Fluter turned Fiddler?

I have been looking on and off (for years) for a fiddle. I wanted one with pretting inlays on the back (not the best sound I hear, but I like pretty). I even had a friend of mine [who deals in very wierd musical instruments…he always has something unusual (he gave my honey a banjolin…first one I ever saw) and cool (his main ax is a vintage Gibson Mandocello v. pretty!)] to keep his eyes peeled for something in my price range…Lets say under $500 US. No avail…no fiddle. I looked in used instrument shops, antique stores, flea markets, garage sales, fiddle shops…nothing. I discovered ebay and did some searches….some really pretty fiddles at prices I couldn’t justify especially as I don’t play yet. So I stopped torturing myself there.

So I said to myself, "self, if you really want to learn to play the fiddle you should just get one and start learning". I was thinking that when the time was right I would find the fiddle I was seeking and in the meantime I would be learning. Well, after having that revelation I decided to just check ebay once more as I hadn’t been there in about six months…and there it was…an unassuming fiddle with a cool inlay on the back sitting at $149 US with an hour to go. It has had a crack repaired but that was the only thing that seemed to be wrong with it. So I became a registered ebay user and bid on it….well an hour later I won the auction with a bid of $193.50.

So now I’m waiting for my new instrument to arrive and have been reading up on past discussions of fiddle care and feeding. I have been making inquiries into lessons and doing some research into reputable fiddle shops to have my new purchase assessed. I have been looking at fiddle cases and planning to visit some shops shortly after my fiddle arrives for trying out bows (bringing a fiddler with me since I probably won’t be able to tell very well)

It’s all so exciting….I just have to remember that once I start trying to make noise with it, I’m gonna suck….big time. Anyways, just wanted to share my happy news.

~Autumn

much happy for you. just remember, persevere!!!! eeverybody sucks when they start on the fiddle because the notes just aren’t there to pull out of the instrument, but i’m sure you’ll improve rapidly if you have a feel for The Music. again, much happiness and luck to you with the fiddle.

Cool! Have a lot of fun with it! First thing once you get it, take the fiddle to a reputable luthier and have them go over the thing and set it up for you, explaining to you the good and bad points about your fiddle and what they’re doing to make it sound as good as possible. Make sure they know you want to play Irish fiddle with it (or whatever it is you want to play on it.) It’ll possibly save you lots of trouble learning and is way worth the money it costs. Also, as soon as you can afford one, buy a decent bow. You’ll be amazed at the difference it can make. Good luck, and have lots of fun!

Zina

Take it to a Luthier and I would suggest getting a teacher it is a lot harder to learn than you would think if you don’t get a teacher get a basic Violin book then get a fiddle book make sure you have rosin and when you get it the bow will need A LOT if it is a new bow but make sure you have rosin anyway I thought my bow was broken when I first got mine

Hello, Autumn,

Congratulations on your new fiddle. You seem to take a thorough approach to this, so my remarks are probably unnecessary, but anyway here goes:

I strongly recommend that you find a teacher who specializes in teaching beginners in the style you want to play. Ask around among local fiddlers you admire, and probably one or two or three names of teachers will keep coming up. Zero in on these and narrow it down from there after inquiring how and what they teach, how they charge, etc.

Having taught beginners, I know there are countless bad habits you can develop that will haunt you, so you might as well start out on the right foot. And having taken (and continuing to take) private lessons, I know that one-on-one attention will expedite your progress; you could struggle and figure it all out on your own eventually, but a teacher will take you farther and faster than you could otherwise imagine.

Good luck, and please report back.

Carol

Well, if you wanted a fancy fidil… you shoulda gone and boughten a Hardanger fiddle… would make some of those minor Shetland tunes suond nice. 😉

-P

by the time you tuned all those damned melodie and sympathic strings, I guess you’ll find the session’s over. they do sound haunting though.

congrats!, you will need a teacher….books on how to play it will most likely be confusing. ive been playin fiddle for 2 years andits really fun, but hard to begin soo beware n good luck!!

Thank you everyone for the warm wishes and good advice. I have been interviewing teachers and repair shops for a couple of days now and my new fiddle isn’t even here yet….I’m usually not this organized. But, I definately want a teacher cause I know nothing about posture or bowing. I do have a couple of things going for me though….I know how to read music really really well and I learn pretty well by ear (I have been practicing that for about 6 years +). My biggest challenges are going to be making and taking the time to practice and being ok with sounding bad….for a while…Learning new things has almost always been very easy for me. Sometimes I get discouraged and give up when I’m not successful right away. I guess knowing that about myself and knowing that I shouldn’t be successful right away gives me a leg up on dealing with that hurdle/wall.

~Autumn