Autoplay Next video from Max length

Will the Circle Be Unbroken - Singing and Playing Lesson

3,620 views · Published 7 November 2014 · 13:56 · Indexed 2 October 2026

Channel: FiddleHed · 2014 · Music

FiddleHed is the fun way to learn fiddling online!

Here's a lesson on how to practice fiddle tunes with singing and practice singing with fiddle tunes! In this lesson we’ll work with the tune Will the Circle Be Unbroken.

The practice of singing and playing will help develop your ear and the connection to your instrument so that the fiddle is an extension of your voice. The basic idea is that you practice each separately in a call and response fashion.

WARM UP
We start by playing the whole tune, then by playing a phrase. Once you are warmed up to the phrase, try to sing it. If that's to hard, just sing the first note! Then the first and second notes, etc., until you can sing the whole phrase.

ALTERNATE
Next, try to alternate playing the phrase with singing it. Do this in a continuous loop, so that you get a feeling of musical flow without having to think too hard.

SYNC
Then try to SIMULTANEOUSLY sing and play the first note, then the first two notes, first three notes, etc., until you have the whole phrase. LOOP THIS! And when you can do it without thinking too hard, move on to the next phrases in the tune or song.

Once you can comfortably play one phrase, start the whole process over with the next phrase. Then put the phrases together until you have the whole tune. Basically, you become a beginner and learn the whole tune over again in this way.
I made some “Learning Chunks” on the FiddleHed site to help you do this. These focused exercises contain sheet music, tabs and mp3 snippets to guide you on each step of your fiddle journey.

These and all new lesson pages can be viewed for one week after publication with a FREE trial membership. Check it out here: https://fiddlehed.com

And after you sign up, I’ll also send you a mini-course of lessons specially designed for your skill level.

Alrighty. Play every day, have fun 😀 and thanks for making music 🙏

Now, go fiddle with it...

Jason 🎻

Will the Circle Be Unbroken - Singing and Playing Lesson

More from this channel