Hey Reader,

When beginning fiddlers start to learn chord backup, I recommend learning a few simple chord shapes for D, G and A, and then learning a bunch of songs with those simple chords.

But once you start going to jam sessions, you'll have to figure out a lot of other chords on the fly.

This week's lesson shows you how...

How to Build Any Fiddle Chord

Here's the whole idea: every chord is built from its scale.

Play the scale, grab three notes — the 1st, the 3rd, and the 5th — and that's your chord. On fiddle you play two notes at a time, so you just pick any two. Done.

Take D Major. Play D-E-F#-G-A: D0-1-2-3-A0

Grab the 1st, 3rd, and 5th — D, F#, A: D0-2-A0

Play any two of those and you've got a D chord.

• D0A0
• D2A0

Then comes the little bit of magic. Major and minor are separated by exactly one note: the 3rd. So if you leave the 3rd out and play just the root and the fifth, the chord works for both...D0A0

One shape, major or minor. (Rock guitarists call it the power chord. We won't tell them we stole it. 🎸)

That's the trick that lets you build any chord, in any key — even the ones you'd swear you'd never play on a fiddle (like E♭ 😳).

👉 Watch the lesson on FiddleHed →

And if you're totally new to chord backup (and this seems overwhelming), I recommend starting by simply memorizing basic versions of D (D0A0), G (D0A1) and A (D1A0) Major. These lessons will get you going:

• ​Jam With Friends Using These 3 Easy Fiddle Chords​
• ​Practice This One Thing to Unlock Violin Double Stops​
• ​I’ll Fly Away - Chord Backup​

Got more questions about chord backup? Let me know. (I'm planning a bootcamp on this for August)

Try this week

Two minutes.

• Play a D chord: D0 + A0.
• Play the D Major scale.
• Alternate between scale and chord.

Repeat for any chord.

You're training your ear to play D major when you hear D majoring scale notes. Eventually this becomes second nature.

Catch up on past issues

All the old newsletters live in one place, like a fiddle diary nobody asked for but everyone can read.

👉 Browse the archive.

Play Every Day

A nice bit of community generosity this week.

Big thanks to Philip Hummel for sharing the sheet music and a play-along track for Stinky's Blues from the American Fiddle Method, Book 1. If you've wanted a blues to dig into, here it is, gift-wrapped.

👉 Stinky's Blues​

🎻 Upcoming Events

Go to the Events page for login info.

Friday, Jun 26 · 11:00 AM EDT Classical Corner Practice Group
Drop in for a focused session on classical violin technique. Open to all levels.

Tuesday, Jun 30 · 10:00 AM EDT Weekly Meetup with Tom and Deb
A casual group play session. A great way to connect and make music together.

Thursday, Jul 2 · 3:00 PM EDT Potluck Practice with Kathryn
Bring a tune, share a tune. Everyone brings something to the table.

Friday, Jul 3 · 11:00 AM EDT Classical Corner Practice Group
Another round of classical focus. All levels welcome.

🏆 Student Wins & Insights

John's been working on Blackest Crow — one of those tunes that rewards patience. Here's a peek at where he's at.

👉 ​See John's Blackest Crow →​​

🎻 Until next week, keep on fiddling…

— Jason

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