Fiddle School

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Fiddle School Online fiddle academy by national fiddle champion Katie Glassman. Learn to fiddle at any age, from anywhere with this step-by step program. All fun, no frets!

Whether you're a beginner or a longtime fiddler, we've got what you need to level up.

Day three of our Colorado Mountain Retreat brought even more music, connection, and mountain magic! ⛰️🎻We enjoyed:• Morn...
08/26/2026

Day three of our Colorado Mountain Retreat brought even more music, connection, and mountain magic! ⛰️🎻

We enjoyed:

• Morning meditation
• Another round of core classes and jams
• Electives including old-time rags, guitar backup, mandolin, and fingerboard exploration
• A Swing Workout and a deeper dive into chords and twin fiddle
• Happy hour with Julian and Katie
• An evening of jamming Swing, Western Swing, Blues, Cajun, and Texas Tunes

Our fiddles—and our hearts—are very full!

Our first full day of classes on Friday was filled with tunes, new friends, and plenty of jams! 🎻We enjoyed:• Core class...
08/24/2026

Our first full day of classes on Friday was filled with tunes, new friends, and plenty of jams! 🎻

We enjoyed:

• Core classes and jams out in the fresh air
• Electives from Western Swing and Guitar Backup to Irish Tunes and Music Theory Games
• Yoga after lunch
• Happy hour with teachers Sydney, Adam, and Suzy
• An evening of Swing, Texas tunes, twin fiddling, and guided jams

Not a bad way to spend a day in the Colorado mountains if you ask us ⛰️

Our first day at this year’s Colorado Mountain Retreat was one for the books! Almost like we never left. We enjoyed:• Mo...
08/21/2026

Our first day at this year’s Colorado Mountain Retreat was one for the books! Almost like we never left. We enjoyed:

• Morning meditation with Molly White 😌
• Crisp Colorado mountain air ⛰️
• Mastery Plus mini-masterclasses with Katie 🎻
• Swing Orchestra with Fiddle Classes for Adults | Katie Glassman, Adam Kulakow, Julian Oliver, and Suzy Thompson 🎶
• New retreat swag designed by Sarah 🎻👩🏻‍🍳 👕
• An epic band scramble coordinated by Bryan Cooperrider
• And (it goes without saying)…. Jams galore!

What a perfect day to kick off the long weekend!

07/30/2026

Have you ever noticed that one fiddler swings a rag while another plays the exact same tune almost straight?

So… should fiddle rags swing?

Some players lean into a jazz feel. Others keep the rhythm much straighter. Some tunes seem to ask for one approach more than the other.

For me, the answer depends on the tune, the tradition, the musicians I’m playing with, and what I’m trying to say. But I’m curious where you land. Share your thoughts below.

🎻 Do you swing your fiddle rags?
🎻 Which rags need swing?
🎻 Which ones sound better played straight?
🎻 Has your opinion changed over the years?



Darol Anger

07/29/2026

You have tried listening to jazz records. You have tried copying melodies. You have tried memorizing swing theory. You read all the books, and you still sound stiff when you play jazz violin and swing fiddle.

It is not a lack of talent. You need to download the Count Basie recording of "I Sent For You Yesterday. This is where I found (and continue to deepen) my sense of swing bowing.

SAVE THIS for your next practice session to improve your swing fiddle groove. 🎻

🎶Swing is not a concept you can study on paper.

It is a physical rhythm you have to feel in your body.

I spent years spinning my wheels until I sat down with Count Basie playing "I Sent For You Yesterday." I slowed it WAY down to catch the hi-hat, and I tapped 2 and 4, but I didn't just tap. Follow this practice for one week:

DAY 1: LISTEN & RHYTMICALLY ALIGN DEEPLY - Slow the recording to 70%. Listen and tap your toe on beats 2 & 4. Align to the drummer.

DAY 2: LISTEN & RHYTMICALLY ALIGN DEEPER - Slow it down to 65%. Listen and tap your toe on beats 2 & 4. Feel the beat in your body. Align to the drummer.

DAY 3: ONE NOTE ON FIDDLE (65%): Play swing 8th notes on the Bb note ONLY. Tap your toe on 2 & 4. Align to the hi-hat.

DAY 4: ONE NOTE ON FIDDLE (70%): With the recording at 65%, play swing 8th notes on the Bb note ONLY. Tap your toe on 2 & 4. Align to the hi-hat.

DAY 5: ONE NOTE ON FIDDLE (75%): With the recording at 65%, play swing 8th notes on the Bb note ONLY. Tap your toe on 2 & 4. Align to the hi-hat.

DAY 6: CLAP & TAP ALONG: With the recording at 65%, tap your toe and clap on beats 2 & 4. Align to the hi-hat.

DAY 6: ONE NOTE ON FIDDLE (65%): Play Bb swing eighth note until your bow syncs perfectly with the band.

The feel is in the alignment, not the number of notes.

Be sure you are listening to rhythmic placement before melody. Save this for your next practice session so you can finally lock in your groove. 🎻🎶

07/28/2026

Sometimes you just need a perfect way to wrap up a tune. We do not always do these in Texas fiddling, but having a go-to ending tag feels like having a secret weapon in your back pocket.

This is my favorite ending tag. I learned this one from Texas fiddler Sherry McKenzie, who learned it from the fiddle legend Norman Solomon.

It is perfect for D tunes like 8th of January, Liberty, or Flop Earred Mule for example.

Enjoy the bowing on this tag (be sure to begin up bow). And when you play that final long note, the band knows exactly how to jump back in to finish the song strong. I love playing this and thinking of Norman.

Give this a try the next time you are jamming with friends. It adds such a classic touch to your sound.

Want more FREE fiddle content? COMMENT: MINICOURSE

07/27/2026

SAVE THIS for your next fiddle practice. 🎻

Why do we make swing improvisation so much harder than it needs to be? For the longest time, I thought I had to play complex patterns to sound like I knew what I was doing. When I realized I could just lean on simple chromatic notes to chord tones, the relief was instant. It just works. Get ready!

Before we get fancy with it, let’s use the basic idea in a specific tune. I’ve been teaching “Sweet Sue” (in the key of G) inside the Golden Fiddle Swing Improvisation Workouts. It begins on a 2m-5 chord progression (Am-D7). The melody note on the D7 chord is the 5th (A). We’ll choose “A” as our landing note. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Pick your landing note for the D7 chord. Use “A,” which is the 5th.
2. Play the A minor scale: A B C D E F # G.
3. Add the special sauce by playing the G # (the major 7th) between the G and A.
4. You now have the minor scale plus a half step below your target chord tone. Specifically: b7 to the MAJOR 7 to the root (which actually becomes the 5th of the D7).

You can always do this half-step below the chord tone move to make your lines feel more interesting.

07/21/2026

One of the best feelings in the world is being immersed in music for a few days. Whether it’s a gig, a fiddle camp, or a festival, you’re inspired, challenged, connected, and reminded why you fell in love with the fiddle in the first place.

You come home inspired… and then real life takes over. Suddenly, the momentum starts to disappear.

The secret isn’t finding more time—it’s learning how to keep the music alive between the moments you can actually pick up your fiddle.

Comment MINICOURSE and I’ll send you my FREE Fiddle Mini Course to help you create a completely new experience with your fiddle. 🎻

Whether you’re learning Texas-style fiddling, Western Swing, or simply want to practice more consistently, this is a great place to start.

07/21/2026

When you’re at a fiddle camp, music festival, or great gig, life feels different. Every conversation, every jam, every tune played onstage, every class fuels your creativity and reminds you why you love to play.

Then you come home… and the world expects you to jump right back into normal life. No pause. No time to process. No time to hold onto that momentum.

This is what I do to unwind.

COMMENT “minicourse” to keep your inspiration up and learn for FREE.

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Lyons, CO
80540

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