| Fortune at Brandywine
It all began with “Fortune” at the Brandywine festival
in 1976. On a trip back east, a friend asked me to go to the
festival with him. A late-start banjo player, I jumped at the
chance and immediately lost myself in the richness and intensity
of the old-time music scene. Many of today’s popular and
well-recorded players were scattered about. At the time, I knew
hardly anyone and simply followed my ear. It wasn’t until
several years later that I came to know and follow players by
name…All the way home I thought about that session and
the moment I reached my Mom’s house I listened to the
tape again. After I returned to Seattle, I listened to it hundreds
of times, trying to understand the sound. “Who is this
player? I wondered. When will I ever hear him again?”
Thus my efforts to learn fiddle tunes began. Twenty-five years
later, I still hear and see him in my mind.
…Several hundred tunes later, I have passed many a morning
hour before work with my fiddle and a tape machine. I have often
wondered if there isn’t a better way to learn. For instance,
how does my current favorite fiddler learn new tunes? Still
questioning my methods and unsure of the best advice to offer
beginners, I decided to put the question to old-time musicians
all over the country. I asked how they choose, learn and listen
to tunes. How do they break a tune down and what methods do
they use to practice? The responses have been so thoughtful,
detailed and articulate, I have quoted many of them at length
in this article.
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