Is it hard to learn to play fiddle?

Leon Grizzard · Post by **Leon Grizzard** » 14 May 2004 10:09 am

Ray - The instrument is the same, but fiddlers almost always use steel strings, as opposed to the gut or gut substitutes that violinists use, and the bridge on fiddles is usually a little flatter than the arch on violins. However, violinists often refer to their instruments as fiddles.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 14 May 2004 12:11 pm

Leon (My middle name is Leon, BTW), I've gotta disagree with you here. I've seen a bunch of bluegrass instruments strung up with gut, or nylon. But an old-timer once told me the difference, and here it is:
"A violin has strings, and a fiddle's got strangs!"
Hope this helps.

Jennings Ward · Post by **Jennings Ward** » 14 May 2004 12:29 pm

Jennee makes the most sense from my experience,,,,above all, attitude is most important,,If you are not willing to learn from outhers, who are better than you, then forget it....If you are not willing to play with a broken arm, get out of the way and play drums where your only concern is banging..If you are willing to devote a lifetime to learning, then by all means go for it.............jennings @hill william

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 14 May 2004 1:26 pm

We have a fiddle player who works with my band from time to time who also does some violin things with the Virginia Symphony. When asked what's the difference between a fiddle and a violin his answer is "About a hundred bucks a night".....I think that's cool...Have a good 'un, JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 14 May 2004 1:53 pm

Jenee Keener! You are an excellent fiddler!

cheers,
Drew

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Drew's Website

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 14 May 2004 2:52 pm

Jenee!! Great to see ya onboard here!! We miss you in Texas, girlfriend!!

Folks, like many on the forum I have had the pleasure, ... and it is a definite pleasure, trust me... to make music with Jenee Keener. I've known her for over a decade, when she was the wunderkind fiddler playing in the backup band of the steel shows. It was always "good Lord, where did this gal come from?!?!"

She is an amazing musician, and an beautiful improviser. Her ear training that allows her to hear chord progessions to tunes she'd be completely unfamiliar with, and to instantly improvise meaningful solos to them, showed everyone who bothered to listen what her future in music would be.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Leon Grizzard · Post by **Leon Grizzard** » 15 May 2004 6:00 am

Tony - for advice and encouragement, fiddleforum.com

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 15 May 2004 12:32 pm

I've been trying to learn to play fiddle, but I keep dropping the bar.

Lyle Bradford · Post by **Lyle Bradford** » 15 May 2004 1:55 pm

I read some where that Buddy Spicher started playing a fiddle and practiced one year and won a national championship. So I don't think one has to start out young it is just how hard and and how much time you practice. Also a great teacher can help one develope a lot faster than trying to do it on your own. I am still trying to learn to tune mine!

Jennings Ward · Post by **Jennings Ward** » 17 May 2004 10:01 am

Hey Steve, dropingb the bar not good. The easy way is to teach your dog and cat to whistle...... best,,, Jennings.........

seldomfed · Post by **seldomfed** » 20 May 2004 10:34 am

I've played fiddle for a long time in bands but never got really good. I just worked on 'hooks' - like the intro to Amarillo by morning etc. Playing shuffle backup and things. Can't (and don't want to) play OBS!

One thing I noticed with me was; because I spend most of the nite playing the guitar (this was before I gave it up for steel),
the callous groves on my fretting hand from the guitar meant that I had two ridges of hard skin hitting the fiddle neck - it made intonation a real challenge. Sometimes impossible to fret a true note or doublestop. Anyone experience this?

hmmmmm.... I think I may pick it back up now that I don't play guitar enough in a nite to get those permanent finger groves - I'm just sittin' at the steel. Perhaps I'll get past that old road block now. I have an old barcus berry elec. fiddle and it plays nice.

cheers,
chris

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Chris Kennison
Ft. Collins, Colorado
"There is no spoon"
www.book-em-danno.com

Rick McDuffie · Post by **Rick McDuffie** » 22 May 2004 1:01 pm

It's never hard to learn to play badly.

Rick

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 22 May 2004 4:42 pm

Do you understand "woman"? yet....

A lot of similarity I'd say.