Rock Guitar Lesson: Bending & Vibrato
One of the innate characteristics of the human voice that we as listeners find to be so musical and pleasing is a singer’s ability to glide seamlessly from one note to the next, bending the pitch and sliding across micro-tonalities as they transition between a whole or half step. Just about every melodic musical instrument that humans have designed incorporates a feature of some kind intended to mimic this quality of the human voice.
Harmonica Lesson: Circular Breathing
One of the beautiful qualities of wind instruments is that, much like singing, they are directly connected to the human breath. As a result, players of wind instruments are often able to more easily tap into the expressive nature of the human voice and mimic its unique emotive characteristics that we appreciate in music.
Jared James Nichols Releases New Self-Titled Album
This morning, blues rock powerhouse and ArtistWorks guitar instructor, Jared James Nichols released his brand new, highly anticipated self-titled album on Black Hill Records.
Banjo Lesson: An Introduction to Single String Playing
In the context of more traditional bluegrass music, the most common style of banjo playing is the 3-finger technique pioneered by legendary banjoist, Earl Scruggs. When employing this technique, the banjo player will generally play slower-moving melody lines accompanied by rolling 16th-note arpeggios outlining the song’s harmonic movement and structure.
January/February VE Submission Deadline Dates
Happy New Year Everyone! Here are the next January / February VE submission deadline dates:
- Sunday, January 22
- Sunday, February 5
- Sunday, February 12
The February dates may be subject to change, as I have a lot of concerts and travels to fit in - I will make an updated welcome video in the event that this happens.
See you soon!
Hugh
Read MoreJanuary/February VE Submission Deadline Dates
Happy New Year Everyone! Here are the next January / February VE submission deadline dates:
- Sunday, January 22
- Sunday, February 5
- Sunday, February 12
The February dates may be subject to change, as I have a lot of concerts and travels to fit in - I will make an updated welcome video in the event that this happens.
See you soon!
Hugh
Read More
Celebrating 12 Years of Darol Anger’s ArtistWorks Fiddle Course
We’re beyond excited to announce that 2023 marks the 12-year anniversary of Darol Anger’s online fiddle course here at ArtistWorks.
Bluegrass Mandolin Lesson: Playing with Speed
Classic bluegrass repertoire is historically packed with fast, uptempo songs, often presented in the form of danceable fiddle tunes that feature a flurry of playful sixteenth-note melodies. As a result, students of bluegrass music often focus heavily on improving their playing speed and ability to play quickly while retaining accuracy. Mandolin players are no exception to this trend and often look for methods to help increase their playing speed.
Fiddle Lesson: The Concept of Tone
When most fiddlers are first learning to play, their primary focus is on performing the proper notes of the tune, intonating those notes correctly, and producing a generally pleasing sound. However, as students of the fiddle progress, they quickly discover that there are a plethora of ways in which they can create various sounds and tonalities on their instrument that greatly expand the realm of expressive possibilities.
New Lesson Just Added!
A new lesson has just been added to the Advanced department! In this lesson, Darol teaches and performs the tune “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” in three different keys. Happy Fiddling!
Read More