Hello Fiddlers and Pickers!
 
It's time for your friendly reminder to check out your weekly lesson! In honor of Halloween weekend I have tons of goodies for you this week.
 
This lesson is the advanced solo follow-up to the Shenandoah Valley Breakdown lesson I post a while back. I’ve transcribed a solo from a live performance by one of my favorite musicians of all time, Stuart Duncan. Stuart is still the most in-demand session player in Nashville, he's the regular player for the award winning Nashville Bluegrass Band, and he's won IBMA fiddle player of the year too many times to count. If you've ever listened to country radio then chances are you've heard Stuart play.
 
I’ve also included backup track videos, and in response to a great student recommendation I've included audio-only tracks for those of you who want to put it on your iPod or use the Amazing Slow Downer. This is a really hard solo, so prepare to have your mind blown and to have lots of stuff to practice this week! Be sure to re-watch the original Shenandoah Valley Breakdown melody lesson so that you have the melody notes fresh in your mind. You can’t really start improvising on a tune until you know the melody! If you're tired of just watching previews, upgrade to a Gold Membership so you can receive weekly lesson updates, download sheet music, and watch all the lesson videos as many times as you want for only $10/month.
 
I've also made two new additions to the Sheet Music Request section of the store. If you're not already aware, the Sheet Music Request area is a place where you can special request a piece of sheet music which I will transcribe for you and make available for purchase for $5 (for silver members) or $3 (Gold Members). Additionally, sheet music that I write out in response to these special requests will be made available to all members in the STORE for the same price. This week I've added a Texas style contest tune, Tom and Jerry, and an old time fiddle tune, Rachel.
 
This version of Tom and Jerry is straight from the playing of Terry Morris on his “Touch of Texas” album. This tune is for more advanced players, as it presents some fingering challenges, passages in 3rd position, and tough arpeggios.
 
Rachel is an easy to intermediate level fiddle tune, similar to Woodchopper's Reel or Whiskey or Breakfast.
 
Happy Playing!
Mike