Homespun

On his second lesson, the legendary Kevin Burke takes you to the next level of Irish fiddle playing, with reference to the styles of Donegal, Clare, Kerry, Sligo and Brittany. The reels, jigs and gavottes he teaches are faster, more complex tunes than on lesson one, with wonderful variations and stylistic devices typical of the great traditional Irish fiddlers.

You'll learn to play a number of haunting tunes, including The Cottage Grove, Bonnie Kate, Jenny's Chickens, The Man From Bundoran, The Rose in the Heather, Dan Collins' Father's Jig, The Miller Of Droghan, Connie O'Connell's, A Cup of Tea, Off To The Races and three Breton gavottes. Kevin breaks down each tune in detail, teaching the melody slowly and then analyzing the rolls, triplets, grace notes, bowing techniques, rhythmic timing, phrasing and other elements that make these dance tunes come alive.

Although the emphasis of this lesson is naturally on Irish music, you'll learn important fiddle techniques that will serve you well in any style you play.