Musical Bio
I perform and teach traditional (and some modern) Irish dance music on fiddle,
Irish flute, tin whistle, guitar, tenor banjo and bodhran. I began playing
Irish music in 1990. In the late 90s I wrote the web’s leading tin whistle
tutorial, in use by thousands of people around the world.
In 1993 I co-founded (and still anchor) Atlanta's longest-running and most
successful music session, which occurs every Monday night at Fado Irish Pub.
A former member of Caislean, The New Road, and The Long Drop, I have performed
at Atlanta Symphony Hall, the High Museum, the Fox Theatre, and many other
venues around the Southeast. I also perform regularly in the online virtual
world Second Life, under
the name ‘Slip Stringfellow’.
In Dublin in 2004, I completed the An Teastas i dTeagasc Ceolta Tire (T.T.C.T.)
certification for teachers of Irish fiddle, the first person in the Southeast
(to my knowledge) to do so. I am currently the Music Director for Irish Music
Traditions, and Chairperson of the Southern region of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Éireann.
Instruments
I play the following instruments:
- Fiddle: Williams-Gengakki label, Chinese-made, 2004, John Pearse strings, with a German 1950’s bow
- Flute: Patrick Olwell, 3-key, blackwood, pitched in D
- Tin Whistles: Michael Burke and Michael Copeland, brass, pitched in D; Howard low D
- Guitar: Martin DR, medium Elixir strings
- Tenor Banjo: Bacon, 1920’s vintage, with no resonator
- Bodhran: Michael Vignoles 16”, and Charlie Byrne 18”, both tunable