Fiddle Studio

Meg Wobus Beller
  • 4.8 (26)
  • MUSIC COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The glasses clink and the talk and laughter grow louder. In the corner of the pub, musicians sit and play traditional dance tunes that make your feet want to stomp and slide. Join fiddler Meg Wobus Beller as she brings you along into the world of fiddling and traditional music, from bow-grips and double stops to Old-Time tunes and Irish jigs. 

  1. MAR 10

    Megan Lynch Chowning (John Rice)

    Great interview this month with seven time National Fiddle Champion and creator of the FiddleStar site, Megan Lynch Chowning! Megan doesn't compete in fiddle contests anymore, or judge them, or go to them, so I was very curious to hear about why. We talk about fiddling in California, fiddle contests, fiddle camps, and different kinds of learning and relating to fiddle music. Megan filled me in on the just-released John Hartford Fiddle Project Volume 2 that she co-produced. Megan Lynch Chowning is a seven time national fiddle champion, touring musician, Grammy-nominated recording artist, teacher, singer, and flatfooter. She's toured with Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan, Dale Ann Bradley, Roland White, Larry Cordle, Jim Hurst, Chris Jones, 3 Fox Drive, Due West, Chris Stuart, and BEML (the duo of Bill Evans and Megan).  Megan has released a series of entirely solo fiddle albums, focusing on crowdsourcing fabulous but slightly more obscure fiddle tunes. She has taught fiddle and vocals at prestigious camps such as Augusta Heritage Week, the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop, Sore Fingers Bluegrass Week in the UK, Walker Creek Music Camp, and the California Bluegrass Association Camp, among many others. She’s the co-director (with her husband, Adam) of the IBMA-award-winning Nashville Acoustic Camps. But sometimes she just likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers.   My Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner is FREE on Amazon! Over 30 easy beginner tunes with sheet music, tab, and links to a video for each tune! Fiddle Books Bandcamp YouTube Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com My website for learning to fiddle is Fiddle Studio which has courses and a mailing list and my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

    59 min

  2. FEB 11

    The Wild Shoats (Moonshiner)

    My interview this month on the Fiddle Studio Podcast is a conversation with The Wild Shoats, formerly The Shoats. Check out their fabulous brand new album Yell in the Shoats, just out! This is a relatively new band with three talented Old-Time fiddlers. I've heard them called both an Alt-folk group and a Gothic stringband. I get their take on the music of Appalachia, and the relevance and connection they feel to it as 21st century musicians. Hear how these musicians came to Old-Time music, met up and started singing and playing and writing music together and created their unique sound. We also chat about playing in tune on the fiddle, matching up different bowing styles, and staying relaxed while practicing. How does Huck practice when he doesn't have a lot of time? West Virginia native Mary Linscheid, brothers Gus and Huck Tritsch of Millheim, PA, and Alex Heflin of Morgantown, WV, set an alt-folk soundtrack to the strange late-stage capitalist Appalachia they grew up in. Calling on their collective backgrounds in folk songs, honky tonk, and the Appalachian high-lonesome sound, the Shoats reimagine the songs and sounds of their home through haunting original material and well-loved covers. The Shoats won the Appalachian String Band Music Festival’s Neo-Traditional Band Competition in 2023.  Yell in the Shoats album The Wild Shoats My Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner is FREE on Amazon! Over 30 easy beginner tunes with sheet music, tab, and links to a video for each tune! Fiddle Books Bandcamp YouTube Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com My website for learning to fiddle is Fiddle Studio which has courses and a mailing list and my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

    50 min

  3. JAN 21

    Austin Scelzo (Trouble in My Soul)

    A bluegrass fiddler and a contradance fiddler walk in to a bar...and discover they both have degrees in music education. This month I talk with Austin Scelzo and we don't hold back discussing what we think is lacking in classical music and public school music education and training. Austin and I talk about leaving classical music and finding a home in fiddling and all about bluegrass music and fiddle and what you might not know about it. We touch on how a lot of formal music training emphasizes hierarchies and levels and the repercussions- from a feeling of not-enoughness, to hesitancy to perform, to tension in your body and your playing. We discuss how to expand from just playing the instrument to playing and embracing music and all it can offer. Austin had great ideas about reframing performance and building a musical vocabulary as well. If I could wave a magic wand I'd make this interview required for music and music education majors at music schools everywhere, just to hear an alternative perspective. The song we share is Austin's song Trouble in My Soul and would you believe the set of pipes on this guy? Wow! Austin Scelzo is a New England based bluegrass musician who plays fiddle and sings with the bands the Rock Hearts and On the Trail. He's won numerous awards nationally and internationally for his leadership in bluegrass advocacy and mentorship and he's well know for his friendly, down to earth, informative teaching that has brought many fiddlers and musicians into the bluegrass fold. He teaches at camps around the country and has his own teaching studio and jam classes. Check out his offerings: Austin's Website Teaching and Performing Calendar Services Bluegrass, Country, and Roots Online School Harmony Vocals Online School Bluegrass Jam Class (Wernick Method) Connect on Facebook and Subscribe on YouTube My Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner is FREE on Amazon! Over 30 easy beginner tunes with sheet music, tab, and links to a video for each tune! Fiddle Books Bandcamp YouTube Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com My website for learning to fiddle is Fiddle Studio which has courses and a mailing list and my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

    42 min

  4. 12/31/2024

    Judy Hyman (Three Shoes)

    I could never pick a favorite interview, but this one was up there! The conversation this month is with a heroine of mine, Judy Hyman. Judy co-founded the Horseflies in Ithaca, NY in the late 1970s and has played and taught Old-Time and Alt-Rock fiddle ever since. She now composes music for film and media. Despite having a classical violin background growing up, Judy has never learned a fiddle tune from paper! We talk about why that is, her musical influences, and how she and her bandmates built the unique Horseflies sound. We dig into playing and creating music that creates and channels emotion, including what Judy calls "swirl", and the use of delay. Of course we discuss her husband Jeff Claus and the banjo uke, and Judy shares the modifications that she uses to keep fiddling after playing hard for many years- for her bow and her fiddle. Then we talk about composing! https://www.judyhyman.com/ My Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner is FREE on Amazon! Over 30 easy beginner tunes with sheet music, tab, and links to a video for each tune! Fiddle Books Bandcamp YouTube Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com My website for learning to fiddle is Fiddle Studio which has courses and a mailing list and my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

    44 min

  5. 12/03/2024

    Oliver Scanlon (Chris Glidden's)

    We’re having a conversation with Oliver Scanlon, a fiddler and traditional musician based in Syracuse NY. Originally from Vermont, Oliver learned fiddle from the great Pete Sutherland. He played, performed and recorded extensively with Pete over the last 10 years of Pete’s life with Pete’s Posse, playing for hundreds of contradances, concerts and festivals for their nine years as a trio, releasing eight recording projects along the way! Oliver's current dance band is Stove Dragon and he does professional sound and teaches lessons on fiddle and mandolin. Oliver and I talked about Pete Sutherland a great deal in this conversation as we discussed Oliver's path from learning the fiddle and immediately connecting to folk and traditional music—though perhaps not for the reason you might think—to how he ended up touring the country just out of high school. He talks about lessons he learned along the way and some interesting takes on the different styles he plays. Oliver is a fiddler who does sound and gives us his personal take and recommendation for specific microphones and pickups to use or avoid! After many of my interviews we have trouble ending the chat—Oliver and I kept on talking about teaching after I'd officially wrapped things up so I stuck that bit on the end of the episode. Oliver's website Pete's Posse My Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner is FREE on Amazon! Over 30 easy beginner tunes with sheet music, tab, and links to a video for each tune! Fiddle Books Bandcamp YouTube Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com My website for learning to fiddle is Fiddle Studio which has courses and a mailing list and my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

    52 min

  6. 10/29/2024

    Dakota Karper (Coyote Howl)

    An interview with West Virginia Old-Time fidder and fiddle teacher Dakota Karper. We talk about fiddle and banjo, starting her folk school the Cat and the Fiddle, improv and interpretation in Old-Time tunes, teaching beginners and developing young musicians using the Old-Time repertoire, and her Patreon which is an awesome resource! Dakota Karper, hailing from rural West Virginia, grew up immersed in the rich traditions of Appalachian Old-time music. From an early age, she embraced folk music, studying under master fiddler Joe Herrmann and honing her craft at the Augusta Heritage Center. Dakota also deepened her skills with classical violin at the Shenandoah Arts Academy in Winchester, VA. After spending seven years in Baltimore, she returned to Capon Bridge, WV, where she now teaches Appalachian fiddle and performs regularly throughout the region. Dakota's website: https://www.dakotakarper.com The Cat and the Fiddle School: https://www.thecatandthefiddlewv.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dakotakarper Bandcamp: https://dakotakarper.bandcamp.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dakotark My Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner is FREE on Amazon! Over 30 easy beginner tunes with sheet music, tab, and links to a video for each tune! Fiddle Books Bandcamp YouTube Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com My website for learning to fiddle is Fiddle Studio which has courses and a mailing list and my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

    39 min

  7. 10/01/2024

    Bruce Molsky (Can I Change My Mind)

    I was honored to chat with Bruce Molsky on the Fiddle Studio Podcast this month. Bruce has a new album out with Darol Anger called Lockdown Breakdown. We talk about getting into Old-Time and sticking with it over the years, trying to sound like your heroes, picking up new tunes, the Berklee American Roots music department, and what he listens for in old recordings. Bruce breaks down singing and fiddling at the same time and how to develop that slippery skill. We hear a track from the new album, Can I Change My Mind. Bruce Molsky has been playing and studying Old-Time music for 50 years, and for much of that time teaching as well. He famously learned fiddle and banjo from folks down in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina in the 70s, including Tommy Jarrell among others. He’s been performing and collaborating ever since, has over dozen great albums to check out, and he teaches Old-Time music at the Berklee School of Music and online at Peghead Nation. You can see Bruce on the BBC TV “Transatlantic Sessions” with Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, and on “David Holt’s State of Music” on PBS. He stays active touring and recording with longtime collaborators Darol Anger, Tony Trischka and Mountain Drifters’ Allison de Groot. Bruce Molsky: http://brucemolsky.com On Facebook: http://facebook.com/brucemolsky Peghead Nation Course Lockdown Breakdown on Bandcamp Youtube: http://youtube.com/brucemolskymusic  Email:  bruce@brucemolsky.com My Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner is FREE on Amazon! Over 30 easy beginner tunes with sheet music, tab, and links to a video for each tune! Fiddle Books Bandcamp YouTube Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com My website for learning to fiddle is Fiddle Studio which has courses and a mailing list and my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

    42 min

  8. 09/03/2024

    Alicia Svigals (Dybbuk Honga)

    Klezmer violinist and composer Alicia Svigals is widely considered to be the world's leading klezmer fiddler, often called the Queen of Klezmer. She was a founder and a longtime member of the Grammy-winning group the Klezmatics. She has performed with and written music for violinist Itzhak Perlman. Alicia Svigals has worked with everyone in every possible way: soundtracks, compositions, genres, in plays, on tv, and on stages all over the world. She has a brand new album out called Fidl Afire! Alicia Svigals: https://aliciasvigals.com/ Fidl Afire Album: https://borschtbeat.bandcamp.com/album/fidl-afire YouTube video on krehts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyz0Dg-_ssU My Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner is FREE on Amazon! Over 30 easy beginner tunes with sheet music, tab, and links to a video for each tune! Fiddle Books Bandcamp YouTube Reach me at meganbeller@fiddlestudio.com My website for learning to fiddle is Fiddle Studio which has courses and a mailing list and my Top 10 Fiddle Tunes!

    37 min
See All (108)

4.8
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

The glasses clink and the talk and laughter grow louder. In the corner of the pub, musicians sit and play traditional dance tunes that make your feet want to stomp and slide. Join fiddler Meg Wobus Beller as she brings you along into the world of fiddling and traditional music, from bow-grips and double stops to Old-Time tunes and Irish jigs. 

Information

  • Creator
    Meg Wobus Beller
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    108
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Fiddle Studio
  • Show Website
    Fiddle Studio

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