George Bretz

Thanks for the suggestion Chuck. I think Megan was recently in Casey’s studio so think it may a while until she is back around. I’ll make sure Casey sees your suggestion.
George

Roger,
It’s amazing what your brain and ear can do when you put them to task!
The finger become the easy part.
Thanks for sharing.
George

Laura,
You sound a lot like me! My son was even a Suzuki kid….35 years ago! That’s an excellent foundation for them.
I too consider myself a competent fiddler. I also just ran through tunes I knew or wanted to learn, until I joined this site.
You sound like a victim of what we all fall prey to: ‘life gets in the way’. Don’t beat yourself…[Read more]

Paul,
I’ll pass your request onto Casey.
He has several videos lessons in production.
Thanks,
George

Phil,
Thanks for your input.
I use the features on my iPad every day.
Great tools.
George

Hi Mary,
Thanks for your input. Death Valley Waltz is new to me. I was surprised at all the version on you tube.
Megan’s is special. She is just a great musician.
I will send the suggestion on to Casey. It may be a while, as Megan was recently in the studio with Casey and I’m not sure when she will be back around.
Thanks,
George

That’s a real barn burner! Thanks for the suggestion I’ll pass it on to Casey.
George

Guillaume,
Thanks for your kind comments. This site has been very helpful for me as well.
I will make sure Casey gets your request for “Black and White Rag”.
That tune is a great request.
Either Casey or Megan would do a great job.
Thanks,
George

Anton,
Tell us what pedal you use! The 10 second shift would be awesome! What a time saver.
I’ve seen you mention a pedal before but I didn’t get make/model.
Best wishes with the new fiddle
George

Antonvon,
I can’t find any keyboard instructions for video controls.
on both computer and tablet the only control I can find is to use the curser on the menu at the bottom of the video.
Can’t find any keyboard controls.
Thanks,
George

Patti,
I’ve been investigating your question for the last couple of days. One would think that if you sign up for a Sound Cloud account you could gain the use of their playback tools. So I signed up for a free account but was unable to access enhanced controls. If you pay for the Sound Cloud subscription you may get speed control.
It appears C…[Read more]

Philip, I’m helping Casey with site moderation. I’ll make sure he gets your request.
You’ve probably seen the Bill Monroe, Kenny Baker version on YouTube. Cool to see those guys sitting and jamming under a shade tree. Makes the tune more accessible.
George

https://youtu.be/bzaA7vh3lAY?si=8Vw5_HwpbBtOwacZ

Thanks for sharing your experience, Louis. Very valuable. So you run to the PA, do you ever run to an amp and then mic the amp?
Thanks again,
George

MissElaine,
Casey can offer more specifics.
I believe Hanneke Cassel was scheduled to be back into the studio last month, December, to record more material.
Not exactly Irish but Scottish fiddle is close.
Also, based on proximity, Kevin Burke is pretty easy for Casey to access.
Perhaps as challenging as scheduling artists, is arranging…[Read more]

CGRAYEVANS,
I can’t help with amplification, I just play harder and don’t stand close to any banjo players.
However, I did find the attached comment from Casey on an old thread, describes his set-up.
Hope this helps,
George

Hi there, Tim, and thanks for the question. I have a setup which includes a custom built condensor microphone sus…[Read more]

Steve,
Casey will probably chime in here.
My first thought is to get a shoulder rest that will lift the left side (outside) of your instrument.
In the process you would move your instrument to a more vertical position…less horizontal flat.
In this position your wrist and fingers need a touch less arch, tension.
I use an Everest PL 4 that allows f…[Read more]

Antonvon,
Maybe, others can chime in. I just set up the a-b loop on the video by hand, learn what I’m after and then abandon the lessons and move onto playing with the guitar tracks that are included with the lessons. I try to leave the lessons as quickly as possible.
Sometimes I record my own guitar tracks with a Ditto foot switch looper.

A…[Read more]

Joseph,
If the suggestions Casey offered don’t work, you may want to consult an orthopedic physician that specializes in hands/forearms.
I had a similar issue with my left hand that resulted in a very painful wrist. Made playing guitar or banjo very painful.
After a couple of steroid injections and a couple of months rest the pain resolved. C…[Read more]

Kitegal,
Casey asked me to help with forum moderation, as he is pretty busy during “festival season”. I will make sure your question gets to him.
At a workshop a couple of months ago he shared that he had quit a bit of content in production.
He mentioned that a significant challenge was getting the guitar player for his tracks into the studio as…[Read more]