Website: kennyjacksonmusic.com
Teaches Lessons: Online, In Person
Levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Teacher Since: 1986
Pricing: Contact me for info.
Listing Created: 11/17/2011
Listing Updated: 12/6/2024
“Kenny Jackson is one of the best! He is able to break down knowledge of his craft for the beginner to understand, and teach at any level. I am a beginning fiddle player, and while I am in awe of his musical skill, I still find him to be an encouraging, clear, and excellent teacher.” ~Sue West
BIO
Kenny Jackson is an experienced teacher who believes in the importance of passing along his deep knowledge and understanding of traditional Appalachian fiddling, and who has taught many aspiring fiddlers in private lessons as well as at workshops and music camps around the country over the past forty years. Featured in the May 2015 issue of Fiddler Magazine, Kenny has been called "one of the finest old-time musicians active today" (Old-Time Herald), and "a fiddler’s fiddler whose playing has depth, nuance, and layers of subtlety along with fire" (Erynn Marshall). He has been dedicated to traditional old-time fiddle music, especially from Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina--visiting with elder masters and listening deeply for innumerable hours to the archival field recordings. Kenny is also a tunesmith who contributes new tunes to the tradition. Over the decades with his several bands, he has performed at major festivals, concert venues, dances, and a few dodgy dives, as well as on notable radio and TV broadcasts including A Prairie Home Companion and the PBS TV special Folkways: The Music of Surry County, hosted by David Holt. His discography includes solo albums and CDs with his bands The Rhythm Rats (with Paula Bradley and Whitt Mead) and Big Medicine (with Joe Newberry, Jim Collier, Bobb Head, and LaNelle Davis).
MY TEACHING STYLE
The fiddling style to which I've dedicated myself for over forty years is rooted in Appalachian traditional music--mostly dance tunes like reels, breakdowns, and waltzes, but also old airs derived from hymns and secular songs, and this is what I teach. Traditional music has been passed down for many generations via oral/aural transmission, so how I teach is by ear, using a sort of call-and-response method, that is, I play short phrases of the tune and you repeat them as we work through the entire tune. Depending on your experience, we might get through a tune in one lesson, or it might take several--it's all good! Bowing is an aspect that I like to cover in some detail, since the sense of rhythm and phrasing expressed via your bow can make or break your old-time fiddling. I have found that it's helpful to have a basic understanding of music theory, so I work that into lessons in an organic way. Last but not least, I'll help you with skills that allow you to play well with others, whether in jam sessions or bands. Wherever you're starting from, whether as a complete beginner or as someone who already has some fiddle/violin chops and wants to do a deep dive into authentic old-time fiddling, I tailor my teaching to your needs. The only prerequisite is that you have a sincere interest in traditional old-time fiddling.
I'm booking all my lessons via Lessonface these days, and you can access my profile there via https://www.lessonface.com/kennyjackson. If you're interested, you can book a 15-minute trial lesson at no charge. I teach all of my online lessons via Zoom. Don't hesitate to give me a holler if you have any questions!
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