Not a kid except at heart and in musical proficiency.
Self-taught on guitar, 5-string banjo and mandolin. So-so results. I started taking Irish fiddle lessons four years ago.
I grew up in the hills above the Ohio River in the US, in what they’re calling now “pre-Appalachia”. Early memories of my Dad playing songs like John Hardy, Jesse James, Boll Weevil, Cross-Eyed Sue on a Sears Silvertone acoustic guitar. I’ve still got that guitar, though the neck is warped -- no truss rod -- but the high action makes it perfect for bottleneck slide.
Played rocknroll and punk when I was in my teens, moved to rockabilly, then honkytonk, then bluegrass, then oldtimey. Maybe a bit like a salmon swimming upstream to the Source.
About ten years ago I started playing pub ballads from the Pogues, Dubliners & Clancy Brothers catalogs, sitting in a kitchen with a guitarist, a box player and a bottle of bourbon. Yo, shout out to Burke & Toomey. Played mandolin, dulcimer and a bit of banjo. Learned a few tunes from those guys, too -- Tripping Up the Stairs, Connaughtman's Rambles, that kind of thing. Eventually somebody gave me a fiddle and I took my first tries at that.
I’ve been taking fiddle lessons – the first formal musical instruction in my life - and playing with a little group of really talented (and patient!) people for about 4 years, totally in love with this Music.
My name's Joe. I live in Michigan, the mitten-shaped peninsula waving at you from the Great Lakes of North America.
In the interests of full disclosure, and placing my comments within the context of my level of expertise, a bit of my playing can be heard here:
♪♫♪
Tunes in fidkid's tunebook: 30
| Katie's Lilt | jig | May 21st 2008 |
| The Ducks And The Oats | jig | January 25th 2008 |
| Andy McGann's | jig | November 25th 2007 |
| The Green Forest | jig | September 20th 2007 |
| Good Ship Planet | jig | June 3rd 2007 |
| Olympia Dulcimer Company | July 29th 2004 |
| Bat fiddle | July 6th 2009 |
| Can you indicate a slide in abc? | May 29th 2009 |
| midi playback of abc notation help needed | October 15th 2007 |
| Music shops around the world | August 25th 2007 |
| Humidify the bow, too? | March 4th 2007 |
| Discussions | Re: Great innovators | November 19th 2009 |
| Discussions | Re: Great innovators | November 17th 2009 |
| Discussions | Re: Well, maybe this says most of it... | November 13th 2009 |
| Discussions | Re: What do you do with unused instruments? | November 9th 2009 |
| Discussions | Re: What do you do with unused instruments? | November 9th 2009 |
| Name | Type | Key |
|---|---|---|
| Fahey's | reel | Gmajor |
| Fahey's | reel | Cmajor |
| Paddy Fahey's | reel | Ddorian |
| Paddy Fahey's | reel | Dmajor |
| Paddy Fahey's | jig | Gmajor |
| Paddy Fahey's | jig | Cmajor |
| Paddy Fahey's | hornpipe | Gmajor |
| Paddy Fahey's | reel | Gmixolydian |
| Paddy Fahey's | reel | Cmajor |
| Paddy Fahey's | jig | Dmixolydian |
| Paddy Fahey's | jig | Gminor |
| Paddy Fahey's | reel | Dmajor |
| Paddy Fahey's | jig | Gmajor |
| Paddy Fahey's | reel | Dminor |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Gmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | jig | Gdorian |
| Paddy Fahy's | jig | Dmixolydian |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Dmixolydian |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Emajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Cmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | jig | Cmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Fmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Gmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Adorian |
| Paddy Fahy's | hornpipe | Gmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | jig | Adorian |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Cmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | reel | Gmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | jig | Dmajor |
| Paddy Fahy's | jig | Gmajor |