Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Fiddle?

Any chance at offering Bluegrass fiddle lessons here at some point? I’d certainly be interested. Maybe you can get Alison Krauss to do a few lessons :wink: I’m thinking upright bass and maybe even some washtub bass would be nice, that would pretty much cover the list of Bluegrass instruments.

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Nice, I saw on one of your last videos you mentioned a fiddle. I just started watching Sara Watkins lessons on the iPad on an app called “On the Path”. Seems pretty cool so far. The Jake Shimabukuro ukulele one is great.

I’d like some intermediate fiddle lessons that I could work on at my own pace. Or at least I’d like to know that there’s something there for me to work on if I ever get the urge to pick up a fiddle. I can play the fiddle, but I have no idea how to make it sound like all those great bluegrass and folk fiddlers do. Bluegrass double-stops (5ths?) and bluegrass bowing styles are foreign to me.

I been looking for an excuse to buy a fiddle for a long time. Can I convert a violin to a fiddle? (just kiddin’) where do you look for a good one? seems like a lot of junky ones are out there.

Hey guys, my daughter took some violin lessons years ago and still has her rather inexpensive violin. Just wondering, what (if any) difference is there between violin and fiddle? I’d like to get here over to the dark side and jam a little with me on the banjo. Is that possible? How about taking those fiddle lessons Ben was talking about?

— Begin quote from "Banjo Ben"

You may not believe it, but I just bought a good fiddle and I’m talking to our bass player about teaching lessons on here! It’ll be a while, but I’d love to expand to those areas.

— End quote

Yes! Double bass tutorials would be fantastic!

Add that and I can ignore the rest of the internet and just stay here :slight_smile:

/Mattias

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— Begin quote from "SnappyPants"

I’m thinking upright bass and maybe even some washtub bass would be nice, that would pretty much cover the list of Bluegrass instruments.

— End quote

Don’t forget the jug! I think we need some jug lessons Ben. :wink:

…ah 1 ah 2 and away we go!

youtube.com/watch?v=qFwgzOxs0yM

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— Begin quote from "Stich"

Hey guys, my daughter took some violin lessons years ago and still has her rather inexpensive violin. Just wondering, what (if any) difference is there between violin and fiddle? I’d like to get here over to the dark side and jam a little with me on the banjo. Is that possible? How about taking those fiddle lessons Ben was talking about?

— End quote

Stitch I am no fiddler but I do have 3 in the house that I can make the most rudest noise on that a man has ever heard. But my wife can play scales and such on it and is starting to recognize melodies.

With all this said, and with limited access to really only one fiddler that is “good” the only difference I have noted or have been told is that usually the bridge is different on a fiddle verses a violin, fiddlers bridge helps a fiddler play “double stops” easier. If you look at bluegrass fiddle music and Cajun fiddle you will notice that they are double stopping the heck out of a fiddle where as your classical type or orchestra type violinist don’t play them as frequently as the fiddler

Now what modifications are needed in the bridge…well I have no idea!

Oldhat

Thanks Oldhat, I’m sure she can at least start practicing again with he “violin” and look into changing out the bridge in time to make it a “real” fiddle. :wink:

There is no specific difference in bridges on the violin/fiddle for styles of music. double stops can be played as easily with any arch on the bridge. Triple stops do require a flatter arch, but I can’t recall the last time I heard anyone playing them.

Players of of all styles will arch the bridge to their own liking, but more often to match the arch in the fingerboard for correct/same noting//action on the strings.

non-classical player do tend to slightly less arch to make it easier (less bow movement) to get to the correct angle to play different strings (or pairs of strings). A lesser arch on the bridge should be accompanied by a corresponding lesser arch on the fingerboard.

@Julian,

“Double stop” is simply a term used for playing two notes at once. It and can be done in many ways: any two notes form the present chord, a harmony note in conjunction with a melody note, and the use of a drone note are probably the three most common.

Drone example can be heard extensively on Sally Goodin’ which is most often played in the beginning by droning the A note with your pinky on the D string while playing the melody notes on the A string in the first several bars.

Some of the really cool licks are the double stop slides that incorporate a blues note in them. May of these are done playing two string at the same position with the same finger at the same time. Used right they can really add power to a solo!

Thanks for the splaination. I like to watch fiddle players on youtube, but I can never see exactly what they’re doing to get the ‘sound’. Whenever I try to play the violin, my dog starts barking at me. So I stick to guitar mostly; but it’s a shame because I could be a good bluegrass fiddle player if I put in some practice time learning how to get that pulsing, double-stop sound.

You can set still and listen to a violin.

haha, I there is a rule that says you have to

For the record, i too would be very interested in a fiddle lesson section. I Have a fiddle but the stupid thing is not as easy to play as I thought. I am starting to get a hint when my wife leaves the house every time i try to play it, and the neighborhood cats show up at my door.

I would much appreciate a section for this as well.

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I was wondering if there might be a fiddle lesson with the Devil’s Dream series.

hey fella’s,man would I love to learn the fiddle! but I have a half dozen guitars,2banjos and a mando,i just don’t know how i’m going to convince my wife I actually need a fiddle! :confused:

A fiddle is small enough to escape easy detection.

Not that I would encourage deception or anything. :confused:

Haha, it is probably not the fiddle but its’ sound that will be hard to hide !

You can buy it, leave it at my house and come over to play it whenever you want. :laughing:
In fact, in the interest of increasing marital bliss, anyone who wants to store their expensive, collectable instrument at my house is welcome to do so.