A little farther down the road and a little further up the neck

Well, the fiddle camp in Asheville was simply wonderful. I have never before spent so much time in the company of that many talented artists and it was a great experience. I played for an average of 4-5 hours every day for a week, a lot of the time in group classes, and it did raise my level of play. It was an inspiration and an education to watch and listen to the great players there.

I vividly recall a late-night session at which several of the fiddle instructors played. Due to the late (early) hour, one of the young men nodded off while playing, but didn't miss a note! After a few seconds, someone nudged him and he awoke a little startled, but kept going as if nothing had happened. That was quite an eye-opener (pun intended).

In my classes, I found that my bow grip was too tight and that I needed a looser wrist rather than brute strength. I also began playing with my fourth finger for the first time. My left hand fourth finger was dislocated early in life and has been suspect since, so I always avoided tunes which required 4th finger action. After watching other players, it became apparent to me that I could avoid it no longer and so I have chosen to learn several pieces which require use of my fourth finger, mostly for B natural notes on the E (4th) string.

The main thing I came away with was a deep respect for the talent, hard work, and love of the music demonstrated by the instructors and experienced students at Swannanoa, as well as a keen desire to improve my own skills.