Practice Techniques

from: Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle with Chad Manning

This lesson is part of the course Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle with Chad Manning.

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About This Course

Learn classic bluegrass and old-time tunes and improve your playing with fiddle techniques like unison drones, slides, pulses, and more advanced bowing patterns, as well as advice on improvising and soloing on bluegrass songs.

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Salt Creek

The second part of “Salt Creek” moves up into third position on the E string, so Chad starts by giving you advice on shifting into third position, with an exercise to help you practice the shift. Then he walks you through the A part, finishing by giving you an example of how he makes up variations and improvises on the second part of “Salt Creek.”

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Extensive technique and theory lessons for both hands
More than 35 complete songs and tunes
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Play-Along Tracks for most tunes so you can practice what you’ve learned

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Practice Techniques

In this lesson, Chad gives you advice about practicing and improvising. The first thing he talks about is the importance of practicing with a beat or groove in mind, tapping your foot or using a metronome, or finding some way to establish a tempo whenever you practice. He gives you advice on tapping your foot while playing, if you’re not used to doing so. Chad also talks about hearing what’s coming next, hearing a little ahead of where you are, whether you’re improvising or playing a melody. He gives you advice and some exercises to help you start doing this.

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Previous Lesson

← Bow Tilt, Patterns, and More

Next Lesson

Arm Extension →

Previous Lesson

← Bow Tilt, Patterns, and More

Next Lesson

Arm Extension →