156: Rowan C. Leslie - The Serendipitous Path to Traditional Music Mastery

<p><strong>Guest Overview&nbsp;</strong>This week we interview our first musician, Glasgow-based, Irish born, Fiddle player, teacher, and composer,&nbsp;Rowan C Leslie. ( shout out to <a href="http://theimpossiblenetwork.com/podcast/scott-duncan/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scott Duncan</a> for recommending)&nbsp;</p><p>Rowan began playing the fiddle when his mother joined him in learning to play at age seven.&nbsp;</p><p>Rowan recounts the experience of growing up in a small village of Broughshane, Northern Ireland, his supportive parents encouraging his sporting, musical, and his academic pursuits.&nbsp;</p><p>We discuss growing up with English parents, attending an integrated school in a country historically defined by its religious divide.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Rowan explains the draw to fiddle and traditional music, how it defined&nbsp;his sense of identity, the influential role of his charismatic musical&nbsp;mentor on his journey, and the abundant experience of building his musical network.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Rowan describes his educational experiences, the differences across the traditional music spectrum, the global cultural influence of Irish traditional music, and his traditional music influences.</p><p>We discuss the resurgence of interest in traditional music, the impact of the pandemic on himself and other musicians, and expanding his teaching to a global network of students.&nbsp;</p><p>Rowan describes creating his first album in lockdown, Escaping the Dawn, releasing a book called Contemporary Fiddle Tunes from The North East of Ireland, and his hopes of returning to touring in 2021.&nbsp;</p><p>We get into the evolution of traditional music, the differences in classical and traditional, the impact of AI and technology on music, and the role of serendipity on his journey.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Rowan ends the interview playing a short excerpt of one of his tracks from his new album.&nbsp;</p><p>I hope you enjoy this insight into the world of traditional music with Rowan C Leslie.<