(Jazz Instruction). Take a walk on the wild side with your violin or fiddle (or viola or cello)! This book/CD pack is designed to introduce players ranging from first year students to clasically trained professionals to modern "improv-based" jazz, blues, rock, cajun, funk and other hybrid styles. Its "just jam along and you can't go wrong" approach teaches two-string symmetrical fingering blocks called "EZ-Zones" to encourage new improvisers into a more creative state earlier in their musical development.

Learn to play the fiddle? Easy. Tackling a new instrument can be intimidating, but with this easy-to-use guide, you'll have no trouble at all! From selecting, tuning, and caring for your fiddle to mastering various music styles, Fiddle For Dummies walks you step-by-step through everything you need to start playing the fiddle like a pro. You'll discover how to hold a fiddle, master fundamental techniques, and take your skills to the next level. This title also features companion audio tracks and instructional video clips hosted online at Dummies.com to help further enhance your skills. The fiddle is a popular instrument across many continents, and is a favorite for many because it is small and portable. Playing the fiddle can expose you to a range of musical styles from all over the world, such as Irish, Scottish, Celtic/Cape Breton, country, folk, bluegrass, and more. Plus, if you're already a violin player, you'll impress yourself and fellow musicians as you unlock your instrument to open up a whole new world of sounds. Learn fiddle techniques and fundamentals Select, tune, and care for your fiddle Join the folk instrument movement and master the fiddle Play fiddle music from all over the world Whether you're a complete beginner or a violin player looking to branch out and try something new, Fiddle For Dummies will have you fit as a fiddle in no time.

Fiddling suddenly seemed vitally important, even necessary, for me to learn. Perhaps it had to do with grief for my mom's death, and with the fact that I was just starting to feel the inklings of a midlife crisis coming on. All I knew consciously, though, was that I had to learn it. After a chance encounter with fiddle music, Vivian Wagner discovered something she never knew she had lacked. The fiddle had reawakened not only her passion for music, but for life itself. From the remote workshop of a wizened master fiddle maker in the Blue Ridge Mountains to a klezmer band in Cleveland, from Cajun fiddle music in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans to a fiddle camp in Tennessee, Vivian's quest to master the instrument becomes a journey populated by teachers and artisans--and ultimately creates a community that fortifies her through an emotionally crushing loss. Intimate and enlightening, this is a story about the unique gifts of the fiddle, the redeeming power of music, the freedom of improvisation--and the importance of knowing that even though a song may reach its end, there's always a new tune to learn. . . "Charming, smart, lyrical and surprising. I recommend it to anyone--savage beast or not--who needs their soul soothed." --Suzanne Finnamore, international bestselling author of Split

This book and accompanying audio are an excellent introduction to the fiddle andold-time music. The lessons are designed to help the reader develop a solidfoundation on the instrument. The book employs a practical teaching style, rather than traditional methods and conventions. A brief history of the fiddle is presented first, followed by a visual overview of the instrument, basic technique and playing style. Twelve jam session tunes are included, along with a commentary on jam session etiquette and an extensive discography of suggested recordings. Theaudio includes slow and up-to-speed versions of all the exercises and tunes. Includes access to extensive online audio

The First Jam series was created to give children and beginners of all ages a book of simple, common tunes to learn. These are standard Jam tunes in the Bluegrass/Old Time music styles. All the books in this series are written in the same keys; they can all be played together without any problems. So get your friends or family who play guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, dulcimer or Dobro together, grab these books and start jamming.Improvisation – Another idea behind writing the First Jam series was to provide a number of tunes that were easy to learn, but that are also a great to begin working on improvising. Each books offer the melody for that particular instrument as well as back-up chords for another instrument to accompany you. Each song is represented in notation with chord symbols. the accompanying CD has two tracks for each song. the first playing the song with the melody line, the second track offers just the backup so you can play the melody over it or even improvise. Tunes include: Cripple Creek, Old Joe Clark, Will the Circle Be Unbroken and many more.

You're a beginner or intermediate Dobro player; you know a few tunes such as Cripple Creek, Old Joe Clark, and Fireball Mail. You might have learned the basics of playing, but you may not have played with other people much or at all. You're at your favorite festival, and you've just come up on a HOT jam session. You'd love to join in, BUT you're afraid that (a) you won't know the tunes, (b) you won't know what to do or how to do it, (c) you'll be embarrassed or choke, (d) they'll ignore you and pretend you're not there, (e) someone will take your Dobro out of your hands and fling it into the woods, (f) they'll all get up and leave, (g) they'll laugh, (h) something even more horrible might happen. It doesn't have to be like that! Our task is to give you some tools and tricks so you can sit in on most any jam session and come out alive and grinning. It's easier than you think. This book will teach you how to do it! Written in notation and tablature. Free audio tracks available online.

If you can play a few tunes on the bluegrass banjo but haven't played much with others (or at all), this book will show you what you need to know to sit in on a hot jam session. Geared toward beginner and intermediate players, this book covers playing chords, including which ones to play and when to play them. You'll also discover how jam sessions work and how to act in a session, along with advice on practicing at home. the included CD contains nine tunes performed at a typical jam session. the music is on the left channel with dialog about the tunes such as the name, the key, and the chord progression on the right.

Dulcimer Jam takes common and obscure tunes heard in jam sessions and arranges them for hammered dulcimer, fretted dulcimers (with tablature), and other instruments to play in a jam session setting.

Teach yourself authentic bluegrass fiddle with this book. The book contains clear instructions on the basics: bowing and left-hand techniques, solos, backup, personal advice on performance, and much more, as well as a complete selection of the best bluegrass songs to learn from. Written by Matt Glaser, chairman of the String Department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston since 1980.

Over 130 Old Time, Traditional, Newgrass, Gospel and Novelty Bluegrass tunes presented in a new tablature for guitar or banjo, plus special tips on singing from Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Lester Flatt, Jesse McReynolds, Charlie Waller and other bluegrass greats.