|
wesm |
Just got back from the CBA music camp at Grass Valley. Pretty much the only reason I went was to take OT fiddle class from Brad Leftwich.
This is the second time I've taken a class from Brad, and I can't recommend him highly enough. He's really got a wonderful, patient teaching style, and he really has the background and the years put in tracking down the older generation fiddlers in Appalachia. He emphasizes bowing and rhythm. This time around, a lot of pieces fell into place for me -- for example, I learned how to bow Flatwoods to bring out the rhythm. It's a deceptively simple tune, but actually kind of complex rhythmically.
One of the things that impressed me was the respect he got from some of the bluegrassers. One very well known local fiddler confessed that he had learned some of the tunes, but had no idea how to really bow them.
Highly recommended.
