David Kaemmer's Fiddle Tune of the Month FAQs

Q: How can I sign up for Tune of the Month?

A: There are three ways to sign up for Tune of the Month: the 12 month subscription, the 6 month subscription, or the monthly subscription. Monthly subscriptions may be canceled at any time. No matter which subscription type you choose, you may either order online with your credit card through PayPal (you do not need a PayPal account) or print the order form on my website and mail it to me with your check or money order. You can also call 520 220 1166 and order over the phone. The only information needed is your name and address and which subscription you are signing up for. You will then receive an invoice along with your first tune.

Q: How do I cancel my subscription?

A: Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled by calling or emailing me before the 25 th of the month. If you signed up via PayPal you will need to go to the PayPal website in order to cancel your subscription. Six and twelve month subscriptions may not be cancelled.

Q: How do I order tunes from previous months? What tunes are available?

A: If you are a current subscriber you can contact me for a list of archives. I will periodically be sending out an overview of the tunes covered as well.

Q: What exactly will I receive in the mail each month?

A: You will receive a 9x11 envelope containing a 5 page booklet along with a CD inside a clam shell case all of which are inside a single document protector. The CD is 70-80 minutes long and is a studio quality recording. The recording is done with an Audio Technica 4050 condenser microphone and Pro Tools software by Digidesign. The music is printed on cover or card stock (heavy paper). It includes a cover page with the track listing, a preview spot page that isolates the difficult spots in the tune and focuses your practice, the tune itself, the twin fiddle part, and the last page contains different information each month such as practice tips or information about the tune etc.

Q: When do you mail the tunes?

A: I mail the tunes first class parcel post and have them in the mail on or just before the first business day of each month.

Q: Isn't $15 a lot for just one tune?

A: The value of tune of the month is not just in the tune itself, it is in the lesson and the teaching points. Your $15 is giving you a 70-80 minute fiddle lesson that would normally cost you $50 to $75 depending on the area you live in. This lesson is recorded for you so you can easily go back and review parts you did not fully understand or would like to hear again. You are also provided play along tracks for practicing what you have learned as well as the notation for the tune, a twin fiddle part, and preview spots that help focus and organize your practice when you start learning the tune. The techniques learned in these tunes can be applied to your playing of other tunes. When you consider the entire package you are receiving $15 is a steal.

Q: How do you select the tunes?

A: I balance the types of tunes throughout the year between what contest players would label as hoedowns, waltzes, and choice tunes, although the tunes themselves will not all fall under the label of “contest” tunes.  The styles of the tunes will cover a fairly broad spectrum.  Throughout each year there will be a steady mix of traditional fiddle and Texas style fiddle, something Irish or Celtic, something swing, maybe a gospel tune, and an original arrangement of a holiday tune once a year.  When selecting tunes I will try to avoid the most common tunes that I think “everyone” knows (and if I do end up doing a really common tune it will not be the standard arrangement, it will be something new and different) and also the twin parts that are included won't be found anywhere else because I write those myself. 

Q: What if I already know the tune?

A: It's probably unavoidable that you will end up getting a tune that you already know. However reviewing a tune or learning a different version of it is always a good thing. You will also get the benefit of going through the lesson on CD step by step and seeing how the tune is broken down and how the different techniques are pulled out of there. This helps your overall practice and builds more awareness as a player of what your bow hand is doing vs. the left hand etc. After doing this on a monthly basis the goal is that you can better make the connection of how that applies to other tunes you are working on.

Q: What is your fiddling background?

A: Here is a little more info on me that you won't get from my bio.  My background starts with Missouri fiddling and then I was influenced by Texas players such as Terry Morris.  I had a fiddle teacher from Canada (who was into Texas style fiddling) but she also gave me a good taste of the Cape Breton and Celtic fiddle styles.  I also like Western swing and gypsy jazz music.  I am not very heavy on bluegrass and don't know much Appalachian or Cajun.  I do play fiddle contests (mostly because I have students competing), I don't consider myself an “old time” fiddler, and I am also not a Mark O'Connor “clone.” I learn most tunes from recordings and then cross reference arrangements with different books.  After figuring out the structure of the tune and the feel I usually put some of my own original ideas into the tune. 

Q: Do you have any Fiddle CD's available?

A: I have two fiddle CD's available, Fiddling for Change and Milk Cow Blues . There are sound samples on this website as well as at cdbaby.com, itunes and other digital download sites. You can also order both CDs directly from me for $26 (includes shipping).

Q: Is Tune of the Month for all levels?

A: No it is not for all levels, I am trying to target advanced beginners to intermediate level players. If you are unsure if it would be too hard or too easy you can always order one month and try it out, if it doesn't work then you can cancel the subscription. You can also call me at (520) 220 1166 to discuss your playing and see if Tune of the Month would be beneficial to you.

Q: What if I don't read music?

A: Note reading is not an essential skill for Tune of the Month but it is beneficial. For those that do not read notes or have trouble reading there is tab marked on the notation pages that gives the fingering and the string it is played on. Reading the tab and seeing the note below will help you learn to read notes better. Each note has a fingering written above it along with the string it is played on. For an example, the open D note has “D0” written above it. That lets you know the note is on the D string and that 0 fingers are down. If the note was a first finger on the D string it would then say “D1” above the note. The entire notation is played several times and at different speeds throughout the CD, so you will be able to use your ear to help you figure things out as well.

Q: I'm curious what kind of approach you take on your teaching CDs - is it repetitive exercises or just a matter of working on parts of a song to improve? 

A: The Tune of the Month focuses on learning how to play the tune, and specifically how to play the techniques that the tune requires.  I include a whole page of preview spots which isolates different parts of the tune that are difficult so you can get those down before trying the tune.  So if there is a difficult bowing in the tune then the preview spot would take that one or two measures and go thru the bowing using open strings instead of the notes of the tune.  This allows you to isolate the right hand and keep your focus on that instead of trying to do everything at once. 

Q: I'm thinking about signing up but I'm not quite sure if Tune of the Month is for me?