Attend the Lesson
Show up on Wednesdays at noon CST for the LIVE online class OR simply catch the replay on your own time.
Learn by Ear
During the lesson you will learn new skills to play by ear with your instrument: violin/fiddle, viola or cello.
9 New Tunes
Each week you will practice learning one tune by ear in the comfort of your own home. We will focus on learning traditional fiddle tunes in a range of genres.
No Homework
Outside of the hour-long weekly lesson there is no additional time required. If you like a tune you can continue to practice it... if you want!
How it Works
In just 9 weeks, you’ll begin to trust your ears and play music more freely — without relying on sheet music.
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Join Laurel live every Wednesday at noon
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Can’t make it live? Replays are ready the same day
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Learn a full tune each week, one step at a time
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Develop the skills to hear music and play it back
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Stay motivated with guided practice challenges
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Learn comfortably from home — no pressure, no judgment
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Designed for violin, fiddle, viola, and cello players
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Plus, special guest instructors to inspire your journey
Lunchtime Fiddle Club is for You if …
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You’ve played at least 1 year
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You know your fingerboard basics
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You struggle to memorize tunes
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You want to stop relying on sheet music
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You feel shy experimenting in group learning environments or in private lesson situations.
This is ideal for adult learners who want to gain confidence playing without notation (A.K.A. the "dots").
Enroll!What We’ll Learn
- One complete tune every week
- Breaking phrases into digestible sections
- All sorts of tricks and tools for playing by ear
- Ornamentation by ear (without overthinking)
- Hearing large "chunks" of music instead of learning note by note
- Memory techniques for recall
- Bow feel + groove
That’s 36 tunes over the year!
Testimonials
Katie
I am really enjoying and getting a lot out of the Drunken Fiddles Lunchtime Fiddle Club!  Each week we work on a new tune, and learning by ear on Zoom is so much easier for me.  I use an ear bud in my left ear to hear Laurel’s instruction, and since I am in the privacy of my own home,  I can easily hear myself when I land on the right notes.  I highly recommend these classes! Â
Jerry
This class is well worth both the time and cost for anyone who wants to improve their ability to understand and remember fiddle tunes. While I am a relatively new fiddle mucisian, this class was like an exponential leap in my playing. (Yep, I'm an engineer comfortable with exponents.)
Linda
Laurel’s method for Lunchtime Fiddle Club classes is really brilliant, taking brand new fiddle players as well as seasoned players playing together. There’s always something to be learned for all skill levels!
Sandy
I have to tell you how impressed I am with these online lessons. I just love them!
I love how you present everything listening and watching you play, and I really look forward to practicing everyday. I was a little skeptical about taking the online classes but they're working out really well. Fewer and fewer squeaks every day!
I've always wanted to play the violin; I'm 62 years old and this has been a real treat.
Excited to try an in person workshop again. Thank you so much!!
Kristi
You are wonderful, Laurel, both in person and online.
What a giving spirit you have! There are natural teachers and you are one. This is such a gift for me since my stroke and concussions. A good stretch.
Shoba
These videos are great and this website
and its usability is fantastic. Nicely done!
 WHY IT WORKS
Adults learn by ear best when:
✅ There’s no performance pressure
âś… They can repeat on their own time
âś… The pace is gentle
âś… They feel safe to make mistakes
This series removes the fear so learning can be joyful again.
FAQ's
Do I have to attend live every Wednesday?
Is this a group class where I have to play on camera?
What experience level is this for?
What instruments is this for?
How many tunes will I learn?
How long is each class?
Is the full year commitment required?
What if I miss a season—can I join the next one?
Is this appropriate if I play slowly or struggle to memorize tunes?
How do I access the class?
Can beginners join?
Is there a refund policy?
Sign Up Now!
No contract or obligation.
Free Fiddle Lesson!
Sign up to get a free fiddle lesson now! No instrument required.
About Laurel
Laurel Parks, violinist, has performed and taught around the globe. Her career really began in the early 2000s when her musical project In the Pines got signed to Arctic Rodeo and Second Nature recording labels. Since then she has established herself as a crossover violinist, improviser and educator. In 2015 she started her company Drunken Fiddles which is now located in 7 cities and counting across the Midwest. Â
Laurel has performed violin with the Eagles, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Evanescence, Disturbed, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Amy Grant to name a few. Classically she has performed with the Des Moines Symphony and the internationally touring Mantovani Orchestra. She was also the host of Sound Currents on 91.9 Classical KC, a weekly radio program that explores contemporary classical and crossover music. Her current musical projects include being a composer and musician with The Wires String duo and of Irish Music. Her compositions with the Wires String Duo are published by Mel Bay International publishing. Keeping a regular performing schedule in Kansas City, Laurel has also performed extensively in Europe and Asia and continues to produce innovative concert series in the Kansas City area.
About Guest Instructor: Steven Greenman (May 6th class)
Internationally recognized as one of the world’s leading practitioners of klezmer violin music, Steven Greenman is a concert performer, composer, and educator of klezmer, East European folk, and classical music. Steven composed his virtuoso masterwork, Klezmer Concert Suite for Solo Violin and Orchestra in 2018 and gave its premier performance with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.
He has also performed as violin soloist with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Akron, Canton and Firelands symphonies, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Energy Corridor of Houston Orchestra. With the Joseph Rubin Orchestra, Steven performed themusic of the late violin virtuoso David Rubinoff. Steven’s landmark recordings, Stempenyu’s Dream and Stempenyu’s Neshome, feature his
original Jewish and klezmer compositions. His recording, Khevrisa – European Klezmer
Music, appears on the Smithsonian Folkways label.
Steven directs the Case Western Reserve University Klezmer Music Ensemble and has led International masterclasses at KlezKamp, KlezKanada, Yiddish Summer Weimar,
Internationales Klezmer Festival Fuerth, KlezFest London, Master Class de Musica Tradicional Santiago de Compostela, and Yiddish Academy Tokyo in addition to numerous universities and colleges.
His thrilling collaboration with master pipa-player Gao Hong, The Braided Candle, explores a unique blending of both traditional Jewish and Chinese folk music styles.
