What I Learned From My Daughter's Fiddle Lesson
All I really wanted was a lesson in some country fiddle styles for my daughter. She's been playing Irish music for about five years, but it's been nearly impossible to find anyone in Chicago to teach her some of the things that make the fiddle sound like a country song. Like sliding double stops and Charlie Daniels-esque solos for wowing the crowds. So when Phil Vassar's utility player, Jason Fitz, offered to give her some tips, we were thrilled.
Vassar had two big shows in the city last weekend (April 9-10), so off we went. I came armed with all kinds of technical questions: Should she play with a straight wrist or loose? Should she use long or short bowing? And is vibrato too orchestral for country? Fitz taught my daughter just about everything she needed to know to steal his gig in 10 years (his words, not mine), but I learned something as well.
He was talking about the advice he gives to aspiring country musicians and songwriters and anyone who claims to really, really want a piece of the Nashville pie. "It has to be your everything," Fitz said. He talked about how some people express an unfocused interest in country and ask, "Should I move to Nashville and try the country thing or Los Angeles and go for a career in pop?" His answer is always that if you have to ask, then you shouldn't move to Nashville. I totally get that. I think the people who are wishy-washy about country music and are motivated less by a love of the music and more by a desire for fame and fortune, tend to do better in other genres. Success in country comes to the ones who live, breathe, eat and sleep country music and nothing but.
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
Robert B. says:
…and of course their’s no pop music in Nashville. This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Let’s hope he plays fiddle better
solongsowrong says:
I’d like to start out by saying I’m really happy for your daughter, Alison. I wish for her the best and hope she has it in her to be as good as Fitz says. But I kind of agree with Robert B. and his sarcastic comment about Pop in Nashville. And just for good messure about Fitz’s comment on Los Angeles, wasn’t the ACM’s originally started for the West Coast Country artists? Fact is, Country is everywhere, and Pop is everywhere.
You say you can’t find Country styling in your neck of the woods, but I’d like to point out Alison Krauss certainly had no problem finding Country music fiddling in Illinois. If your daughter is in fact interested in Country music, maybe you should introduce your daughter to all different styles of the genre, and let her decide what she likes best. After all, with that Irish background, you may have a future Ruby James Smith, Sierra Hull, or a Sarah Jarosz on your hands, rather than someone who thinks Pop Country is the bees knees. :)