Fiddle Secrets

Hi, I’m Lora from Red Desert Fiddle.

I was once a beginner on the fiddle, so I can tell you from personal experience: beginners are easily overwhelmed by all the flash whiz bang they see and hear from advanced fiddlers.

It’s the same in any discipline: archery, ping pong, oil painting, car mechanics, you name it. The masters of any skill seem to possess supernatural abilities because the untrained eye and the unprepared mind cannot follow all the multiple layers of events that are occurring simultaneously.

How do they DO that?!

I can remember years ago, as a professional violinist, trying to learn the fiddle solo from the soundtrack “Last of the Mohicans”. I knew I had the violin skills to play it, but I was quickly overwhelmed trying to capture every nuance. I never did finish learning that tune.

Years later, after I had learned about Irish fiddle ornaments and common fiddle bowings, I heard that same tune. Was this really the tune that had so perplexed me years ago?

Yes it was! So what changed?

It’s simple: Over time, I had learned the three fiddle secrets…the same secrets I’m going to teach you.

Key #1: Learn common fiddle bow patterns

Being fluent in a handful of fiddle bow patterns allows you to add that irresistible danceable quality to your music. It allows you to “rhythmatize” your playing in different ways that will really make you stand out as the real deal.

In the bowings portion, I’ll demonstrate the Nashville Shuffle (aka Simple or Single Shuffle), the Georgia Shuffle, (aka Double Shuffle), the Synco Shuffle, and the Hokum bowing (aka Triple Shuffle).

I’ll also point out derivatives of each of these bowings to help you realize that the fancy patterns you hear some fiddlers do are just a simple bowing you already know in disguise.

I will first show you the bowings on just open strings. Then we’ll move to the bowing in context. Then you will learn how to practice the bowing using open strings or a simple scale.

You will get downloadable sheet music with tablature to help you in your practice.

Key #2: Learn fiddle chords

Becoming fluent with chords on your fiddle is essential for playing back-up, as well as for taking your fiddling to the intermediate and advanced levels.

The part on chords is an amazing crash course on how to read a chord chart, just a touch of music theory, and fingerboard geography.

You get free sheet music as well as some cheat sheet graphics that will help you master basic chords in every common key. (I won’t torture you with 5 sharps or flats.)

Key #3: Wow them with ornaments

Ornaments are what make a simple tune sound amazingly difficult even to an advanced classical violinist.
The part on ornaments is huge. The world of ornamentation is a complex labyrinth. In fact, the classical world has dozens of treatises devoted just to ornamentation. Unfortunately, the fiddle world is not as neatly organized or standardized. Ornaments vary from person to person and region to region.
Although I couldn’t cover every “dialect”, I’ll gives you IN DEPTH explanations of almost every ornament you will come across. I break them down so they’re easy to understand, then apply them to simple tunes so you can try them for yourself.

Now I’ll tell you another secret. These three building blocks are not really “secrets.” But they are essentials. Without them, great fiddle playing will always be a mystery to you.

But when you understand them and can apply them, you’re well on your way to impressing your audience with your versatile sound. And you’ll have the keys you need to open up any fiddle tune and turn it into something your listeners want to dance to!

No Risk, plus instant access now

This course includes eight videos along with downloadable sheet music and tablature all for one payment of $77. You can watch the videos as often as you like for two full years, and you may download and print all of the music or save it to your computer.

This is a no-risk purchase! If you’re not fully satisfied, simply let us know within 14 days and get a full refund.

To start learning these fiddle secrets today, just click the secure Pay Now button below. Your payment will be securely processed by PayPal.