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There are many ways to learn the fiddle. And I've seen them all work, if you work hard enough at them. There are great camps, wonderful books, amazing teachers, illuminating workshops, not to mention the do-it-yourself approach. The students that really achieve success seem to use a combination of all of the above. But nothing takes the place of practice.' Yeah, I know, I wish there were a better way, but this is the one thing that will guarantee improvement. Here are some frequently asked questions and my humble opinions in response.

How Much Should I Practice?
Try to practice at least 30-45 minutes 4 to 5 days a week. Don't try to practice every day. That can be an unrealistic goal, which can make you feel like you have failed right out of the gate. Also, the brain and the muscles need time to process the information you are feeding them. I often use the analogy of bodybuilding (not surprising, as I come from the 'Arnold State'). Your muscles don't grow while you are lifting weights. They actually grow in between the times you strain them. Your brain and your 'fiddle muscles' work the same way. If you feel the need to play every day, make a couple of days just for fun tunes, or use those days to listen to great fiddle
players you love and admire.

What Should I Practice?
Keep it varied! I often encourage my students to identify several problem areas (i.e. intonation, rhythm, bowing technique, double stops, etc.) and attach a separate day of the week to each area and focus just on that for the day. As an example' Monday ' Intonation (scales with a tuner, arpeggios slowly, double stops one note at a time) Tuesday ' Bowing (practice all tunes with shuffle bowing, make sure tunes are all down bow/down beat,
add more artistic slurs to older tunes)

Try to incorporate as many things into your week as you can, keep it interesting!

Should I Go to a Camp?
Absolutely! Camps are a great way to improve your playing as well as your on-the-fly learning skills and overcome jamming shyness. Also, camps help you network with other players and make fiddle friends for life. Check out www.fiddle.com (home page for Fiddler Magazine, another must-have!) and click on 'events' to find an incredibly comprehensive listing of camps around the world. Be sure to ask other players you know, as well as your teacher to see if a particular camp will be right for you. Don't forget about FIddleStar camps, run by yours truly! They're kept small on purpose so you can get the most out of your learning experience.

How About Online Instruction?
I'm stoked. www.bluegrasscollege.org is up and running. This is the most amazing collection of bluegrass musicians on any educational site that I've ever seen. Rob Ickes, Missy Raines, Keith Little, Tim Stafford, Butch Baldassari, me, well, you get the idea... : ) You can download all kinds of stuff, mp3s, videos, transcriptions, all of the highest quality, and for an extremely reasonable price. For anyone trying to learn bluegrass, whether it be as a beginner just learning the ropes, or as a more advanced player trying to get some sweet new licks, it's got it all. Every tune has three different speeds and two different difficulty levels. I swear, it is the coolest! This is the brainchild of American Fiddle Method guru, Brian Wicklund. He never disappoints. OK, if you decide to sign up, and you should, I'm not kidding, use my instructor code so they know I sent you. It's, are you ready, get a pencil, I'll wait..........
ML001 Like, ML, my initials, and the number 001. Got it? You even get a free download if you use an instructor code!

What About Contests?
I love fiddle contests. A person can learn so much from competing, if it's done right. A while back, John Blasquez (wonderful multi-instrumentalist and teacher in the Bay Area of California) sent me some musings about contests - advice, rules, that sort of thing. As we gear up for contest season I thought I would throw in a link to his page on the subject. there's some really great stuff in there that I think all contest fiddlers, seasoned and otherwise, should ponder. You can find it at www.singingwood.com/FiddleContestRules.

Also, please check out this great site originally dedicated to the making of a documentary about the National Fiddle Championships. It has grown into a wonderful resource for fiddlers and teachers and fans.
http://www.weiserfilms.com

Are There Good Books out there?
I used think there were no such things in existence. Most beginning fiddle books seemed to be written by people who had never actually played the fiddle. But that's changing, and I couldn't be happier. Here's what I use with my beginning students.

American Fiddle Method Volume 1
Brian Wicklund
www.fiddlepal.com

Fiddle Magic ' O'Reilly
www.sheetmusicplus.com

Learn to Play Fiddle - Ludiker
www.ludikermusic.com

What If I Want to Learn Celtic Style Fiddling?
I just ran across a wonderful beginning book for Celtic fiddling by the wife of renowned fiddler Graham Townsend. This is a wonderful beginning fiddle method geared toward the Irish/Scottish enthusiast. Townsend Old-Time Fiddle Method - Townsend www.atlanticviolinsupplies.com

I'm An Intermediate Fiddler - What Books Would You Recommend?
I wrote a book. Yep, my first FiddleStar instructional book is now on sale. Geared toward bluegrass fiddlers wanting to improve their breaks, this book offers 7 beginning licks and 7 ending licks for bluegrass breaks, written in all 12 keys. Oh, and did I mention I recorded all 196 licks for a playalong CD? This is going to help your jam confidence like you would not believe. Order one for you and one for a jam friend.
To order send $20 (free shipping!) to 1418 Timber Trail Rd. Goodlettsville, TN 37072 or click HERE to go to PayPal and enter the amount in the account fiddlemeganb@yahoo.com.

Also, check out the second book in my FiddleStar Series - Intro to Bluegrass Harmony Singing which I co-wrote with musician extraordinaire Topher Gayle. To order send $20 (free shipping!) to 1418 Timber Trail Rd. Goodlettsville, TN 37072 or click HERE to go to PayPal and enter the amount in the account fiddlemeganb@yahoo.com.

Try Volume 2 of Brian Wicklund's American Fiddle Method as well as 'Learn to Play More Fiddle Tunes' from Jay Dean Ludiker. But at this point in your education, you should be striving to learn more and more by ear. Get out your tape recorder (or your minidisc recorder!) and start recording things you love. Play along with Cds and start challenging yourself to play what you hear. Fiddling is ultimately an ear art and nothing helps you improve faster than listening and repeating, and eventually you will be bringing your own style and interpretation to the music you love.

Where Do I Find a Minidisc Recorder?
www.minidisco.com has great product comparisons and explanations. The minidisc is an excellent tool for good quality sound recording that can be burned to CD from your home computer. Great for faster learning by ear!

What Kind of Strings do You Use?
I couldn't have a FAQ page without the truly most frequently asked question. I use Heliocore Heavy Gauge strings. But I also love Obligatos, Tonicas, and several other more 'classical' style strings. Every fiddle sounds different and may sound best with different strings than my fiddle or Stuart Duncan's fiddle. Try www.southweststrings.com for reasonable prices on strings so that you can audition many different brands and find out what works best for you.

What If I Develop Hand Injuries?
I have been hearing back from many people about how much they love the Handmaster Plus hand exercise ball. I had a great email exchange with the owner of the company and we talked about how much this tool has helped musicians, not to mention the original demographics he marketed to - golfers and mountain climbers. Keep in mind, don''t squeeze the ball! it's all about strengthening the muscles on the BACK of your hand. I have several units available for sale, and when I run out, there's always www.ghsstrings.com.

Bay Area Teacher Recommendations

I have received many requests from students regarding referrals to other Bay Area teachers.  Sooo, here ya go!  I probably don't have to say this, but not every student matches every teacher.  Take your time, shop around.  Find the right fit for you or your child.  I think the people listed below are great teachers, but all in very different ways.  Hope there's one here for you.  (If I forgot someone, please forgive me!  I'll be adding more to this list along the way...)

Jack Tuttle
Peninsula/South Bay
beginning, bluegrass, old-time
jacktuttle.com

Tashina and Tristan Clarridge
All Bay Area
beginning, Texas, Celtic, Old-Time
tashina@clarridgefiddlers.co
tristan@clarridgefiddlers.com
530.355.5622 (Tashina)
530.355.5809 (Tristan)

David "Gus" Garelick (Fiddle and Mandolin)
Sonoma/Upper Marin
beginning to intermediate, some advanced
Klezmer, Cajun, Gypsy Jazz, Old-Time, Western Swing, Italian and French Musette, Bluegrass
fiddler@sonic.net
707.526.7763

Chad and Catherine Manning
East Bay
beginning, bluegrass, Texas, swing
www.chadmanning.com

Pat Reed
East Bay
beginning, old-time, Celtic
Preed575@earthlink.net
510.601.9019

Laura Smith
Mendocino County
beginning, Texas, Celtic
fiddles4ever@saber.net
707.743.1303

Daniel Kahane
North Bay
beginning, Celtic, old-time
707.829.2166

Kenny Blacklock
Marin
beginning, old-time, Celtic, bluegrass, Texas
ken@vsuccess.com

LeeAnne Welch
South Bay
beginning, old-time, bluegrass
leeannew@earthlink.net