My Reflections from a Nashville gig at Fiddle and Pick
Sunday afternoon, I played bass behind a roomful of violin students at a Nashville spot called the Fiddle and Pick. Aptly named.
This is one of my favorite kinds of gigs. No ego, no setlist rehearsed to death. Just show up, support the students, serve the music.
In Nashville, that means something specific: even a casual local recital puts you next to serious players. The musicianship in this city runs deep, and it’s consistent at the community level. And the repertoire? Kids’ songs, Suzuki pieces, Jazz, Celtic, Bill Monroe, film scores. charts, solos, interaction, follow the leader.
My favorite part – watching the students. Young kids who’d been playing two years. Adults who started last fall and others who had been playing for decades. A teacher who clearly lit a fire in all of them. Violin is unforgiving, physically demanding, and offers very little early reward. And yet, the room was full of smiles, focus, and something that felt genuinely healthy. Music made that.
I ran a music school for years. I’ve put on recitals. I know what it takes to get students to that stage. Seeing it from the bassist’s chair brought it back in the best way.
Thank you to Fiddle and Pick and Stephan Dudasch for having me. Already counting down to next time. 🎸
Practice Spark ⚡️
- Play the melody of a song you have known since childhood.
- Find a style you never play, look up one song in that style, and just listen. No bass in hand. What does the low end actually do?
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