A Conversation with Accordion Player Karen Tweed // Rune Barslund's Podcast (Episode 2)

Karen Tweed stopped by for a visit when she was on her way to Sweden to record a new album. We sat down in Mars Music Studio for an interesting chat about mastering the Irish folk music tradition, learning from players of other instruments, dealing with the music industry, what it takes to make your living from playing music, Karen's inventive way of using the Stradella bass, teaching, and how to deal with performance anxiety. 👉 Link to Karen's website - www.karentweed.com 👉 Video of Karen playing A Stór Mo Chroí -    • Karen Tweed - Orkney   Content 00:00 Introduction 00:31 Karen's background and upbringing 02:35 Karen's musical upbringing 08:17 How to get good at playing Irish music as a non-Irish person 11:51 How Karen got into traditional Swedish music 14:58 The benefit of learning from players of other instruments 21:08 Different ways of getting to know a tradition 27:13 Karen's inventive way of using the Stradella bass 35:18 Karen's explorative playing style 40:35 What makes a good teacher? 41:26 Is becoming a professional musician for anyone who is good at playing their instrument? 43:09 Karen's advice to people who consider becoming a professional musician 50:45 Karen's take on playful and soulful playing 56:41 Performance anxiety