A couple of fiddle tunes arranged by Eric Skye
 

Recently I have been quite taken by Eric Skye playing through a series of twenty-one short fiddle tunes on YouTube along with his Homespun lessons which I have downloaded. I was struck by how beautiful the melodies are with the emphasis on melody rather than speed. As Eric states, nothing fancy, just once through at a modest tempo.

I am at the moment trying to learn how to use a pick to play as way of a change from fingerstyle. Here's my take on a couple of Eric's arrangements.



and



Hope you like them.

Love both of these - and that was clean picking!

What's your approach to improving the flatpicking? Are you doing it through these pieces, or also doing scales/exercises? I notice that there's a good amount of alternate picking, especially in that first piece, is that of your own doing or is it as instructed?

Okay, that's probably enough questions! Thanks for posting these.

Tom

Beautiful playing and what a lovely sound guitar. What kind of guitar is it? It has so much sustain.

Very nice, I love all your tunes and this is a very nice change of pace with the flat picking which you do very well by the way. Thank you.

Lovely as always, Phil!
How long have you been working on your flat picking?? You've really picked it up.......beautiful job!
Best, Fred

Real nice Phil and the Lyn sounds great.
A couple more to try along these lines are "Ookpik Waltz" and "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz". Both great tunes.

Hi Tom

I suppose I should do scales/exercises but to be honest I just want to play tunes so yes I am just following the Eric Skye Homespun lessons. I don't play it exactly as Eric teaches with regard to up/down picking. I learned them how he plays it (more or less ;)) then just play it the easiest and most pragmatic way I can to enjoy it.

Thanks for watching.

Thanks Karen. The guitar was built by Brook Guitars here in England. They are named after rivers and this is the 'Lyn' model. Mahogany back and sides with a European spruce top. They finished it for me in 2013.

Well done Phil, that sounds great. I have never played with a pick for me

Phil, those are just beautiful..

Lovely simple melodies and you are really getting a lovely fat and warm tone with the pick, which is very easy on the ear.

I used to play a piece called Huckleberry Hornpipe, and old fiddle tune that Clarence White had recorded (fast..) - you'll be playing Bluegrass next ;-)

If you haven't, have a listen to Ron Block (Alison Krauss and Union Station) - some of the most sublime pick tones I have ever heard.

Just lovely and very fine playing Phil

Thanks Tom.

Thanks Fred. I've been working on my flat picking with any real purpose since a couple of weeks before my Shadow Of Your Smile video so probably 3 months or so. Having said that I've always had a pick lying around so it would be wrong to say I'm completely new to it but I've just not tried to play a 'proper' piece before.

Thanks Skip. I'll look those two tunes up, actually think I have heard the Bill Monroe one before.

Those tunes are beautiful and I like the playing and especially the sound from that guitar. Very well played.

Some time ago, I came across a fiddle tune called Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. I had a go at it. Here it is if you want a listen but my playing is nowhere near as good as yours.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjZ...AAp6BPg/videos


Just noticed that although AGF has many American members, I am ‘just down the road’ from you in Ross-on-Wye.