Hey there fiddlers, pickers, and grinners!
 
Your new lesson for the week is Playing the Blues: Wildcat Blues. I’m featuring my Dad, Peter Rolland, on this one. My dad’s fiddling mentor was the great Les Kieth, the original fiddler with the Stanley Brothers. Les’ specialty was the blues, and nobody learned more about Les’ style than my dad. I took a great recording of us jamming on this Les Kieth favorite, and then I transcribed my Dad’s playing and picked it apart for you all to enjoy! And don't forget to check out last week's lesson, Intro to Jazz -- Sweet Georgia Brown, the classic of all classics. In this lesson I cover the basic melody and the chord progression behind it. Later on, I’m going to teach you a solo by Benny Goodman, a famous clarinet player. I’ll break down his solo and teach you some fundamentals of jazz improvisation. Gold Members can stream both lessons in the Gold Members area, and Silver Members can download them for $5 in the STORE.
 
I've also added a Special Request Video Lesson to the STORE -- Topeka Polka. Topeka Polka is a fiddle tune frequently heard at fiddle contests and is played in the Texas style. It’s kind of a new one, as far as fiddle tunes go, but it’s a lot of fun to play. It’s in the key of Bb, has 3 parts, and is filled with arpeggios. It’s plenty difficult for the advanced player to enjoy!