1 April 2008 - 12:09tips for a fiddler

i just got the following email (name has been redacted):

I put some thought into my response, and after sending it, decided to post my answers on this blog, with the notion that other young & aspiring fiddlers may be inspired by my wisdom. Once again, names (other than mine and that of the fiddlers i list as being personal favorites) have been removed. Here is my advice to the young fiddler:
“hi [NAME REDACTED],
thanks for writing! let me see if i can think of some tips:
learn by ear!
focus on having good rhythm!
find fiddlers you love and try to sound as much like them as possible! my favorites are sue sternberg, tommy peoples, and bruce greene.
focus more on playing well than playing fast!
good luck!
sam”