When I first started learning about different fiddle traditions, I was introduced to the concept of "fiddle tunes."  For several years, I knew that the tunes I was learning were different from songs in some way, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly how.  Turns out, there are a few different differentiating factors, which I will discuss today.

Several years into learning music theory, most music students eventually come across a concept called "modes".  Depending on how it's taught, this concept can seem quite complicated, or even not important enough to put in the work to understand.

In this article, I will explain the concept of church modes a few different ways.  Some people find one explanation more useful than the other, but it's best to try to understand it in as many ways as possible.

Over the past eleven years of playing music, I have come across lots of different genres and found amazing music within every one of those facets of music.  Today, I have set an impossible mission to name my top 10 favorite albums of all time, including any genre of music.  There will surely be a ton of incredible music left out of this list, but here goes nothing.

A few weeks ago I wrote my first edition of this series, "Adventures From The Life Of A Musician", about a silly moment during a gig several years ago.  That post was fun to write, so I thought I would like to continue the series by writing about another funny moment that happened a couple years ago, and most likely wouldn't have happened if I wasn't a musician and didn't know the people I do.

In the process of learning any musical instrument, you may have come across the concept of "intervals", and wondered what they are and why they are important.  The fact is that intervals are a big part of the basis needed to understand music theory and train your ear as a musician.  I will explain what intervals are, why they are helpful for understanding music theory, and how you can use them to level up as a musician.

One thing that has intrigued me as I began to learn fiddle and bluegrass music, was where it came from.  It seems inevitable that while learning traditional styles of music, people tell the stories of the history of the tunes, who wrote them, and how they learned them.  From there, I have pieced together some knowledge of the history of bluegrass music and how it came to be.

When you decide to delve into the world of music, and learn to play an instrument, you are immediately bombarded with a plethora of choices.  What style to learn, what instrument to learn, how to learn, and more.  Today I will talk about how I chose the violin, and the thought process to go through when trying to choose an instrument and how to start your journey as a musician!

As a musician, I have had the privilege of playing music with, and for, many amazing and interesting people.  Along with that privilege, comes some funny and weird stories of situations that have happened upon me on my journeys.  In this series, I plan to tell little anecdotes of adventures from my life as a musician.

Most of the time, when someone starts playing an instrument, they have some kind of goal in mind.  It could be to enjoy playing music with other people, to enrich education, or to become professional.  Since everyone learns skills and absorbs information at different rates, it can be difficult to really know if you are improving. ​When working towards a musical goal, one important skill to develop is being able to see your own development, because this will trigger motivation to keep learning and growing as a musician.  Here are some ways to help see your own improvement over time.