š» reflections from fiddle camp
Reflections from fiddle camp! ā Featuring a song by me, and also songs by incredible fiddlers I met at the camp.
Fiddle camp is done and I have just a couple more cities to visit before I fly home. With the varied styles and techniques covered and a whole tech lab to play with, I definitely feel like Iāve come away with more tools in my belt, and Iām excited to put what Iāve learnt into practice once I get back! That said, I think my biggest takeaways from the camp are the connections I made, regardless of how ephemeral or enduring they will become.
I performed this original song of mine at one of the open mics and even though I screwed up by attempting to use a looper when I hadnāt practised, Iām glad and proud that I managed to continue by just strumming on my violin and singing. Years ago, I probably would have just froze.
I probably wouldnāt have had the confidence to go up on stage in front of such talented musicians if it werenāt for Casey Driessen himself. On the second day of camp, I was still quiet and feeling some imposter syndrome but that faded after he spoke to me, telling me that he remembered my audition video where I built my own pedalboard, brought together all the techniques I knew into one piece and delivered it with emotion. Iām also glad I got the chance to tell him in person how much he inspired me to start using pedals and how much it meant to me to be selected for this camp.
The faculty he put together for this camp was incredible, covering topics I might have known about before but teaching in a way that gave me multiple lightbulb moments of how to pull things together and apply different rhythmic and harmonic concepts to violin playing. I have to make a special mention to Darol Anger though, a living legend, the first student of the first fiddler to ever start chopping (Richard Greene, who got Zoomed into a session at the camp).
Maybe it was just my presumption that all technically great musicians would want to just get on with it, but Darol took the time to get to know everyone in his class, which led to a cathartic group therapy session. For him to hold space for us to be vulnerable, and then to physically hold us with hugs as we shed tears, really touched me, and highlighted to me the importance of always valuing human connection.
{ 3 drops of golden sound }
Have Fiddle Will Travel by Krissy Jackson
(favourite tracks: Apologies To The Last Of Us, Lost In Ireland / Gringo Jig, Shiv Tandiv)
I met Krissy at the fiddle camp and she is easily my (and everyone elseās, if weāre honest) favourite person at the camp. A beautiful soul and incredible fiddler plus vocalist, there seems to be nothing she canāt do and I canāt wait for the opportunity to play music with her again.
Cosmic Adventure by Scott Tixier
(favourite tracks: Maze Walker, 100,000 Hours, Beam Me to Mars)
Of all the faculty members at the camp, Scott was probably the one I was most intimidated by, that was before we got to know him. I have a presumption that jazz (and classical) musicians of a certain calibre tend to be a lilā stuck up š¬ and I guess I have a lot of unlearning to do. Hilarious and humble, Scott, much like Darol, is not just a great musician but a great person and a great teacher. I had listened to his recordings before and knew he was technically proficient but I didnāt understand how his improvisation worked. Until of course, he taught us how he broke down extended chords and how to practice them on the violin. After several years of listening to jazz music and learning the theory in school with zero clue of how to apply any of it, itās finally starting to make sense to me.
Earfood by Roy Hargrove Quintet
(favourite track: Strasbourg / St. Denis)
There was a concert at the end of the camp, largely performed by the faculty but with some student features (including Krissy!) and a big all-camp arrangement of āScotlandā by Bill Munroe, with Bobby Hicks on the fiddle, may he rest in peace. I hope someone uploads our performance somewhere public because itās such a great piece and arrangement, but until then, hereās another song I loved that was performed by the faculty.
Update: Casey uploaded our performance of āScotlandā on YouTube! Watch here.
If youāve made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope to see you again at the end of the month! Iāve mentioned previously that Iām a fan of Edgar Degasā artwork, here is me taking a good look at Four Dancers at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
LoL,
rae