
Proper tuning is vital for getting the best sound out of your instrument. Learn how to tune a fiddle before you play, for the best results possible.
with Pete MartinProper tuning is vital for getting the best sound out of your instrument. Learn how to tune a fiddle before you play, for the best results possible.
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9 minViola lesson5 CQ
Learn to play “Cripple Creek,” a popular, easy fiddle song that will introduce new notes and reinforce the fiddle techniques covered in this course.
with Pete MartinLearn to play “Cripple Creek,” a popular, easy fiddle song that will introduce new notes and reinforce the fiddle techniques covered in this course.
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8 minViolin lesson5 CQ
A very old traditional melody of Welsh origin, “The Ash Grove” is our first waltz. This is a pretty fiddle song well suited for beginning fiddle students.
with Pete MartinA very old traditional melody of Welsh origin, “The Ash Grove” is our first waltz. This is a pretty fiddle song well suited for beginning fiddle students.
Curios
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FREESong CurioFree2 CQ
Turns out, one of bluegrass’s biggest hits was inspired by a 1925 poem. On this day in 2011, Joel 'Taz' DiGregorio, one of the original members of the Charlie Daniels band, was killed in a car crash. DiGregorio was not only the band’s keyboard player, he was responsible for co-writing some of their most popular songs, including The Devil Went Down to Georgia. The 1979 song, which tells the story of a fiddle contest between a boy named Johnny and the Devil himself, is best remembered for the contrast between “Johnny’s” traditional bluegrass portion of the song, and the “Devil’s” dark, screeching portion, which has been likened to heavy metal mixed with bluegrass. In an interview with Taste of Country, Daniels explained that the song's iconic story and lyrical structure were loosely based on Stephen Vincent Benet’s 1925 poem, The Mountain Whippoorwill. The poem tells the story of a lonely mountain man competing in a Georgia fiddling contest, and contains the line "hell's broke loose", which would come to be used by Daniels. Today, we’ll be giving The Devil Went Down to Georgia a listen in honor of Joel DiGregorio.
[Image description: Charlie Daniels, wearing a white cowboy hat and playing the guitar during a 2004 performance.] Credit & copyright: Public Domain
Turns out, one of bluegrass’s biggest hits was inspired by a 1925 poem. On this day in 2011, Joel 'Taz' DiGregorio, one of the original members of the Charlie Daniels band, was killed in a car crash. DiGregorio was not only the band’s keyboard player, he was responsible for co-writing some of their most popular songs, including The Devil Went Down to Georgia. The 1979 song, which tells the story of a fiddle contest between a boy named Johnny and the Devil himself, is best remembered for the contrast between “Johnny’s” traditional bluegrass portion of the song, and the “Devil’s” dark, screeching portion, which has been likened to heavy metal mixed with bluegrass. In an interview with Taste of Country, Daniels explained that the song's iconic story and lyrical structure were loosely based on Stephen Vincent Benet’s 1925 poem, The Mountain Whippoorwill. The poem tells the story of a lonely mountain man competing in a Georgia fiddling contest, and contains the line "hell's broke loose", which would come to be used by Daniels. Today, we’ll be giving The Devil Went Down to Georgia a listen in honor of Joel DiGregorio.
[Image description: Charlie Daniels, wearing a white cowboy hat and playing the guitar during a 2004 performance.] Credit & copyright: Public Domain
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
These songs were both about dolls, but neither one was playing around at the 96th Academy Awards. Oscar night saw a showdown between two songs from 2023’s Barbie: I’m Just Ken and What Was I Made For?, both of which were nominated for Best Original Song. Both tunes explore the tribulations of what it means to be a doll: the first, performed by Ryan Gosling, is a purposefully cheesy romp in which Ken, Barbie’s ever-present male companion, opines about his second-best status. The second, performed by Billie Eilish, is a haunting, poignant ballad about finding one’s place in the world while being constantly commodified. Both songs were performed with great gusto at the Academy Awards, but Eilish, along with her songwriter brother, Finneas O'Connell, ultimately won the night. The win makes Eilish the youngest person ever to have won two Oscars. Of course, both songs represent different facets of the film from which they come, and all of Barbie’s stars, including Gosling, celebrated the victory. Ken has to be used to playing second fiddle by now.
These songs were both about dolls, but neither one was playing around at the 96th Academy Awards. Oscar night saw a showdown between two songs from 2023’s Barbie: I’m Just Ken and What Was I Made For?, both of which were nominated for Best Original Song. Both tunes explore the tribulations of what it means to be a doll: the first, performed by Ryan Gosling, is a purposefully cheesy romp in which Ken, Barbie’s ever-present male companion, opines about his second-best status. The second, performed by Billie Eilish, is a haunting, poignant ballad about finding one’s place in the world while being constantly commodified. Both songs were performed with great gusto at the Academy Awards, but Eilish, along with her songwriter brother, Finneas O'Connell, ultimately won the night. The win makes Eilish the youngest person ever to have won two Oscars. Of course, both songs represent different facets of the film from which they come, and all of Barbie’s stars, including Gosling, celebrated the victory. Ken has to be used to playing second fiddle by now.
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
Skiffle: it’s not some kind of new sport, it’s a kind of old music! The genre first developed in 1920s New Orleans as a sort of hybrid between traditional American folk music, jazz, and blues. It sounds a bit like bluegrass thanks to its use of banjos, fiddles, and washboards—so it’s a bit surprising that the undisputed “king of skiffle”, Lonnie Donegan, was Scottish. During this week in 1957, his version of the American folk song Cumberland Gap topped the U.K. singles chart and remained at number one for five weeks. The song features fast-paced, rollicking guitar picking and lyrics that are sung so fast they’re hard to understand. Although the actual Cumberland Gap is a mountain pass between Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, famous for its place in the history of the American wild west, Donegan’s version of the song is far from a cowboy tune. The Scottish singer throws in plenty of wails and screams as the song’s frantic pace slows and picks up again toward the end. It’s a true melting pot of a musical number.
[Image description: a close-up of the strings on a banjo.] Credit & copyright: PublicDomainPictures, Pixabay
Skiffle: it’s not some kind of new sport, it’s a kind of old music! The genre first developed in 1920s New Orleans as a sort of hybrid between traditional American folk music, jazz, and blues. It sounds a bit like bluegrass thanks to its use of banjos, fiddles, and washboards—so it’s a bit surprising that the undisputed “king of skiffle”, Lonnie Donegan, was Scottish. During this week in 1957, his version of the American folk song Cumberland Gap topped the U.K. singles chart and remained at number one for five weeks. The song features fast-paced, rollicking guitar picking and lyrics that are sung so fast they’re hard to understand. Although the actual Cumberland Gap is a mountain pass between Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, famous for its place in the history of the American wild west, Donegan’s version of the song is far from a cowboy tune. The Scottish singer throws in plenty of wails and screams as the song’s frantic pace slows and picks up again toward the end. It’s a true melting pot of a musical number.
[Image description: a close-up of the strings on a banjo.] Credit & copyright: PublicDomainPictures, Pixabay
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FREEScience Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
Feeling the sting of high gas prices? Go fly a kite! That’s what one company wants cargo ships to do with their new invention, which can help save on fuel costs. French energy equipment company AirSeas recently debuted the Seawing, a parafoil, or self-inflating, kite-like device, that can be retrofitted onto the fronts of ships to provide additional propulsion. It’s not quite a sail in the traditional sense. Rather, it catches the wind like a kite. When wind conditions are right, the parafoil is deployed automatically, rising into the air and pulling ships along. When the wind dies down, it retracts automatically, and no one needs to fiddle around with folding it up manually. The device currently comes in two sizes: 2,700-square-feet and 5,400-square-feet. A 10,800-square-foot version reportedly on the way. Used correctly, the Seawing can reportedly account for up to 20 percent of a ship’s total propulsion, greatly saving on fuel during long voyages. While this technology alone is far from enough to completely eliminate the need for fuel, it could still have a big impact in fighting climate change. Cargo ships primarily burn bunker fuel, which tends to contain more contaminants and release far more pollutants than other fuels. Around 100,000 cargo ships travel the world’s oceans every year, contributing greatly to rising greenhouse gas emissions. AirSeas already has several customers, including Japanese shipping company K Line, which plans to fit 50 of their ships with Seawings. It seems that catching air is really catching on.
[Image description: A cargo ship on the water, loaded with shipping containers.] Credit & copyright: hectorgalarza, Pixabay
Feeling the sting of high gas prices? Go fly a kite! That’s what one company wants cargo ships to do with their new invention, which can help save on fuel costs. French energy equipment company AirSeas recently debuted the Seawing, a parafoil, or self-inflating, kite-like device, that can be retrofitted onto the fronts of ships to provide additional propulsion. It’s not quite a sail in the traditional sense. Rather, it catches the wind like a kite. When wind conditions are right, the parafoil is deployed automatically, rising into the air and pulling ships along. When the wind dies down, it retracts automatically, and no one needs to fiddle around with folding it up manually. The device currently comes in two sizes: 2,700-square-feet and 5,400-square-feet. A 10,800-square-foot version reportedly on the way. Used correctly, the Seawing can reportedly account for up to 20 percent of a ship’s total propulsion, greatly saving on fuel during long voyages. While this technology alone is far from enough to completely eliminate the need for fuel, it could still have a big impact in fighting climate change. Cargo ships primarily burn bunker fuel, which tends to contain more contaminants and release far more pollutants than other fuels. Around 100,000 cargo ships travel the world’s oceans every year, contributing greatly to rising greenhouse gas emissions. AirSeas already has several customers, including Japanese shipping company K Line, which plans to fit 50 of their ships with Seawings. It seems that catching air is really catching on.
[Image description: A cargo ship on the water, loaded with shipping containers.] Credit & copyright: hectorgalarza, Pixabay
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
There's a new sound carrying from the steppes of Mongolia, and it's taking the West by storm. Mongolian rock band The Hu blends Western heavy metal with traditional Tuvan throat singing. This unique blend of musical heritages, dubbed "Hunnu Rock," has propelled their hit Yuve Yuve Yu, or "What's going on?," to over 10 million views on YouTube. The tune has singers Gala and Enkush enciting Mongolian pride from gorgeous Central Asian cliffs, deserts, and forests, over a galloping baseline played by Temka on a two-stringed tovshuur. Guttural vocals, urging Mongolians to cherish their rich history, pound each beat as band members saw at elaborately-carved horse head fiddles called morin khuur. The final breakdown swirls with glissandos and quavering pitches, thanks to The Hu's Tuvan throat singing—whereby a vocalist uses their vestibular folds, or "fake vocal cords," to produce an additional undertone. The Hu hopes its rock will free Mongolians, once culturally repressed by Soviet occupiers, to become more in touch with their ancestors. Although, the group eagerly welcomes all, Mongol or not, to join in the head banging and to toast to the new heavy metal Khanate!
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: The Hu / Dashka Productions
There's a new sound carrying from the steppes of Mongolia, and it's taking the West by storm. Mongolian rock band The Hu blends Western heavy metal with traditional Tuvan throat singing. This unique blend of musical heritages, dubbed "Hunnu Rock," has propelled their hit Yuve Yuve Yu, or "What's going on?," to over 10 million views on YouTube. The tune has singers Gala and Enkush enciting Mongolian pride from gorgeous Central Asian cliffs, deserts, and forests, over a galloping baseline played by Temka on a two-stringed tovshuur. Guttural vocals, urging Mongolians to cherish their rich history, pound each beat as band members saw at elaborately-carved horse head fiddles called morin khuur. The final breakdown swirls with glissandos and quavering pitches, thanks to The Hu's Tuvan throat singing—whereby a vocalist uses their vestibular folds, or "fake vocal cords," to produce an additional undertone. The Hu hopes its rock will free Mongolians, once culturally repressed by Soviet occupiers, to become more in touch with their ancestors. Although, the group eagerly welcomes all, Mongol or not, to join in the head banging and to toast to the new heavy metal Khanate!
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: The Hu / Dashka Productions
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FREEAesthetic Art CurioFree1 CQ
Title: The Apprehension Engine
Artist: Tony Duggan-Smith
Created: 2016
Medium: scrap materials from various musical instruments
Current location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
This is the kind of instrument that makes things go bump in the night. Film composer Mark Korven (The Witch) recently commissioned his friend and luthier (stringed-instrument maker) Tony Duggan-Smith to make an instrument strictly for scoring horror films. To bring a new level of fright to his compositions, Korven wanted to distance himself from the predictability of using synthesizers or traditional orchestra instruments. What followed was truly a Frankenstein-like effort as Duggan-Smith gathered bits and bobbles from his workshop, and patched them together to make the Apprehension Engine. The body of the instrument is composed of a reverb tank, a hurdy-gurdy wheel and strings-fiddle, an electric battery-powered bow, and steel rulers to grate the ears. The sounds of Korven bowing, plucking, or hitting different parts of the instrument range from creepy to downright unsettling, but they're perfect for a night of double creature features.
Below: the Apprehension Engine in action!
Image credit & copyright: CBC Radio
Title: The Apprehension Engine
Artist: Tony Duggan-Smith
Created: 2016
Medium: scrap materials from various musical instruments
Current location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
This is the kind of instrument that makes things go bump in the night. Film composer Mark Korven (The Witch) recently commissioned his friend and luthier (stringed-instrument maker) Tony Duggan-Smith to make an instrument strictly for scoring horror films. To bring a new level of fright to his compositions, Korven wanted to distance himself from the predictability of using synthesizers or traditional orchestra instruments. What followed was truly a Frankenstein-like effort as Duggan-Smith gathered bits and bobbles from his workshop, and patched them together to make the Apprehension Engine. The body of the instrument is composed of a reverb tank, a hurdy-gurdy wheel and strings-fiddle, an electric battery-powered bow, and steel rulers to grate the ears. The sounds of Korven bowing, plucking, or hitting different parts of the instrument range from creepy to downright unsettling, but they're perfect for a night of double creature features.
Below: the Apprehension Engine in action!
Image credit & copyright: CBC Radio
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FREEWork Daily Curio #1335Free1 CQ
Hacking has been around longer than you think. Long before Wikileaks and Russian-hacked email servers and phishing attacks, the term "hacking" described fiddling with electronics or radios in ways not prescribed by the instructions. The first documented use of the term was in the minutes of a 1955 meeting of the MIT Tech Model Railroad Club: "anyone working or hacking on the electrical system, turn the power off to avoid fuse blowing."
But the idea of breaking into technological systems dates back much further. In 1903, a demonstration of Guglielmo Marconi's "wireless" (telegraph) machine was hacked by a competitor. Marconi, who essentially invented radio and won the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics, was demonstrating his new telegraph machine at London's Royal Institution. The physicist John Fleming was on stage, about to receive a Morse code message sent by Marconi himself—from a clifftop station in Cornwall, 300 miles away. Before Fleming could begin his demonstration, as if by magic, the telegraph machine started tapping out a message in Morse code. It said: "'Rats rats rats rats, there was a young fellow of Italy, who diddled the public quite prettily." Marconi's telegraph had been hacked! The man behind the mischief was Nevil Maskelyne, a London magician hired by Marconi's rival the Eastern Telegraph Company, to thwart the demonstration. Maskelyne had placed receivers throughout London which allowed him to intercept Marconi's transmissions without knowing their frequency. The company and Maskelyne later said they were simply alerting the public to Marconi's false claims that telegraphs were completely private. Hmm, haven't I heard this somewhere before? A publicity stunt that exposes other people's private information and threatens national security, performed by a supposedly humble public servant. Who knew Assange was just a modern day Maskelyne?Hacking has been around longer than you think. Long before Wikileaks and Russian-hacked email servers and phishing attacks, the term "hacking" described fiddling with electronics or radios in ways not prescribed by the instructions. The first documented use of the term was in the minutes of a 1955 meeting of the MIT Tech Model Railroad Club: "anyone working or hacking on the electrical system, turn the power off to avoid fuse blowing."
But the idea of breaking into technological systems dates back much further. In 1903, a demonstration of Guglielmo Marconi's "wireless" (telegraph) machine was hacked by a competitor. Marconi, who essentially invented radio and won the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics, was demonstrating his new telegraph machine at London's Royal Institution. The physicist John Fleming was on stage, about to receive a Morse code message sent by Marconi himself—from a clifftop station in Cornwall, 300 miles away. Before Fleming could begin his demonstration, as if by magic, the telegraph machine started tapping out a message in Morse code. It said: "'Rats rats rats rats, there was a young fellow of Italy, who diddled the public quite prettily." Marconi's telegraph had been hacked! The man behind the mischief was Nevil Maskelyne, a London magician hired by Marconi's rival the Eastern Telegraph Company, to thwart the demonstration. Maskelyne had placed receivers throughout London which allowed him to intercept Marconi's transmissions without knowing their frequency. The company and Maskelyne later said they were simply alerting the public to Marconi's false claims that telegraphs were completely private. Hmm, haven't I heard this somewhere before? A publicity stunt that exposes other people's private information and threatens national security, performed by a supposedly humble public servant. Who knew Assange was just a modern day Maskelyne? -
FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Title: The Apprehension Engine
Artist: Tony Duggan-Smith
Created: 2016
Medium: scrap materials from various musical instruments
Current location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
This is the kind of instrument that makes things go bump in the night. Film composer Mark Korven (The Witch) commissioned his friend and luthier (stringed-instrument maker) Tony Duggan-Smith to make an instrument strictly for scoring horror films. To bring a new level of fright to his compositions, Korven wanted to distance himself from the predictability of using synthesizers or traditional orchestra instruments. What followed was truly a Frankenstein-like effort as Duggan-Smith gathered bits and bobbles from his workshop, and patched them together to make the Apprehension Engine. The body of the instrument is composed of a reverb tank, a hurdy-gurdy wheel and strings-fiddle, an electric battery-powered bow, and steel rulers to grate the ears. The sounds of Korven bowing, plucking, or hitting different parts of the instrument range from creepy to downright unsettling, but they're perfect for a night of double creature features.
Below: the Apprehension Engine in action!
Image credit & copyright: CBC Radio
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
Title: The Apprehension Engine
Artist: Tony Duggan-Smith
Created: 2016
Medium: scrap materials from various musical instruments
Current location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
This is the kind of instrument that makes things go bump in the night. Film composer Mark Korven (The Witch) commissioned his friend and luthier (stringed-instrument maker) Tony Duggan-Smith to make an instrument strictly for scoring horror films. To bring a new level of fright to his compositions, Korven wanted to distance himself from the predictability of using synthesizers or traditional orchestra instruments. What followed was truly a Frankenstein-like effort as Duggan-Smith gathered bits and bobbles from his workshop, and patched them together to make the Apprehension Engine. The body of the instrument is composed of a reverb tank, a hurdy-gurdy wheel and strings-fiddle, an electric battery-powered bow, and steel rulers to grate the ears. The sounds of Korven bowing, plucking, or hitting different parts of the instrument range from creepy to downright unsettling, but they're perfect for a night of double creature features.
Below: the Apprehension Engine in action!
Image credit & copyright: CBC Radio
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FREEMusic Song CurioFree2 CQ
From their hit songs Not Ready to Make Nice to Goodbye Earl, the (former Dixie) Chicks know a thing or two about defiant women. On their new track March March from Gaslighter, their first studio album in 14 years, singer Natalie Maines takes on the mantle of a protester singing "March, march to my own drum / Hey, hey, I'm an army of one." Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire back her up on dobro (a wood and steel guitar held on one's lap) and fiddle, making the tune sound like the precursor to a Wild West gunfight—were it not for the drum machine beat provided by famed Taylor Swift producer, Jack Antonoff. In the span of a 3:53-minute song, Maines references Stoneman Douglas shooting survivor and activist Emma Gonzalez, the climate crisis, and contortion of facts by powerful politicians. It's been 17 years since The Chicks themselves were banned from country radio for speaking their minds about George W. Bush leading the U.S. into the Iraq War. This time around, the three Texan women are driving the Dixie down and all the 21st-century injustices that come with it.
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Liz Collins
From their hit songs Not Ready to Make Nice to Goodbye Earl, the (former Dixie) Chicks know a thing or two about defiant women. On their new track March March from Gaslighter, their first studio album in 14 years, singer Natalie Maines takes on the mantle of a protester singing "March, march to my own drum / Hey, hey, I'm an army of one." Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire back her up on dobro (a wood and steel guitar held on one's lap) and fiddle, making the tune sound like the precursor to a Wild West gunfight—were it not for the drum machine beat provided by famed Taylor Swift producer, Jack Antonoff. In the span of a 3:53-minute song, Maines references Stoneman Douglas shooting survivor and activist Emma Gonzalez, the climate crisis, and contortion of facts by powerful politicians. It's been 17 years since The Chicks themselves were banned from country radio for speaking their minds about George W. Bush leading the U.S. into the Iraq War. This time around, the three Texan women are driving the Dixie down and all the 21st-century injustices that come with it.
Other streaming options
Image credit & copyright: Liz Collins