Hello Fiddlers!!!!  I think you'll like this new interview with one of my oldest friends, the head [for 30 years!] of the Berklee Strings Program and now the creator and Director of Berklee's Roots Music program, Professor Matthew Glaser. There's a tremendous amount of food for thought in this wide-ranging interview, which combines Matt's tremendous knowledge, humor and insights into all levels of Bluegrass fiddling, the science of melody, musical structure, and anything else under the sun.

We've just posted the first 6 segments in the Special Guests Section, just click on the image below to watch part one! 

Matt Glaser has connected with more great artists, scientists, and influential people than most people can even imagine.  He has released some of the most interesting and challenging acoustic string recordings of this era, and has authored many influential music instruction books including two bluegrass fiddle books and a definitive study of jazz violin pioneer Stephane Grappelli's style. Matt is a cranky and delightful genius of the Curmudgeonal Tradition.

His amazing erudition and unique opinions are fascinating, and his playing always sheds light on something! We hope this will be the first of multiple visits from Matt.

Enjoy,

Darol

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An Excerpt from Matt Glaser's Biography:

"I'm not the world's most methodical teacher. But I think I make very strong demands on people who study with me. For instance, having people play ideas in all 12 keys. And I expect my students to learn by listening and not just reading. I think it's important for students to have a mental map of music in their mind.

"I'm proud of the fact that I've played with a very wide range of musicians, from Yo-Yo Ma to Bob Dylan to Ralph Stanley. I enjoy finding what's valuable in all these different worlds. I'll always remember playing at Carnegie Hall for Stephane Grappelli's 80th birthday. The encore was 'Tiger Rag,' and I was standing next to Yo-Yo Ma and Mark O'Connor. As we were all bowing at the end, Yo-Yo Ma said, 'I was totally lost.'"

More on Matt:

• -M.M., Tufts University
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• -Performances at Carnegie Hall with Stephane Grappelli and Yo-Yo Ma, and at the Boston Globe Jazz Festival with Gunther Schuller
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• -Featured on Grammy Award–winning soundtrack for The Civil War and the soundtrack for King of the Gypsies
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• -Performances with the New York All-Stars, Bob Dylan, Lee Konitz, David Grisman, and the International String Quartet Congress
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• -Author of Jazz Violin and Jazz Chord Studies for Violin
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• -Served on the board of advisors for Ken Burns's Jazz documentary and appears as a narrator on the film
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• -Taught at the Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp, the University of Miami, American String Teacher Association conferences, and International Association of Jazz Educators conferences
   
• -Specializes in helping string players develop improvisational skills in jazz and folk idioms