On Wednesday night, I played fiddle for a Scottish Country Dance class at the Durant Center in Alexandria, VA as my first paying gig, with Julie Gorka on piano and Becky Ross on lead fiddle.

Because this was going to be my first time playing solo for a dance, the teacher had suggested that a more experienced fiddler be hired, and that I play second fiddle, so to speak. This was very helpful in some ways, because I had forgotten how fast Country Dance reels are played, and wasn't ready with the tunes to keep up at that pace, especially with tunes I didn't know well. On the other hand, it was an ad hoc arrangement, so I didn't get the tunes until Saturday afternoon and didn't get one of the reel sets at all (fortunately, I knew two of those reels very well). And I knew the strathspeys, jigs, marches, and waltz we played well enough that Becky often left me to play melody and she played a harmony.

The dancers were all very complimentary and encouraging, and several said I was welcome to play for them any time. We'll see how the teacher feels!

If I were to assign myself grades, I'd give myself a A- on the strathspeys and waltz, B+ on the jigs & marches, and a C- on the reels. Next time I'll pick the sets myself, and have 2+ weeks to prepare. I'll also play the reels at tempo with a metronome.

Still, not bad for my first professional outing. Here's hoping I'm asked back to play for them on a regular basis.