FiddleStar

I just returned from a very special wedding. @miaorosco16 and @gavinkelso are incredible people. They’re also talented and accomplished musicians but I suspect those accomplishments stem from the aforementioned incredible people thing. We’re all delighted they found one another. I also loved getting to spend the day with one of my dearest friends, Bryan, and was happy to catch up with Mia’s parents. Here’s to a lifetime of love, laughs, and breakdowns. (You’ll see in the photos that they had a “first tune” instead of a first dance. That’s my kind of reception.) #fiddlewedding #texas #sallygoodin #gavinandmia (at Waco, Texas)
https://www.instagram.com/p/By5eXVbhReN/?igshid=dtt32eiq7e9n

Happy #fiddlinarthursmith Tuesday, friends and neighbors! This is Dickson County Blues. It is a different tune than Dickson County Blues No. 2, which I posted a few weeks ago. Or possibly, based on my research, this is Dickson County Blues No. 2 and the previous one is Dickson County Blues. Could we not just name them after two separate counties? Wilson County Blues, Robertson County Blues, well, you get the point. There were choices, is all I’m saying. This is a really fun tune to play. Whatever number blues it actually happens to be. Happy bluesing. Forever and always, full versions on Facebook and YouTube. #fiddle #fiddlestar #blues #dicksoncounty #dicksoncountybluesyodelnumber73 (at Fiddlestar)
https://www.instagram.com/p/By3ovSDhTI-/?igshid=1jo7s2zvpxl85

Greetings, fans and friends of #fiddlinarthursmith Tuesdays! Today we have a punchy little number called Indian Creek and it has A parts and B parts and then several other unrelated parts and if you’re wondering how many times you’re supposed to play each one, well, I suggest you quit asking so many questions. You’re too nosy. It’s none of your business. Also, if you’re not super great at jumping over the A string on a regular basis, you should avoid this tune. Or maybe use it to get better. It’s a skill we should all have. Rock on, string jumpers. As always, full versions of these tunes are on YouTube and my Facebook page. #fiddle #fiddlestar #fiddlelessons #indiancreek #stringjumping #playhowevermanypartsyouwant #itsafreecountry (at Fiddlestar)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Byk7FwnBTFV/?igshid=g1mv5e6oeahp

When I first moved to Nashville, almost 15 years ago, people asked me if I was ready for the brutal competition I was bound to encounter between all the other fiddle players once I got here. They said, “I hear they’ll chew you up and spit you out in Music City.” They told me it would be hard to make friends and that everyone would be out for everyone else’s gig. Well, here I am, a decade and a half on, and this is just a regular Wednesday night at the Station Inn. All these fiddlers stopped by to show some love for the incredible @laurielewismusic and her many years of support and mentorship. Not to mention we all wanted @mrfiddler1 to know how much we miss him since he moved away and remind him how badass of a fiddle player we all think he is. This town isn’t anything like what everyone said. 🎻 ❤️ #fiddle #nashville (at Station Inn)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByWt3n_BjZ6/?igshid=18fnguras70m6

It’s here! I feel like this is the one you’ve been waiting for. Or maybe not. But this is the one you’ve got. It’s North Carolina Breakdown day here in #fiddlinarthursmith Tuesday-land! (It was gonna be Cumberland Waltz day but if anyone can tell me what in the actual hell he’s doing in that tune, well, you have a more finely tuned/super weird ear than I do. Maybe it will make more sense next week.) Hey, just a heads up, you know that slide section in the B part? There are like 12 ways you can do that, fingering and position-wise. If you can make the same noises and do it in a way that feels more convenient for you, you should. As Marc Maron would say, do it up! As always, full versions you know where… #fiddle #fiddlestar #oldtime #bluegrass #fiddlelesson #northcarolinabreakdown (at Fiddlestar)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByTyaWfByAr/?igshid=pnjm4v3iwhg7

You guys! You know we call my stepdad Captain Bill, but sometimes people are just called Captain because they look like Captain Stubing or the Gorton’s Fisherman or whatever. But Bill is an actual Captain and he’s actually driving the boat in this clip. He pilots the boat owned by the freaking San Francisco Giants and he’s really good at it. Working with him (we did some boat time together years ago) was one of the great honors and learning experiences of my life. I’m just proud and wanted you all to see this. @sfgiants @giantsenterprises @captwgn @nbcsauthentic #gogiants #mccoveycove (at SF Giants McCovey Cove Experience)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByTatv7hmrS/?igshid=yobj9i15ja2n

You’ve been demanding this camp and now you’ve got it! This is our brand new Nashville Jam Camp and it’s gonna be the most legal fun you can have in Tennessee. (I know, not much is actually legal in Tennessee but you get the point…) We’re taking banjos, fiddles, dobros, mandolins, guitars, and we’re mashing them all up together and making a big jam extravaganza out of it all - featuring some of the best bluegrass musicians and instructors we know. Go to www.nashvillejamcamp.com to learn more and mark your calendars for July 1 at 9am Central. There will be no early registration for this one - first come, first picked! #banjo #bluegrass #fiddle #mandolin #guitar #flatpick #nashvilleacousticcamps #bluegrassjam (at Fiddlestar)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByInOKphUSZ/?igshid=7fehm3ic455v

Did anyone notice that the only people participating in the #dorrigochallenge are banjo players? Well, I did. Here’s me, playing a super fun new fiddle tune by @georgefiddle, on the fiddle. Where my fiddlers at??? (I put the full version on Facebook and YouTube, natch. And you should also just get George’s album because it’s good.) #fiddle #fiddlestar #georgejackson #enoughbanjosalready #itsafiddletune
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByG-vEfBYWO/?igshid=pevgk9wuazfk

We’d like to share with you that #princessmiatheboston has gone back to the wonderful Gigi’s Rescue. We decided to return her to a place where she can have some quality time with a well-adjusted pack and pack leader (shout out to the awesome Glenda!) who can help her with her aggression. She most likely spent her formative years as the only dog with little or no discipline and she has some behavioral issues to work through before she’s ready for her furever home. We loved having her here, but it’s just not the right time. I’m not gonna lie, Gretsch, Buster, Gretchen, and Leo Hickman were not sad to see her go… #catland I’m hoping to do some volunteer work for Glenda in the future and this way I can be a little bit of help for a lot of doggos rather than a lot of help for one. Thank you all for your support and love for Mia while she was here - we all appreciated it! #bostonterrier #bostonterriercult (at Ridgetop, Tennessee)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByEJLGVBDIa/?igshid=xloect8z2v8m

You thought I wasn’t gonna make it - but oh, how wrong you were! #fiddlinarthursmith Tuesdays are still in full effect and today I decided to give you a little break from the fun, mid-tempo tunes in G and bring you this absolutely delightful ¾ number called Maple Leaf Waltz. I’m not gonna lie, Arthur sounded like he’d had a few glasses of what Carter Stanley used to call “the ingredients” before he launched into this recording. Let’s just say, I elected to dramatically pare down the number of trill moments. But you should feel free to trill as much and as often as you feel moved to. You do you! As always, full video on Facebook and my YouTube channel. #fiddlestar #fiddle #waltz #mapleleafwaltz #fiddlelesson (at Fiddlestar)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByB6fJwhh-S/?igshid=9evnbo0p2hl0