Austin Scelzo: Connecticut Arts Hero https://youtu.be/L0kexqD-D7w?si=NNkCpI4c8TkmYYhWOrchestra Classroom to Music Entrepreneur w/ Austin Scelzo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be4-CpqKOoM&t=36s&ab_channel=ChristianHowesProfessional fiddler shares passion for music with community | CT Creative Futures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO0WLs0m-gM&ab_channel=FOX61Deano Graham Grass Wagon Revival An interview about my story, mission, songwriting, and work in the bluegrass community as a teacher, performer, and artist. Includes my work with @IBMAWOB , @PeteWernick  and @We ..read more

Stacy Phillips (1944 -2018) was a legendary Connecticut based roots musician, bluegrass and fiddler teacher and tremendously knowledgeable educator. He performed with well-known musicians like Tony Trischka, David Bromberg, and multi-instrumentalist Andy Statman. I only had the opportunity to meet him a couple of times, but I’m floored by the musical footprints he has left behind, in both his wealth of meticulous educational resources and in the tonal voices of those students who were lucky enough to learn from him.  I’ve taken it upon myself to compile all of his educational content&nbs ..read more

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Essential Bluegrass/Country Shuffle Bowings https://youtu.be/s8P9IOVdeYs?si=VHLvj41n3MuSMyaW The key to sounding authentic in country and bluegrass fiddle music is to master the rhythmic feel. Central to the groove is the “,train beat,” sometimes referred to as a “country shuffle”, which you can see ,broken down in this video. As you can see, this drummer has a constant movement/stream of notes on the snare drum, with an accent on the “backbeat” Essential Country and Bluegrass Bowings: Nashville Shuffle (Two slurred, two separate) Georgia Shuffle (Three slurred, one separate) Straight Shuffle ..read more

The first step is to hear the "home chord", referred to as the "1" chord. Do this by listening to the last note played or sung in any major section of a song, for example the end of a verse or chorus. Sing that note on the word "ONE" The rest of the chords are found through their relationship to "1", so when you hear a chord change, you can sing it on a neutral syllable, then walk up a scale from "1" to that note. Ex... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - "Aha! it's the 5 chord!" https://youtu.be/RrQzNjrNwp8 Over time you will be able to hear this chord change without having to walk up from 1 - you will start to ..read more

Practice playing through chord changes, voicing double stops, incorporating rhythms/bowings, transposition, and micro improvisation along with real songs in order to move them from theoretical knowledge to intuitive playing. These skills make up not only my own practice routine but the central curriculum of my Bluegrass Country and Roots School (See the Curriculum here: Roadmap to Bluegrass / Country Fiddle Mastery) I use this playlist to practice every day: My Practice Regimen - Banks of the Ohio I use "Banks of the Ohio" because I just love a good murder ballad... Haha no, just kidding. It's ..read more

June 2023 Thank you all for your wonderful support. Because of you, I'm able to pursue my dreams as a performer and teacher and serve New England in the way I do best- sharing the joy of music! I'm very excited to share with you my summer tour schedule- I'll be on the road for three months. The camping mattress has just arrived and I'm ready to hit the road hard! Austin Scelzo 2023 Summer Tour Dates: A lot has happened since our last communication in March: I gave a presentation on Bluegrass Music In the Schools through the International Bluegrass Music Association's "Leadership Bluegrass" in ..read more

https://youtu.be/dgbLDT-QM4o Ellen Carlson ,Playing Fiddle on a Basic Bluegrass Song That You May Not Have Heard Before You're playing fiddle on an bluegrass song with 3 or 4 chords. Maybe you've heard it before and maybe not. How should you approach the song? Ellen will cover keys, chords, analyzing melodies and how to fake a respectable solo break. While the focus will be on a bluegrass song, Ellen's approach will also be very useful for county, folk, and other styles. Darol Anger Iconic Fiddle Breaks In Bluegrass, quoting performance on the original recording is a badge of belonging and a ..read more

"Lessons from a Legend" - Bobby Hicks talks about bluegrass fiddling. I watched the film and took notes on his presentation. Here are his four elements of good bluegrass fiddle playing. 1. Music theory Familiarize yourself with the national numbering system and learn how to read or create core charts Learn the notes on the common scales used in your genre of fiddling. Bluegrass commonly uses GDAE b-flat B and C No the chord progression for each of the keys. You want to know the 145 cord and their relative minor. Learn to recognize the chord progression when you hear a song Learn to recognize ..read more

Four Practice Ideas from “Lee Highway Blues” Lee Highway Blues has an extended improvisation section that really gives a fiddler the chance to show off their hottest licks. This version by Michael Cleveland has over 1.5 million views and is chock full of great musical takeaways. I’ve broken down my synopsis of this great improvisation into four categories, all with time stamped links to the examples. Let me know what you think! Rhythms ,Triplet polyrhythm (Triplet over a sixteenth note groove) Because triplets are slower than sixteenth notes, this rhythm “tugs” on the groove in a way that is ..read more