Back up and Push (key of F)
The Fiddle Thread
10 Likes
East Tennessee Blues (also in F)
9 Likes
Nice fiddling @Dragonslayer ! In F!! I think the closest thing I play to key of F would be Tam Lin in Dm (mandolin).
3 Likes
If I could like that song more than 1x I would bc I love that song!! (I wonder where you are tonight)
4 Likes
There is just something about the tune “Back Up and Push” that just gets me humming along!
4 Likes
Thanks Simone! It’s usually a C tune, but you can move it down a string and easily play it in F without changing anything else. Dm is the same notes, and Tam Lin is a great tune!
4 Likes
Thanks Stuart!
3 Likes
Hi Dave, I hear many beginners playing blood curling sounds on the fiddle. Apart from experience what turns that horrible sound into a thing of beauty. Is it the angle of the bow or the speed it’s drawn, the lack of resin ?
3 Likes
Hi Archie, When I find out I’ll let you know…haha!
Seriously though, There are plenty of “bad” sounds a fiddle can make.
Some are bow problems and some are fingering problems.
On the bowing side of things Good tone comes from the right combination of pressure, speed and abrasion coupled with the right distance from the bridge for where you are on the neck (like banjo etc.) with your left hand.
All this can change with slight humidity differences, so adjustments may have to be made regularly.
When my fiddle (or bow) gets too dry or wet it gets very difficult to impossible make it sound good. If its dry I can put it in the case with the humidifier for a few hours…comes beck out sounding much better comparatively… Not much you can do to help it if you’re playing in the fog or when the dew is forming…
The left hand is somewhat like that of other instruments in that slides take a bit more pressure.
It has two major problems that happen
If you slightly touch a string next to the one you’re fingering, while playing both, you get a high pitched squeal (this can also be produced by lifting a finger too slowly)
Intonation can change daily (and usually does) due to many factors like moisture of hand, etc. So you basically have to “find” the notes every day when you first pick up the instrument.
Strings last a pretty long time on fiddles but not forever…this can also add to unhappy sounds you may produce. .
6 Likes
Thanks Dave, There’s a guy that attends our jam sessions and his fiddle just squeaks a horrible sound and it’s just so painful to listen to. I’ll print this off and hand it to him when next we meet.
3 Likes
Better yet feel free to give him my email if he’s interested in getting together over the net. and maybe I can help him with some issues over the computer on Zoom or something.
Most of these things just take time to correct like anything else…you know the drill…
4 Likes
Thanks I will, just to get a little respite for my ears
4 Likes
Well @Fiddle_wood, I guess bad habits crept back on me. i got my wife to video me playing a Cajun waltz I am learning. Looking at the video, I was definitely shoulder bowing again. I guess I’m going to focus on that more for a while. I’ve been having so much fun on my mandolin during the quarantine, I guess my fiddling got neglected (i definitely have the time at the moment)
3 Likes
It’s always good to have a “checkup” on things.
It doesn’t hurt to take a few long strokes with the bow when warming up and just concentrate on that aspect of things, (build/remind muscle memory) then go on with playing other stuff while keeping it in the back of your mind after it feels natural.
5 Likes
That is CRAZY GOOD!!!
3 Likes
I’m looking to get a fiddle going here and had a question about bridge placement. Is the bridge positioned so that the octave is centered on the fingerboard between bridge and nut or is there some other method for correct placement?
3 Likes
@dd1
Generally the bridge feet should line up with the little marks/notches near the center of the f holes
Theoretically the octave is always 1/2 the distance from nut to bridge regardless of where the bridge is.
3 Likes
Thanks Dave. I see the notches. I will try to post a few pictures as the bridge appears to be bent a bit, probably from being under tension for years. It appears to be a G&B.
4 Likes
