Hey Friends - Happy New Year! Hope you've had a good holiday season. Want to keep having fun this New Year? One way to do that is to join Carl and my Online Winter Music Classes (Zoom) to help inspire/ revitalize your music making. Improve your playing in a friendly group class that's super affordable and learn some great trad tunes. Here's the info!
Int+ Mandolin (Carl Jones) Mondays: 6:30pm – 7:30pm ET Jan 12 – Feb 16, 2026
Adv Beg Old-Time Fiddle (Erynn) Mondays 8pm – 9pm ET Jan 12 – Feb 16, 2026
Int+/Adv OT Fiddle (Erynn) Tuesdays 7pm - 8pm ET Jan 13 – Feb 17, 2026
Intermediate+ OT Fiddle (Erynn) Wednesdays 6:30pm – 7:30pm ET Jan 14 – Feb 18, 2026
The Art of Back-Up Guitar (Carl Jones) Wednesdays: 8pm – 9pm ET Jan 14 – Feb 18, 2026
Each group class meets online for 1hr a week for 6 weeks on Zoom.
You get: 6 live online classes including: 6 videos of each class Fiddle music or Guitar/Mandolin TAB Suggested guitar chords Practice audio for play along Field recordings and historical info on traditional musicians Bowing markings/practice or guitar / mandolin technique exercises Fun making music with others with no winter commute
Videos of all classes will be recorded and archived so you can miss a class and watch later if you'd like to. Some people in far-flung time zones like to take the class entirely by video. Attend when you want or opt for the class video when you’re busy. Cost for entire 6-week class is $80-$125 (sliding scale: pay what you can). Special: Canadian/Australian dollar taken on par with US. For each tune we will delve down the old-time music rabbit hole to learn from master traditional players. There is also a fun, community vibe in these group classes. That’s Carl and my favorite part!
To register just tell us what class you'd like to join by emailing info@dittyville.com and make your payment via paypal, venmo, or check. paypal.me/dittyvillewww.venmo.com/dittyville If you have any questions feel free to drop us a line. Happy New Year – play more old-time music!
Carl and my next 5-week zoom class starts up soon! We are offering old-time fiddle (3 different levels: Adv-Beg, Int+ and Adv), Song-arranging & back-up, Mandolin and Art of Back-Up Guitar. Here’s the dates:
Intermediate +/Adv – The Art of Back-Up Guitar (Carl)Sat 11am, Nov 15 – Dec 13Int+/Adv Fiddle (Erynn)
Sun 1pm ET, Nov 16 – Dec 14, 2025Int+Adv Mandolin (Carl)Mon 7pm ET, Nov 17 – Dec 15, 2025
Adv-Beg Fiddle (Erynn) Tunes & Technique Overview!Tues 6:30pm ET, Nov 18 – Dec 16, 2025
Song Arranging & Back-Up (Carl) Find ways to accompany your singing better!Tues 8pm ET, Nov 18 – Dec 16, 2025
Intermediate + Fiddle (Erynn)Wed 7pm ET, Nov 19 – Dec 17, 2025
We’ll learn great tunes & techniques (bowing, noting, chords, etc) from trad players, learn their technique secrets, work on back-beat/groove and more! You’ll get live classes, sheet music/ TAB, practice audio and videos of each class so you can never miss a thing Tell friends. Join the fun! 1. Tell us what class you’d like to join by emailing us at info (at) dittyville (dot) com and 2. Make a donation (suggested 65 – 100 you choose) to Paypal or Venmo (search Dittyville)Hope to see you there!
Carl and I have had fun galavanting this summer at 7 music camps!. Fall is coming and our Online Zoom Music classes start up again this September! You are invited to join our musical group. Carl is teaching Mandolin and the Art of Back-Up Guitar. I’ll be leading two levels of Old-Time fiddle. We’ll learn some of our favorite old-time tunes and songs, master techniques (bowing, picking, chords and more from respected traditional players) plus have fun getting that old-time sound and groove! Carl and I teach a tune a week (in our 1hr class) for 6 weeks (suggested donation 80 – 125 (you choose). We provide practice audio for learning by ear plus fiddle sheet music and banjo, mandolin, guitar TAB. Participants can ask questions in real time, All classes are recorded and videos provided so you can catch up if you miss a class. Tell a friend so you can learn the same tunes or songs together. Then you’ll have friends to play them with. There’s a fun, chatty vibe in these classes and several friends have been joining us in them for years. Feel free to join the merry band if you’d like to 🙂
Here’s the Dates:
Fall 2025
Old Time Mandolin – (Carl) Intermediate+ – Adv. Mondays – 7 p.m. ET Sept 15 – Oct 27 (no class Oct 13)
Inv+Adv Fiddle – (Erynn) Tuesdays – 7 p.m. ET. Sept 16 – Oct 28 (no class Oct 14)
Intermediate+ Fiddle (Erynn) Wednesdays – 6:30 p.m. ET Sept 17 – Oct 29 (no class Oct 15)
Int+Adv The Art of Guitar Back-Up (Carl) Wednesdays – 8 p.m. ET Sept 17 – Oct 29 (no class Oct 15)
To participate: 1. Tell us what class you’d like to join by emailing us at info (at) dittyville (dot) com and 2. Make a donation (see above) to Paypal or Venmo (search for Dittyville) Hope to see you there! Making music creates community in a world that tries to divide us. Let’s seek harmony through melody!
Nov. 8 – Dec 13 2022 6 week class – Tuesdays, 7pm-8pm, Zoom classes w/ Carl Jones from Dittyville!Here’s two songs:Last Time on the Roadhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwci8UrOQLUH.O.M.E.https://open.spotify.com/track/5YmuQnQBveXOBQE1iq4kCGIt’s always somewhat fantastical and mysterious just pondering where songs come from and different ways to go about creating melodies and lyrics. In these group, song-writing sessions I invite you to join me as we discover ways to get started, develop and finish song ideas. It might begin with a good title or a catchy melodic phrase that seems to pull lyrics out of thin air. Or, perhaps, there is a family story you’d like to immortalize in song.Finding the first spark can be challenging but it’s alsowhere the fun begins. I want us all to have input and help each other as the weeks progress.My goal for these classes is to collectively work together and get excited about how amazing an original song can be. I believe the most seemingly insignificant thing can lead to a wonderful and impactful song. Some ideas we’ll explore:*embracing a non-judgmental approach *basics of melodic development*Serendipitous reading*writing from different perspectives(The same song from different sides of the story)*creativity exercises and visualizations*peripheral listening*cadence of lines and internal rhymes*leaving the listener room for imagination*basic music theory for chord ideas*anything and everything that “springs” up!Class dates, times and sign up details: Each group class meets online for an hour a week for 6 weeks on Zoom. Nov. 8 – Dec 13 2022, Tuesdays, 7pm-8pm. Videos of all classes will be recorded and archived so you can miss a class and watch later if you’d like to. Some people in far-flung time zones are welcome to take the class entirely by video and can get personal feedback on ideas/songs via email. Pdfs of exercise sheets, music / tab will be provided. Participants are given access to a class folder of all the music/tab/video links. You can download all class videos/music/tab onto your own computer for future reference. Cost per 6 session class is $75-$125 (sliding scale: pay what you can). It’s always fun and there is a great sense of community in these group classes. I have taught a lot of online music classes but am excited to offer song-wrting for the first time!To register for this songwriting class please email me at info@dittyville.com and make your payment via paypal, venmo or check (msg me for address)paypal.me/dittyvillewww.venmo.com/dittyvillePlease share this songwriting class opportunity with music friends. If you have any questions feel free to drop a line at info@dittyville.com Remember there is always a new song in the air waiting to be born.Carl Jones www.Dittyville.comCarl Jones Bio:Carl Jones is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalistborn in Macon, Georgia. He presently lives in Hillsville, Virginia and is widely respected for his instrumental talents and original songs about the joys and tribulations of life in the south.Carl’s songs have been recorded by The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Kate Campbell, Rickie Simpkins w/ Tony Rice, and others. His song Last Time On The Road was on the grammy award winning album Unleashed by The Nashville Bluegrass Band. He played mandolin and recorded with Norman and Nancy Blake as part of the Rising Fawn String Ensemble and currently tours with his wife, fiddler Erynn Marshall. www.dittyville.com
Big Valentines Sale at Dittyville all February! Every one of our CDs only $10 each ($5 off ea!!) including the 2021 release Old-Time Sweethearts vol 1 / vol 2!All recordings have extensive, color liner-notes.Dittyville Caps and instructional DVDs on sale too!Order at www.Dittyville.com
Recordings include:
Old Tin – Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones
Crickets Lullaby – James Bryan & Carl Jones Two Pictures – James Bryan & Carl Jones Traveling Star – Carl Jones & Friends (original songs & tunes)
Greasy Creek – Erynn Marshall & Friends (original tunes)
Galax Bogtrotters – (Erynn, Carl, Eddie & Bonnie Bond, Eric Hill)
Meet Me in the Music – Erynn Marshall & Chris Coole
Carl and I are so looking forward to the next round of our Online Music Classes starting again soon because we love the interaction with everyone! We’re starting the 3rd week in January. Early-Int. Fiddle, Int+-Adv Fiddle, Int+ Mandolin, Int. Back-up Guitar will be offered. Each 6 week class meets once a week. Carl and I are so looking forward to seeing everyone again at these group classes sharing a lot of great tunes, tips! Here’s the info:
Early-Int OT Fiddle (Erynn) Sats 11am -12pm ET Jan 22–Feb 26
Int+/Adv OT Fiddle (Erynn) Sats 3:30-4:30pm Jan 22 – Feb 26
Int+ Guitar Back-Up (Carl) Sats: 1pm – 2pm ET Jan 22 – Feb 26
Int + Mandolin (Carl) Tuesdays: 7pm-8pm ET Jan 25 – Mar 1
Each group class meets online for an hour a week for 6 weeks on Zoom. Videos of all classes will be recorded and archived so you can miss a class and watch later if you’d like to. Some people in far-flung time zones like to take the class entirely by video. Pdfs of Fiddle music & Mandolin/Guitar music / tab will be provided. Participants are given access to a class folder of all the music/tab/video links. You can download all class videos /music /tab onto your own computer for review. Cost per 6 session class is $75-$125 (sliding scale: pay what you can). Canadian’s can pay the same prices in CAD. We cover technique pro-tips, old-time style, bowing, picking prowess, great tunes and some interesting background on some of our favorite, traditional players! There is also a fun, community vibe in these group classes which everyone needs right now and we enjoy too!
To register just tell us what class you’d like to join by emailing info@dittyville.com and make your payment via paypal, venmo, or check. paypal.me/dittyvillewww.venmo.com/dittyville (276-237-6866). Please share the class news with music friends. If you have any questions feel free to drop us a line at info@dittyville.com Hope you can join us! Erynn and Carl www.Dittyville.com You are welcome to share this info with friends who love Old-Time Music (then you’ll have more music pals who can play the same tunes!)
Hello Friends – Carl and my Online Music Classes start Nov 6th – yay! Adv-Beg Fiddle, Int. Fiddle, Int Mandolin, Int Back-up Guitar will be offered. Each 6 week class meets once a week. The classes are fun and we look forward to sharing a lot of great tunes, tips and music! Here’s the scoop:
Adv-Beg / Early-Int Fiddle (Taught by Erynn) Saturdays: 11am -12pm ET Nov 6th – Dec 11th, 2021
Intermediate Old-Time Fiddle (Taught by Erynn) Saturdays: 3:30pm – 4:30pm ET Nov 6th – Dec 11th, 2021
Intermediate Guitar Back-Up (Taught by Carl) Saturdays: 1pm – 2pm ET Nov 6th – Dec 11th, 2021
Intermediate + Mandolin (Taught by Carl) Tuesdays: 7pm-8pm ET Nov 9th – Dec 7th and Wed, Dec 15th, 2021 (no class Dec 14)
Each group class meets online for an hour a week for 6 weeks on Zoom. Videos of all classes will be recorded and archived so you can miss a class and watch later if you’d like to. Some people in far-flung time zones like to take the class entirely by video. Pdfs of Fiddle music & Mandolin/Guitar music / tab will be provided. Participants are given access to a class folder of all the music/tab/video links. You can download all class videos/music/tab onto your own computer for review. Cost per 6 session class is $75-$125 (sliding scale: pay what you can). Canadian’s can pay the same prices in CAD (Canuck special J). We’ll learn good technique, old-time style, great tunes and some interesting background on some of our favorite, traditional players! We’ll also strive to have fun and create a sense of community in these group classes because everyone needs that right now and we enjoy it too!
To register just tell us what class you’d like to join by emailing info@dittyville.com and make your payment via paypal, venmo or check. paypal.me/dittyville www.venmo.com/dittyville Please share the class news with music friends. If you have any questions feel free to drop us a line at info@dittyville.com Hope you can join us for some more, great, Old-Time Music! Carl Jones & Erynn Marshall www.Dittyville.com
We hope this letter finds you well and that you have been able to enjoy many days of the summer so far even if it is another unusual one. We continue to feel grateful for increased vaccinations, things opening up more, a return to our first in-person camps/gigs again and for seeing more friends and loved ones. Every day counts more now than ever before.
Carl and I have some news! We are moving to Hillsville, Virginia (25 minutes from Galax, VA) where we have bought an old Victorian farmhouse (built in 1900 but very updated). We’re staying in the beautiful, Blue Ridge Mountains with amazing traditional music and cool temperatures. The house is lovely but no one enjoys moving. Wish us luck! We are packing a lot of boxes these days…
Online Music Camp: SGOnline:
Want to enjoy an online fiddle camp from the comfort of your own home? I’ll be teaching adv-beg fiddle at Swannanoa Old-Time Week (called SGOnline this year) July 18-23, 2021. Carl is teaching intermediate clawhammer banjo and int+-adv mandolin. You can take 3 classes (there are many great teachers and classes to choose from!) and you should check them all out. If you are busy you have a whole month to catch up on any classes you miss. You can also participate in online jams led by great old-time musicians, join in the virtual Old-Time Social Open Mic (or just listen) and enjoy the gala staff concert (killer line-up! …all the OT staff). All that and there’s even happy-hour hang-outs every day where you can just socialize with friends and have the beverage of your choice. There’s still time to sign up but you should do it soon. Check it out at: https://swangathering.com/catalog/ot/classes/
Other upcoming events we’ll be at in person (woot!):
Sept 5 – 10 – John C Campbell Folk School (Brasstown, NC).
Oct 27 – 31 – Augusta October Old-Time Week (Elkins, WV).
Carl and I will be starting up our online classes again once things settle down in the fall. We’ll be sure to let you know.
More good news! Old-Time Sweethearts featuring 12 old-time music couples from across the country (and produced by Rachel Eddy and myself) was glowingly reviewed and featured in the Old-Time News (a UK publication) and we even made the cover! The new, 2021 release is available from www.Dittyville.com and Bandcamp.
p.s. Catch us on Patreon
Carl and I also continue to provide teaching videos, music, tab, recipes, free album downloads, performance videos, songwriting tips & more on Patreon. If you sign up at the $6 (lesson videos) or $10 level (videos & sheet music/tab) you also get all the tunes we taught monthly for the last 14 months! You can check out what we offer at: https://www.patreon.com/dittyville
We look forward to seeing many of you this summer. If we miss you we hope we get to see you soon. May you and yours enjoy all that these warmer months have to offer. Thanks as always for your support of our music and be safe.
Today is the official release of Old-time Sweethearts! Next is the BIG EVENT that will bring us all together, our Sweethearts Online Release Concert featuring twenty musicians from the project in one show!! Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 2nd, at 7pm ET. Let’s party!!
Performances by:
Betse Ellis & Clarke Wyatt
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer
Judy Hyman & Jeff Claus
Elizabeth LaPrelle & Brian Dolphin
Bruce Molsky & Audrey Molsky
Andrew Small & Ashlee Watkins
Tricia Spencer & Howard Rains
AJ Srubas & Rina Rossi
Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones
Rachel Eddy & Em Hammond
Old-Time Sweethearts Release Concert! Online Sunday, May 2 at 7pm ET (4pm Pacific Time). (Tix are $15 or only $10 if you order or have ordered a copy of OTS):Tickets available here:https://buytickets.at/dittyvilleYou can purchase the Old-time Sweethearts when you get a concert ticket, at www.dittyville.com or from Bandcamp here: Old-Time Sweethearts digital copies at BandcampWe’re thankful to the musicians, our supporters who pre-ordered and the DJs who are already spinning the tunes! Hope to see you at the show!cheers, Erynn and Rachel
The pandemic has been hard on all of us. The only thing many of us musicians knew what to do after our tours, concerts and livelihoods were disrupted for this long was to dive back deep into the music itself (possibly a form of escapism). In this space so much art creation and inner growth has been taking place. A desire grew for many artists to reach out and help others. We long to bring beauty back into this world we cherish and connect with loved ones. Music is the way of our hearts, hands and voices.
Here is an example of an amazing silver lining of this turbulent time. During a small but very special, socially-distanced jam session last summer, the idea for Old-Time Sweethearts was born. The music was sounding so fine between the three musical couples that were present and it felt so good to be making live music again. This moment sparked Rachel Eddy and myself, (producers and friends), along with our music/life partners Emily Hammond and Carl Jones, to team up with 10 other musical couples to make Old-Time Sweethearts – a unique 2 volume set of recordings. Here is all the info about our labor-of-love project we are so happy to bring to you!
Old-Time Sweethearts is an exciting collection of music from sweethearts—couples steeped in the genre who offer new glimpses into what they create together. The musical contributions of each couple showcase unique collaborations made possible only by years of making music together. Featuring players from across the United States, this two-volume set reveals an array of tradition-inspired music made with love. Each CD in this collection includes a baker’s dozen of tunes and songs.
Pre-orders for Old-Time Sweethearts start Feb 14th. CDs will be mailed out in early April 2021. For a limited time get our special pre-order price of $25 USD for both volumes. Digital download release on Bandcamp is March 5, 2021! If you want to make an international order, use credit cards or snail mail us a check email us info@dittyville.com. We’ll be glad to assist. This entire project was made during the pandemic and we appreciate your support. Everybody needs a little old-time music love right now! We hope you enjoy Old-Time Sweethearts.
Sincerely, Erynn
Old-Time Sweethearts
Volume 1:
Betse Ellis and Clarke Wyatt
Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer
Judy Hyman and Jeff Claus
Elizabeth LaPrelle and Brian Dolphin
Earl White and Adrienne Davis
Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones
Rachel Eddy and Emily Hammond
Old-Time Sweethearts
Volume 2:
Jesse Milnes and Emily Miller
Bruce Molsky and Audrey Molsky
Andrew Small and Ashlee Watkins
AJ Srubas and Rina Rossi
Tricia Spencer and Howard Rains
Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones
Rachel Eddy and Emily Hammond
Please visit our store page on this website to order. Thank you!
