Welcome to the JamWithLauren Blog
Many of these articles are inspired by questions from our JWL students. If you can’t find a post that digs into the issues that are plaguing you, consider signing up for lessons with Lauren. When you sign up you will gain access to her amazing curriculum and be able to ask Lauren questions. Who knows, maybe your question will inspire the next post!
How-To Prevent Music Related Injury: Small Muscle Athlete Edition
We rely on our body to respond with speed, precision, flexibility, and consistency. We train, practice, study, repeat - until we’ve perfected a technique to such a degree that we simply can’t get it wrong. We ask our bodies to execute any kind of acrobatic episode, from up-bow staccato, to triple-tonguing, to playing the upright bass (which is an athletic event all on its own).
But no one warns you about this side of musicianship - the physicality of musical instruments is rarely taken into account, let alone recognized by non-musician folk.
Chord Shapes and Capos: How To Decode a Guitarist’s Hands
This post is a guide to a common tool/tip/hack: watching the guitarist’s hands and understanding their chord shapes. Of course, you want to use this skill as a confirmation to what you’re hearing, and not rely on it completely. Why? Because what happens if the guitarist doesn’t know the chords? You’ll want to use these shapes and fingerboard knowledge in tandem with your own growing skill set of hearing and understanding chord progressions.
Figuring Out the Key: A How To for All Musicians
When I lead workshops and jams at fiddle camps, one of the most commonly asked questions is some variant of, “How do I know what key I’m in?”
This question often happens when someone has learned a fiddle tune melody and might be trying to figure out the chords, or just tell their guitar playing friend what the key is so the friend can have a go at it.
5 Ways to Jam Without a Partner
We might have just experienced a move, a change in employment and schedules, you can’t make the weekly jam at a local dive bar, or you live in a place where you don’t know anyone to jam with. In the meantime, I’ve put together some ideas on how you can simulate a jam all by your lonesome.
Let’s be honest, we’re never alone if we have our instruments.
How to Hold Your Violin Bow
So, you’ve got yourself a fiddle. You’ve got the fancy case, you’ve got the rosin and shoulder rest, maybe you’ve even got a name for your instrument and by now you’re a pro at holding the instrument - which, I’ll have you know, is no small feat.
Have Fiddle, Will Travel ... To Camps!
A huge part of fiddle tune culture is attending a camp, making like-listening friends and learning tunes together. There are so many camps to choose from, but with a little sleuthing, you can find the ideal environment for your learning style.
How To Practice Your Fiddle Efficiently and Effectively
What should you practice?
It’s kind of a silly question, but it’s the most important. I mean, there are SO. MANY. THINGS. You could practice; new material, old material, technical facility, foundational building blocks like scales and arpeggios, improvising, composing, arranging, the list is endless.
Can You Sing It?
I’m a firm believer of the ‘if you can sing it, you can play it’ mentality when it comes to ear training. Correctly singing a phrase, or the entire tune, before you attempt to put your hands on the notes saves valuable practice time, which promotes efficient learning and good muscle memory.
A Pep Talk, Peppered with Fiddle Practice Tips
Why did you choose the Fiddle?
I’m sure all of you have a story- maybe your parents picked the instrument and it stuck, or your child abandoned it and you decided to give it a try, or you heard someone play around a campfire or on stage. But often all these stories can be boiled down to this: you love the sound of the instrument, and the feeling you get when you make the sound.