Explore every episode of the podcast Fiddle Studio
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megan Lynch Chowning (John Rice) | 10 Mar 2025 | 00:58:35 | |
Great interview this month with seven time National Fiddle Champion and creator of the FiddleStar site, Megan Lynch Chowning! Megan doesn't compete in fiddle contests anymore, or judge them, or go to them, so I was very curious to hear about why. We talk about fiddling in California, fiddle contests, fiddle camps, and different kinds of learning and relating to fiddle music. Megan filled me in on the just-released John Hartford Fiddle Project Volume 2 that she co-produced. Megan Lynch Chowning is a seven time national fiddle champion, touring musician, Grammy-nominated recording artist, teacher, singer, and flatfooter. She's toured with Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan, Dale Ann Bradley, Roland White, Larry Cordle, Jim Hurst, Chris Jones, 3 Fox Drive, Due West, Chris Stuart, and BEML (the duo of Bill Evans and Megan). Megan has released a series of entirely solo fiddle albums, focusing on crowdsourcing fabulous but slightly more obscure fiddle tunes. She has taught fiddle and vocals at prestigious camps such as Augusta Heritage Week, the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop, Sore Fingers Bluegrass Week in the UK, Walker Creek Music Camp, and the California Bluegrass Association Camp, among many others. She’s the co-director (with her husband, Adam) of the IBMA-award-winning Nashville Acoustic Camps. But sometimes she just likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| The Wild Shoats (Moonshiner) | 11 Feb 2025 | 00:50:05 | |
My interview this month on the Fiddle Studio Podcast is a conversation with The Wild Shoats, formerly The Shoats. Check out their fabulous brand new album Yell in the Shoats, just out! This is a relatively new band with three talented Old-Time fiddlers. I've heard them called both an Alt-folk group and a Gothic stringband. I get their take on the music of Appalachia, and the relevance and connection they feel to it as 21st century musicians. Hear how these musicians came to Old-Time music, met up and started singing and playing and writing music together and created their unique sound. We also chat about playing in tune on the fiddle, matching up different bowing styles, and staying relaxed while practicing. How does Huck practice when he doesn't have a lot of time? West Virginia native Mary Linscheid, brothers Gus and Huck Tritsch of Millheim, PA, and Alex Heflin of Morgantown, WV, set an alt-folk soundtrack to the strange late-stage capitalist Appalachia they grew up in. Calling on their collective backgrounds in folk songs, honky tonk, and the Appalachian high-lonesome sound, the Shoats reimagine the songs and sounds of their home through haunting original material and well-loved covers. The Shoats won the Appalachian String Band Music Festival’s Neo-Traditional Band Competition in 2023. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Austin Scelzo (Trouble in My Soul) | 21 Jan 2025 | 00:42:18 | |
A bluegrass fiddler and a contradance fiddler walk in to a bar...and discover they both have degrees in music education. This month I talk with Austin Scelzo and we don't hold back discussing what we think is lacking in classical music and public school music education and training. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Judy Hyman (Three Shoes) | 31 Dec 2024 | 00:44:19 | |
I could never pick a favorite interview, but this one was up there! The conversation this month is with a heroine of mine, Judy Hyman. Judy co-founded the Horseflies in Ithaca, NY in the late 1970s and has played and taught Old-Time and Alt-Rock fiddle ever since. She now composes music for film and media. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Oliver Scanlon (Chris Glidden's) | 03 Dec 2024 | 00:51:56 | |
We’re having a conversation with Oliver Scanlon, a fiddler and traditional musician based in Syracuse NY. Originally from Vermont, Oliver learned fiddle from the great Pete Sutherland. He played, performed and recorded extensively with Pete over the last 10 years of Pete’s life with Pete’s Posse, playing for hundreds of contradances, concerts and festivals for their nine years as a trio, releasing eight recording projects along the way! Oliver's current dance band is Stove Dragon and he does professional sound and teaches lessons on fiddle and mandolin. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Dakota Karper (Coyote Howl) | 29 Oct 2024 | 00:39:10 | |
An interview with West Virginia Old-Time fidder and fiddle teacher Dakota Karper. We talk about fiddle and banjo, starting her folk school the Cat and the Fiddle, improv and interpretation in Old-Time tunes, teaching beginners and developing young musicians using the Old-Time repertoire, and her Patreon which is an awesome resource! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Bruce Molsky (Can I Change My Mind) | 01 Oct 2024 | 00:41:54 | |
I was honored to chat with Bruce Molsky on the Fiddle Studio Podcast this month. Bruce has a new album out with Darol Anger called Lockdown Breakdown. We talk about getting into Old-Time and sticking with it over the years, trying to sound like your heroes, picking up new tunes, the Berklee American Roots music department, and what he listens for in old recordings. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Alicia Svigals (Dybbuk Honga) | 03 Sep 2024 | 00:37:07 | |
Klezmer violinist and composer Alicia Svigals is widely considered to be the world's leading klezmer fiddler, often called the Queen of Klezmer. She was a founder and a longtime member of the Grammy-winning group the Klezmatics. She has performed with and written music for violinist Itzhak Perlman. Alicia Svigals has worked with everyone in every possible way: soundtracks, compositions, genres, in plays, on tv, and on stages all over the world. She has a brand new album out called Fidl Afire! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Charley Beller (Won't Come 'Till Morning) | 06 Aug 2024 | 00:41:41 | |
Hey, it's episode 100! We hear from Charley Beller, Irish flute and guitar player and contra dance musician from Baltimore, Maryland and my spouse. Charley has played guitar on most of the podcast episodes, but this is the first time he shares on the podcast! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Why we squeak (Cumberland Gap) | 30 Jul 2024 | 00:09:50 | |
Why does the fiddle squeak? If only we knew. Hang on, we do know! I offer lots of diagnosis and advice for how to get to the bottom of squeaking. Together we can not squeak as much. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| The best age to start (Horses in the Canebreak) | 23 Jul 2024 | 00:09:59 | |
What is the best age to start? There is an exact and definite best age to begin playing the fiddle and if you don't start then you're doomed. I'm kidding. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Why play the fiddle? (Sally in the Garden) | 16 Jul 2024 | 00:08:23 | |
People play the fiddle for all kinds of reasons, and as a fiddler and fiddle teacher they often tell me all about it. I talk about some of the variety of reasons I've heard from adult fiddlers for why they're voluntarily choosing to take up this rewarding and challenging new hobby! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Busking on the fiddle (Old Aunt Jenny With her Night Cap On) | 09 Jul 2024 | 00:12:20 | |
Busking is playing in the street for money. I've done it. In fact, I've done in New York City in the subway! A few thoughts on busking, and some busking stories. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| I try to play jazz (Cluck Old Hen, Ed Weaver's version) | 02 Jul 2024 | 00:10:22 | |
Recently I tried to play jazz. It got me thinking about jazz, so I share some thoughts about playing jazz as a violinist, how I approach it, what it's like, how I practice, and how I take a solo. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Consider the mandolin (Shippensport) | 25 Jun 2024 | 00:13:32 | |
Have you thought about playing the mandolin? You could do worse. Welcome back to our regularly scheduled episodes, featuring a bunch of Old-Time tunes for the rest of June and July. We get caught up and talk about the mandolin. You may already know this, but the mandolin is tuned the same as a fiddle. Interesting! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| BEST OF: Double Stops and Drones (Tail Toddle) | 18 Jun 2024 | 00:08:43 | |
Starting summer vacation this week so I'm replaying an episode I recorded in December of 2022 about double stops and drones. I'll be back next week with Old-Time tunes. The artist mentioned is Jeremy Kittel. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Ellery Klein (York Street Stepper) | 11 Jun 2024 | 00:39:40 | |
This week I have a conversation with Irish fiddler Ellery Klein. Ellery Klein performs across New England with the fiddle, flute, and guitar trio Fódhla and nationally with the three-fiddle Celtic powerhouse group, The Bow Tides, whose debut album, Sailing On, was released in 2022. She also teaches fiddle to all ages in the Boston area and beyond. Ellery graduated with a major in instrumental music from Cincinnati’s public magnet School for Creative and Performing Arts in 1992. She received an MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance from the University of Limerick in 2001. She toured nationally with the Irish supergroup Gaelic Storm from 2003-2007. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Harmonizing on the fiddle (Stoney Steps) | 04 Jun 2024 | 00:08:29 | |
Let's talk about playing harmonies on the fiddle. How can you get started with learning and playing harmonies and how do you get better at coming up with them on the fly? Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Andrew VanNorstrand (Lost River) | 28 May 2024 | 00:40:43 | |
Andrew VanNorstrand performs with his brother Noah VanNorstrand and Chris Miller in the Faux Paws, a contemporary folk band that plays fiddle tunes and original songs with just about the best groove around. The Faux Paws are making an album and you can get involved and find out more here. The time window is closing soon! Andrew grew up playing fiddle and guitar and touring with his family band Great Bear and dominating the contra dance scene, playing every contra dance and festival you can imagine all over the US, and recording albums including “Dancing Again” and “Rawr!”. He is a prolific composer, creator of tunes and songs, his singer-songwriter album is “That We Could Find a Way to Be”. Find the musical multiverse of Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand's music on Bandcamp. You can hear Noah VanNorstrand's interview for the Fiddle Studio Podcast here. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Novels with fiddlers (Donnybrook Fair) | 21 May 2024 | 00:14:33 | |
If you're a reader and a fiddler, here are some recommendations for books from children's books to YA and general fiction that feature fiddlers and fiddling. Some of these books have even been known to inspire folks to pick up the fiddle! YA or chapter books: Thriller/Detective: War: South/Mountain Culture: Romance: Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Trying a Tune in Different Keys (Maid of Mt. Kisco) | 14 May 2024 | 00:11:49 | |
We talk about the personalities of the different major and minor keys. What makes C sound so different from A on the fiddle? Why do players try out a tune in different keys, and how do the keys lay out on the instrument? Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Rachel Eddy (Rose in the Mountain) | 07 May 2024 | 00:42:23 | |
This is my second conversation with Rachel Eddy, since I forgot to record the first one! We talk about finding flow in fiddling, learning tunes off recordings (or not), remembering tunes, singing, some great stories about Rachel's dad and his fiddle journey, and some ideas for fiddle students to help relax and get balanced while playing. Rachel's website is https://www.racheleddymusic.com/ The tune this week is Rose in the Mountain, played live by Rachel on the podcast! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Tapes on the Fiddle (Broken Down Gambler) | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:10:15 | |
We're talking about tapes on the fiddle, or stickers, or fingerboard stick on charts, or whatever you're curious about. Did you use tapes when you started? What are they useful for and how long does it make sense to use them? Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Articulation on the Fiddle (Dusty Miller) | 23 Apr 2024 | 00:10:59 | |
When I talk about articulation I'm referring to the beginning of the note, or the attack, and how long the note is generally. Articulation, or catching the string, or getting a "scrubby" sound, has a huge effect on your sound. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Signing up for a Fiddle Competition (Old Billy Hell) | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:13:46 | |
Have you wondered what it's like to compete in a fiddle competition? So have I. So I signed up for one and we'll see how it goes. I talk a little about how I'm planning to prepare. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| BEST OF: Practicing With the Metronome (House of my Own) | 09 Apr 2024 | 00:07:09 | |
A repeat this week, as my family is on spring break. This very early episode has been pretty popular, and has a lovely slip jig for the Irish fiddlers. It's never a bad time to break out the old metronome. I'll be back with Old-Time tunes for you next week! -Meg Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Tricia Spencer (Big Taters in the Sandy Land) | 02 Apr 2024 | 00:49:12 | |
This week we have an interview with Tricia Spencer! Tricia is a well known, award winning Kansas fiddler who grew up on her family’s farm learning the tradition of old-time fiddling knee to knee from her grandpa and grandma, Vernon and Iona Spencer. Tricia takes us on a deep dive into Kansas and midwest fiddling, how she thinks about the left hand and the fingerboard, and a primer for finding your place in the Old-Time community. And I didn't forget to ask what it's like having another fiddler as a partner in music and in life. Learn more about power duo Spencer and Rains: https://www.spencerandrains.com/ Spencer and Rains on bandcamp: https://spencerandrains.bandcamp.com/music Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Problematic Tune Names (Magpie's Nest) | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:11:03 | |
Have you ever been uncomfortable saying the name of a fiddle tune? How about tunes with slurs in the title or the Irish tune I Buried My Wife and Danced on her Grave? Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Gripping the Fiddle (Madam if You Please) | 19 Mar 2024 | 00:09:16 | |
This week we talk about where the fiddle neck meets the hand. Different ways to grip the neck of the fiddle and how it can change- even while you're in the middle of playing! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| The Five-String Fiddle (John Blessing's Delight) | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:10:15 | |
Hear all about playing and performing on the 5 string fiddle with a bonus question from last week with Jenna Moynihan. Hear about Jenna's fiddle and how she uses it! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Jenna Moynihan (Brenda and Bill's) | 05 Mar 2024 | 00:34:28 | |
An interview with Jenna Moynihan, a fiddler and an extraordinary member of the Boston music community. Jenna performs with harpist Mairi Chaimbeul, the Seamus Egan Project, the Hanneke Cassel Band, and has appeared as a soloist at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops. In addition to touring, recording and teaching at fiddle camps, Jenna is also an Assistant Professor in the String Department at Berklee College of Music. Jenna Moynihan: https://www.jennamoynihan.com/ Bandcamp: https://jennamoynihan.bandcamp.com/ Mailing List: https://www.jennamoynihan.com/schedule Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Genres of Fiddling (Billy in the Lowground A) | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:14:57 | |
Let's talk about the different kinds of fiddling you find around the US and Canada. I share what I know about the genres more closely related to dancing and dance music, and a little about fiddling along with songs. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| When to Stop Playing the Fiddle (Chinquapin Hunting) | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:15:20 | |
What?! Stop playing the fiddle? Why would I ever do a podcast on that topic, and who am I to tell anyone what they should do or not do? Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Supercharge Your Practice (Old Granny Rattle Trap) | 13 Feb 2024 | 00:16:02 | |
Listen in to hear how you can supercharge your practicing, or at least give it a refresh. This is the last podcast devoted to a topic from my new course How to Play Faster, which is available now on Fiddle Studio! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Janie Rothfield (Waiting for Sandy) | 06 Feb 2024 | 00:39:03 | |
Janie Rothfield is a powerhouse Old-Time fiddler and banjo player who performs and teaches at camps and weekends all over the country and the world! Janie shares what she thinks is important for fiddlers to learn and work on. Is it the fingering or the bowing? Hear all about Janie's Jumpstart camps and about her current projects. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Unlocking the left hand (Preston's reel) | 30 Jan 2024 | 00:12:25 | |
Any time you mess with the left hand technique it's going to interfere with your playing. With this in mind how are some ways you can work on unlocking your hand gradually, or consider what's it like to drop everything and completely relearn the left hand. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Slow practice vs. rhythms (Ne'er Shall I Wean Her) | 23 Jan 2024 | 00:09:17 | |
Slow practice and rhythms are two different ways to practice and make your playing faster. But how does slowing down help? And how is that different from practicing with rhythmic variations? Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Moving around the circle of fifths (Tommy Mulhaire's jig) | 16 Jan 2024 | 00:10:31 | |
How to create speed by taking the thinking out of the left hand. My current favorite exercise for beginning and intermediate players. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| The biggest mistake I see (The Birds hornpipe) | 09 Jan 2024 | 00:12:15 | |
When I play out in the community and see folks who are still learning to play the fiddle, what is the biggest mistake I see them doing? Listen and find out! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Brad Kolodner (Stony Run) | 02 Jan 2024 | 00:44:55 | |
An interview with fiddler and clawhammer banjo player Brad Kolodner. We talk a lot about the banjo, but Brad does more than just banjo. Topics include growing up as the children of folk musicians, the commercialization of Old-Time music, and the lack of women on bills at Old-Time Festivals. Hear all about Brad's upcoming projects, links below. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| BEST OF: How to play in tune (The Kilmovee) | 26 Dec 2023 | 00:10:07 | |
FIRST AIRED ON JANUARY 10th 2023 (BEST OF) I mentioned Music Learning Theory, Alice Kanack, and the fiddler Dermot Grogan. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Not every note is equal (La Moquine) | 19 Dec 2023 | 00:16:08 | |
What is it that makes fiddling sound like dance music? Why does it sound so different when you hear a classical violinist play a fiddle tune, what's missing? We're talking about the variety of accents, volume, and quality of tone within the running notes of a fiddle tune. It's what makes the music sound like fiddling! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Jamming vs. Practicing (Sleeping on the Floor) | 12 Dec 2023 | 00:18:49 | |
How does jamming help with your fiddle playing and how does practicing help your fiddle playing. We dive into this topic, exploring how each can help you improve on the fiddle and when one might be a little more useful to meet a specific playing goal. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Lissa Schneckenburger (For Grada) | 05 Dec 2023 | 00:34:17 | |
This week we hear from New England fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger. Lissa has been performing and recording New England fiddle and folk music for the past 20 years. Her fiddling is one of a kind, intensely danceable, with virtuosic technique and fluidity. She shares what it was like to fiddle as a kid, traveling to fiddle contests in Maine, her experiences studying music at the New England Conservatory, and her latest projects to come out of the period of the pandemic. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Tilting the Bow (Half Past Four) | 28 Nov 2023 | 00:12:50 | |
The bow hair can be flat. The bow can tilt away from you. The bow can tilt towards you. How does tilting the bow affect your tone and why and how do different players in different genres use this technique? Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Harmonies in Fiddle Tunes (Boys Them Buzzards Are Flying) | 21 Nov 2023 | 00:12:58 | |
Harmonies are a great addition to fiddle tunes, in most cases, and with some exceptions and guidelines. Get the lowdown on when it's appropriate and welcome to harmonize, a little about why you might not want to harmonize in an Irish Jam, and how to get started learning and creating your own harmonies. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Faster Isn't Always Better (Gilsaw) | 14 Nov 2023 | 00:12:02 | |
Does playing faster make it better? As a fiddle teacher, I've got a lot to say about this. It's pretty common for intermediate students to play faster just because they can, but I'm here to suggest a better way. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Casey Murray (Caribou Party) | 07 Nov 2023 | 00:23:29 | |
Casey Murray is a cellist who fiddles on the cello! They also play fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin. They teach and perform in the Boston area with the band Corner House, play contra dances, and collaborate with a wide range of folk and trad musicians. Hear how the cello, an unusual instrument in folk music, became Casey's voice and passion and what it was like to study folk music at the Berklee School of Music. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Cross tuning (All's Quiet) | 31 Oct 2023 | 00:13:04 | |
Cross Tuning is changing the tuning of the strings of the fiddle from the traditional G-D-A-E to better match the key of the tune. It's mostly used in Old-Time music. We talk about different ways to cross tune, why it's done, and how it feels to play in a different tuning. It's not as hard as it sounds! Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||
| Playing by ear (Heater, Don't Stop) | 24 Oct 2023 | 00:12:53 | |
Let's talk about playing by ear. How to start learning it, how to get better at it, and what the challenges are. Playing by ear is an integral part of fiddling in all folk traditions. For some it comes naturally, but others of us have the learn to do it from scratch. Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com | |||