Fiddlers amongst the rabble?

[CameronCat]

Hi y'all...
Not ignoring you; had a massive home computer failure last week and still sorting a new one. Hoping for good results by next week. Long posts from work are not recommended, so just sneaking one under the radar.
Still have time to play occasionally though.

Have a great holiday. Be well
Peace
JT

[CameronCat]

Well, Hi.
I'm back...since the thread didn't move on, guess I didn't miss much.

It's been three weeks of turmoil: new computer was bad out of the box and I spent a lot of time getting that sorted, then setting up programs and functions. Additional time away spent getting new car for the singularly non-automotive Mrs CamCat. Throw in a seriously ill and hospitalized relative and you'll see there's been little time for fiddling.

I know I should have played more and more often, but sometimes I just couldn't find the motivation. Don't think I've totaled more than two hours in three weeks. Sigh.

Hope y'all are doing better than I am.

Peace
JT

[BozemanboB]

Been a while since I've posted, so I thought I'd share my most recent fiddle-related adventure.

I flew to Edinburgh on Thursday, the 11th, for the Scots Fiddle Festival. The festival ran Friday night through Sunday, and was utterly fantastic. And, yes, I really did fly from Montana to Edinburgh for the weekend! (I stayed on in Edinburgh for a day or two after, to see sights.) The weather was cold, windy, and rainy, and that made it all the more enjoyable to warm up with a fiddle and an ale!

I took a course on playing pipe tunes on the fiddle, and now have several new tunes to learn along with appropriate ornamentation and bowing. Tricky, but FUN to play.

So many magnificent fiddlers - Jamie Laval, Sarah-Jane Summers, the Grants, Gabe McVarish, Martin Hayes (he's Irish and one of the premier fiddlers in the world) and many more who's names escape me just at the moment. The weekend was filled with recitals, dancing, workshops, sessions, talks, jams, drinks, music, music, and more music. I will make every attempt to attend next year! And maybe by then I'll sound decent on the fiddle and I'll join the jams and sessions. I'm certainly inspired to work/play even harder now.

One other thing the trip was good for: confirming beyond any doubt (not that there was much anyway) that Edinburgh is far and away my favorite city in the world. I've been to a lot of them, but none of them excite me as much as Edinburgh.

Next year I'll try to spend even more time in Scotland: Edinburgh for the festival, and then travel northward as far as possible. The weather may be poor, but so what?!

I'm still walking off the ground just thinking of the experience. It really was that grand!

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

boB

[BoldHighlander]

I don't play fiddle, but my youngest did (well, technically violin) in the 5th grade. She enjoyed it, but liked to sing more & opted for 6th grade choir this year, however, due to buget cuts I suspect that next year she will be returning to violin/fiddle.

She's interested in joining a local Celtic Fiddle group that gets together through out the year & plays at our local Highland Games.

I encourage this whole heartedly (of course)!

[tripleblessed]

From the heart I say thank you for taking on the challenge of the
instrument, for continuing the tradition, and raising the quality of
life for those around you. It's great if you're fabulous, but even if
you aren't yet, the quality of the music you play makes up for any
perceived lack in the way you play it. Several years ago, I was
hanging out in Aberfeldy for a couple of weeks, and found the Niel
Gow Festival. Total serendipity. Stopped in at the Taybank in Dunkeld
hoping for music, attended several concerts. Heard Niel Gow's music
played on Niel Gow's own fiddle made by Niel Gow's own hands. Kids'
groups studying to keep the music from dying in it's home. Old shepherds
who learned it playing to their sheep. If ever you feel discouraged,
or not up to the task, do us all a favor and find a way to get there
yourself. It might not make the practice easier, but you'll not ask
yourself again why you'd put yourself through it.

[BEEDEE]

Fiona Ritchie on Thistle and Shamrock (NPR program) did a great proram on fiddle pibroch about 9 months ago. Should be able to find it in the NPR archives.

Brian

[Pyper]

So many magnificent fiddlers - Jamie Laval,

Jamie is so cool. He's learned so much from pipers.

[ducking and running]

Just couldn't resist. I've got his first CD and he's a great fiddler -- but he does make a point of learning technique that enables him to play pipe tunes in traditional piping styles.

In the first post in this thread you say that you think there are more fiddle instructors than piping instructors, but I question that. Go to any highland games and pipers outnumber fiddlers at least 10:1.

I think pipes are a lot easier for getting started on because they're more proscribed. Everything is spelled out for the beginning piper, but with fiddle they all keep saying, "whatever sounds good to you." But fiddles are cool. So are harps. I took some fiddle lessons about a decade ago, but pipes have taken over for me.

It's all good though. The more music the better.