This class will explore the role the fiddle/violin played in the swing era and how to play and solo in this genre. Joe Venuti started the ball rolling way back in 1924, with other great swing fiddlers, including Stuff Smith, Svend Asmussen, and Stéphane Grappelli blossoming later. We’ll have sheet music for readers and recordings for ear players.

Joe Venuti said, “You have to know chords,” so in both classes (Swing Fiddle and Western Swing Fiddle) we’ll cover playing over chords. We’ll investigate the elusive swing eighth note phenomenon and Joe’s off-beat swing slurring and learn how to decorate basic melodies with syncopation, blue notes, neighboring tones, and more. We’ll apply these techniques to great old standards and have a lot of fun doing so.

Paul Anastasio has played with Merle Haggard, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers and Loretta Lynn. He currently performs with the western swing band Stop the Clock.