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Jonathan Sheldon
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Jonathan Sheldon
  • Home
  • About
  • Calendar
  • Video
  • Photos
  • Music
  • TV & Radio
  • Services
    • Composition
    • Recording Artist
    • Live Performance
  • Contact

Jonathan Sheldon Photo Gallery

UPCOMING GIGS

January 14th, 2025
w/Tar & Flowers @ Maui Sugar Mill Saloon
Tarzana, CA

January 17th, 2026
Moonlight Special @ The Goldfish
Pasadena, CA

January 19th, 2025
w/Silas Nello @ Harvard & Stone
Los Angeles, CA

January 19th, 2025
w/The Creeping Devils @ Harvard & Stone
Los Angeles, CA

INSTAGRAM

jonathansheldon

LA-based Violinist / Fiddler, Performer, Composer, Recording Artist, Songwriter
Americana • Rock • Pop • Film & more

✨️ From Classical Violin to Fiddle 🎻 People ofte ✨️ From Classical Violin to Fiddle 🎻 

People often ask me if it was difficult transitioning from classical violin to country fiddle. The answer is yes, and no. Yes, because it takes a lot of rewiring of old habits. No, because if you put time into anything you can physically do, it’s guaranteed that you’ll get better at it.

I started playing classical violin when I was eleven. It wasn’t until about 2018 that I started dabbling in Americana music. I had to unlearn fifteen years of training. New techniques had to be incorporated. Let me break it down a little.

Where bowing was once melody driven, my bow arm now had to play the role of the rhythm section, while at the same time fingering melodies with my left hand.

Improvising is a huge part of fiddling, so I had to let go of the rigidity of my classical training, turning it into active listening and responding in my own unique way with no sheet music to fall back to.

Even getting comfortable positioning the fiddle on my chest rather than my shoulder lent itself to the looseness of the style, though it took a lot of practice to get it right.

Then, taking all that and ramping up the pickin’ speed to 11 for bluegrass felt absolutely daunting.

At first, I was constantly bombarded with thoughts of “I’m not good enough”, or “There’s no way they’ll accept me.” Because there’s so much I was going through to transition to where I am now. And I’m still learning and getting better all the time, building trust and confidence in myself.

Even now I have moments of “I cannot believe I am playing this music with these people on this stage and the audience is enjoying it.” And boy, has the journey made my world so much bigger. What pivot are you making? Whatever it is, I'm in your corner.

Song 🎻: Double Violin Concerto in A Minor, Third Movement by Johann Sebastian Bach

#losangeles #violin #fiddle #bach #classicalmusic
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