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Hetzler's Fakebook
Hetzler's Fakebook
Question: Can you really learn to play fiddle from written music and / or by listening to MIDI?
Answer: Music is made up of many parts; pitch, rhythm, intonation, dynamics, etc. Mastering these elements takes effort and requires practice. Mimicking someone else’s playing without understanding the building blocks ultimately limits your playing.
Fiddler's need a basic understanding of chords, intervals, scales, technique and theory. Standard notation is a concise way to communicate accumulated musical knowledge. Learning to sight read standard notation combined with ear training (MIDI) to develop pitch and intonation is time well spent. I encourage students to develop competency on their instrument before focusing on style.
