The Fiddle Coach Reveals Secrets of Fiddling

A few days ago I recorded a video for YouTube-Grassapelli. It continues the discussion of chords.

Now that I’ve covered inversions, major and minor chords, it’s time to move on to chord progressions.

This is a Western Culture invention. Now the whole world uses chord progressions in their music. But, even a few decades ago this was not so. Chords conquer. It’s a benign imperialism.

A chord progression takes the tone center from the home key, the home chord, and moves it into another chord. Soon the tone center is back where it started. That completes the progression.

There is some mystery to how this works. You can take a melody and use different chords to achieve different effects. There can be disagreement about what chords should be used. I’ve read that the question of using an A minor chord versus an F chord in the B part of Billy in the Low Ground can degenerate to a fist fight in Texas.

A progression can be as simple as going to the five chord and back to the one chord. Jambalaya and Take Me Back to Texas are two examples.

The strongest movement in chord progressions is down a fifth, (or up a fourth). The first one is typical of a cadence, the two closing chords of a piece. The second is typical of many tunes and songs. Bill Cheathum, You Are My Sunshine, and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, all use this one to four movement.

Combining the plan of going to the four and back to the one, then to the five and back to the one gives the chord structure of a good many songs. Twelve bar blues is the perfect paradigm of this plan.

The blues chord progression has been my goal from the start of the chords for fiddling project. During the time I’ve been doing it, some other ideas have occurred that should yield an extra video or two.

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On YouTube I have finally arrived at chords in my presentation of Music Theory for Fiddlers. This is about the half way point to our eventual destination of playing 12 bar blues.

Just lately I was listening to Vassar’s last album, Livin’ with the Blues. Now I’m hearing all the cool stuff I missed last time. It really is genius playing, beyond the limits of the safe and secure.

You can’t get there without knowing chords. Here’s a reminder:
http://youtube.com/Grassapelli

By the way, I just bailed out of mTraks. I was using it and recommending it. That was before I knew what they were doing a little better. Not to mentions just not enough choice in tracks to download.

Having your favorites in the form of universally usable mp3 files is good. But if you can’t get your favorites???

Maybe the simplest way is the best way.

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They don’t exactly call it a fiddle tune widget. But, that’s what it is for me.

It doesn’t play more than a smidge of the tune. You can get the gist of it, though. For example, in the widget to the right you can listen to a little of Soldier’s Joy. Or, just skip down to one of the Vassar tunes.

Down Yonder, Avalanche and Lonesome Fiddle Blues are all from the famous Will the Circle Be Unbroken Album. With Amazon’s mp3 tune availability, you can get any of these classic, great tunes for 99 cents.

I have tab charts for Down Yonder and Lonesome Fiddle Blues. The first one is an old time way of playing it. The second closely follows Vassar’s signature style, without doing the really hard advanced moves.

If you download these from Amazon, let me know and we’ll figure out a way for you to get the tabs, if you want them.

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Over the years of teaching fiddle I have presented the basics of music theory quite a few times. It takes about an hour to really go over the equivalent of a year of college level theory.

Of course, the theory is only what is needed by fiddle students. That’s why I can leave much of the college stuff out.

The first installment is on YouTube.

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Let’s cut to the chase. Cue the fast music.

It’s the same instrument. Details at 11:00.

Personally, I find playing the violin requires more strength, more concentration, more effort. By comparison, playing the fiddle is easier and less physically stressful. And, it’s more fun.

Violin music can covey a deep sense of esthetic satisfaction. That’s not found in fiddling, as far as I can tell.

For more detail you can look at Violin and Fiddle.

Each offers its own rewards. Both are good.

Also on Fiddleguru: Difference between Violin and Fiddle

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