Brandon Gidley
Im a McMaster University Environment and Geography student. I've been playing the fiddle for about 2 years. I've managed to pick it up fairly quickly, I think as a result of listening to lots of good players and having played other styles of music for years. I also play the bouzouki at sessions where there are lots of fiddle players. I tend to play melodies on the zouk but I'm slowly getting better at accompanying without sounding like a guitar player.
I live in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. There are two good sessions here in Hamilton and one song session which is a laugh as well. I'm about an hours drive from several extremely good sessions in Toronto and Elora, which means I can play out on any night of the week. My girly plays the C#/D accordion. She started playing a few months after I did, so we learn alot together. She is an art student, a beautiful drawer and painter, and my best friend.
My fiddle is a nice old German workshop instrument from the early 1900's, probably about 1915. It's labelled as a Marcus Berini. I didnt know what to look for when I bought it, and it hadn't been played in a long time, so I got a good deal as it sounded a bit dead. Lots of playing has brought out a nice deep tone and it suits my style quite nicely.
My bouzouki is made by Peter Cox, a local luthier. It is cedar and butternut. A friend of mine who owns an instrument repair shop gave me a nice, very weird tenor banjo. It had been converted into a Sanxian and snakeskin used for the head. It is now refretted it as a tenor banjo, but left the snakeskin. It sounds great. Karli plays a Saltarelle Irish Booby.
Tunes in Splendid Isolation's tunebook: 90
| The Winking Judge Microbrew Pub And Cask Ale House | January 11th 2007 |
| Selling my Zouk | October 8th 2008 |
| Two Good Fiddles for sale | September 16th 2008 |
| Kevin Crehan in the movies | September 13th 2008 |
| Irish Bouzouki for Sale | June 29th 2008 |
| Bouzouki for Sale | January 13th 2008 |
| Discussions | Re: Sessions and fishing | October 22nd 2008 |
| Discussions | Re: air travel with concertinas??? | October 14th 2008 |
| Discussions | Re: Selling my Zouk | October 8th 2008 |
| Discussions | Selling my Zouk | October 8th 2008 |
| Discussions | Re: Citterns | October 8th 2008 |