Fiddle For Dummies

Book + Online Video and Audio Instruction

Michael John Sanchez

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781118930229
• eBook ISBN: 9781118930236
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Folk Music

Learn to play the fiddle? Easy.

Tackling a new instrument can be intimidating, but with this easy-to-use guide, you'll have no trouble at all! From selecting, tuning, and caring for your fiddle to mastering various music styles, Fiddle For Dummies walks you step-by-step through everything you need to start playing the fiddle like a pro. You'll discover how to hold a fiddle, master fundamental techniques, and take your skills to the next level. This title also features companion audio tracks and instructional video clips hosted online at Dummies.com to help further enhance your skills.

The fiddle is a popular instrument across many continents, and is a favorite for many because it is small and portable. Playing the fiddle can expose you to a range of musical styles from all over the world, such as Irish, Scottish, Celtic/Cape Breton, country, folk, bluegrass, and more. Plus, if you're already a violin player, you'll impress yourself and fellow musicians as you unlock your instrument to open up a whole new world of sounds.

• Learn fiddle techniques and fundamentals
• Select, tune, and care for your fiddle
• Join the folk instrument movement and master the fiddle
• Play fiddle music from all over the world

Whether you're a complete beginner or a violin player looking to branch out and try something new, Fiddle For Dummies will have you fit as a fiddle in no time.

Part I

Getting Started Playing Fiddle

Want to find out more about what For Dummies has to offer? Visit www.dummies.com to learn more and do more with Dummies!

In this part …

• Get an introduction to the fiddle and what goes into playing it.
• Find the right instrument, bow, and accessories for you.
• Know how to tune your fiddle, tighten or loosen your bow, and apply fiddle rosin properly.

Chapter 1

Getting Ready to Become a Fiddle Player

In This Chapter

Defining a fiddle versus a violin

Obtaining the right equipment

Taking care of your bow and tuning your fiddle

Starting out with good fiddle fundamentals

Knowing the basics of reading music

Getting acquainted with some fiddle techniques and styles

Access the audio tracks in this chapter at www.dummies.com/go/fiddle

So, you want to play the fiddle? Well, you’ve come to the right place. This chapter gives you an overview of the basics you need to know about fiddle playing. I explain the difference between a fiddle and a violin, and I give you advice on how to choose a fiddle. You also get a crash course on fiddle fundamentals and reading music. Finally, you explore various techniques and take a look at a few of the styles of fiddle playing.

What’s the Difference between a Fiddle and a Violin?

Did you know that the violin and fiddle are the same instrument? So if you purchase a violin, it’s the exact same thing as purchasing a fiddle. They differ only in the style of music that’s played on them and the techniques you apply to make unique sounds.

If you play music that was written by composers like Mozart, Bach, or Beethoven, you’d call your instrument a violin during that time. If you play music like bluegrass, Irish, or Scottish, you’d call your instrument a fiddle. I show you how to play these specific styles in Part IV of the book.

The wood piece on the fiddle that’s arch-shaped is called the bridge. This piece isn’t attached to the fiddle; it’s held on by the tension of the strings. Fiddlers tend to like their bridge to be flatter (instead of more on the arched side) than violinists do. That’s one difference in setup that’s worth mentioning. So why does the bridge shape matter? Fiddlers find playing the technique of hitting two strings at once much easier if the bridge is flatter. This is certainly not a required thing, but more of a preference. One thing to note is that you don’t have to change your bridge back and forth when you decide to play a classical or fiddle song. You can easily play fiddle music on a classical-style bridge, and vice versa. It’s all about getting used to the bridge you’re playing on.

So how does the technique of playing violin versus fiddle differ? If you were to put a piece of sheet music in front of a violinist (someone who plays a lot of classical music), she would play it much differently than a fiddler (someone who plays a lot of fiddle music) would. The violinist would take everything on the page literally and never create her own unique additions to make the piece into her own style. The fiddler may add sliding of the hand or changes in the direction of the bow that aren’t technically on the page. These additions are called ornamentation, and I cover them in Part IV.

Another thing that’s unique to fiddle playing is the concept of improvisation. This is when a fiddler understands chord structure and is able to create her own melodies based on the structure of the song. Even advanced violinists would have trouble improvising because they’re not used to doing it. Learning improvisation is a lot of fun and allows you to jam and play in a band. I explore improvisation in Chapter 17.

Getting the Right Gear

How do you know exactly what you should look for when you start your search for a fiddle? What makes a fiddle sound good? How much should you spend for a decent fiddle? Is renting or buying best? Does the bow really make a difference in sound? I wish choosing a fiddle was as simple as walking into a store and picking the one you think looks the best, but it’s not. There are a lot of variables to consider. The most expensive instrument and bow are not necessarily the best. There are pros and cons to buying versus renting, and yes, the bow really does make a difference in sound! You find answers to all these questions and more when you get to Chapter 2.

To start playing the fiddle, you need the fiddle itself, the fiddle bow, rosin, and a shoulder rest. I talk about these in Chapter 2, along with some other helpful accessories like a bow-right tool (which helps keep your bow straight across the strings), a dampit, a metronome/tuner, and more.

Chapter 2 also has some helpful videos that allow you to listen to the sounds of various quality fiddles and bows. You can also watch a video where I show you all the accessories and how they can help you improve your skills and take care of your fiddle.

Preparing to Play

Getting prepared to play the fiddle starts with understanding more about your bow and strings. The bow has horse hairs (yes, real horse hair!) that you can tighten by moving the screw at the bottom of the bow. You need to understand how tight the bow hair should be, both when you’re ready to play and when you put the fiddle away. This is very important, as you can actually damage the bow if you don’t do this properly!

Other important things that are necessary in preparing to play include making sure the fiddle hairs are sticky enough to grab the strings (applying rosin) and making sure the fiddle strings are tightened properly (tuning). I briefly walk you through these steps in this section, but you find more about each subject in Chapter 3.

Tightening your bow

Making sure your bow hair is tightened properly isn’t optional for success — it’s required. Your bow hair needs to be properly tightened to get the best response from the strings. If the hair is too loose or too tight, you’ll run into trouble. A bow with hair that’s too tight can lead to a bouncing bow (which can actually damage a delicate wood bow), and a bow with hair that’s too loose will result in the bow stick making contact with the strings, which won’t make a proper sound.

So, how do you loosen or tighten the bow? The bow has a screw at the bottom called a button. If you turn the screw to the left (counterclockwise) a few rotations, the hair will loosen and dangle, and the stick will slightly curve. This is how the bow should look when you place it in the case after you’re done playing. This is not how it should look while you’re playing your fiddle.

If you start turning the screw several rotations to the right, you’ll notice that the bend of the stick changes. If you tighten the bow hair until the stick is perfectly straight, it’s too tight. If you leave it like this, you can damage your bow.

Rosining your bow

Rosin is concentrated tree sap that’s used to create a sticky film on the horse hairs of the fiddle bow. Without rosin, the fiddle’s horse hairs wouldn’t grab the strings at all.

To start rosining the bow, you have to scratch the surface with either the screw of the bow or another tool like a nail file. If you don’t do this, the rosin will remain concentrated and won’t be ready to be applied to the bow....

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part I: Getting Started Playing Fiddle
• Part II: Working with Technique Basics and Fundamentals
• Part III: Unlocking the Keys to Reading Music
• Part IV: Working with the Various Fiddle Styles
• Part V: Taking Fiddling to the Next Level
• Part VI: The Part of Tens
• Appendix: Audio Tracks and Video Clips
• About the Author
• Cheat Sheet
• More Dummies Products
• End User License Agreement