Article taken from Bluegrassové listy 25/4 (Bluegrass Letters) – the quarterly magazine of the Bluegrass Association of the Czech Republic. In the last issue of Bluegrass Letters, I enjoyed reading the interview with the Turner brothers, who participated in this year’s Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Kamp*, held in June 2025 in Maryville, Tennessee. I thought that … Read more
My year 2024 was full of musical experiences of many kinds – performing, teaching, practicing, composing, recording, traveling, organizing, record launches, awards, exploring new music, acquiring new instruments… 🫢 Check out the photos and videos below to document the highlights. I appreciate immensely the time and trust I received from every concert visitor, every workshop … Read more
In 2025 it will be ten years since I started organizing ATAmusic music camps. If you would like to know more about any of them and maybe even participate, write to me. I will also be teaching at several international camps as an invited guitar and fiddle tutor. Click on the links below for … Read more
Sometimes I email news to fans. This is how I recapped my 2020. If you wish to receive such condensed messages from me in the future, subscribe here. If you prefer fresh news, you can find me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Ondra KozákI’m a musician and tutor who likes asking Why? and talking with clever people. … Read more
I’m a fan of fiddle tunes – old traditional instrumental tunes usually played on violin or other stringed instruments. I like to use them for practicing because they let me work on several things at the same time: rhythm, melody, scales, fingerings, and improvisation. They also broaden my repertoire of standards so I have new songs … Read more
We received a grant from The IBMA Foundation to pick for preschool children with my former bandmate Petr Brandejs. The program will introduce bluegrass instruments and basic music terms like rhythm, pitch, tempo, etc. to small kids in kindergartens in the Czech Republic. More info (in Czech) here. Thank you, The IBMA Foundation! Ondra KozákI’m … Read more
After I finished my guitar album Overtones, I’ve been focusing on fiddle quite a lot. Part of it is this new video bundle with 6 traditional fiddle tunes. It contains sheet music (melody, simple and advanced solo, intro, outro), video and guitar playalong tracks in two speeds for the following tunes: Cripple Creek, Cherokee Shuffle, … Read more
I’ve heard that November is a good month for musicians. I certainly enjoyed it. Here are a few videos and photos from it. 1st bluegrass workshop in South Bohemia I organized the first bluegrass workshop in South Bohemia. Ralph Schut helped me a lot with teaching. 30 people attended this event and we’re about to … Read more
Three types of musicians The world is evolving fast and we as musicians can use the modern technologies to our benefit for sure. Some people refuse them and this approach is certainly good for not being distracted from playing. Others don’t mind being distracted and they love comparing parameters and watching video reviews … Read more
New instructional application for musicians playing on banjo, mandolin and guitar called Tunefox has been launched recently. It is focused on improving improvisation skills using licks in an innovative way. It actually offers several helpful functionalities that make Tunefox a very versatile and powerful tool in my opinion. The most innovative part – exchangeable licks – is … Read more
The Importance of Critical Listening for Musicians. List of Recommended Bluegrass Recordings. How to become a better musician — universal answer HERE! Every year I meet a lot of people who want to become better musicians. They want to play better rhythm, tasteful fills, faster solos, fancier chords. They would like to sing more convincingly, … Read more