About the fiddle
-
awildman
- Posts: 612
- Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:44 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: Washington State
The Peter Cooper book through Mel Bay(Mel Bay's Complete Irish Fiddle Player) is probably a better book if you plan on teaching yourself. The Cranitch book, while a great resource, assumes that the player knows certain things about the fiddle and Irish music in general. Cranitch will take you farther, but Cooper covers the basics much better, especially bowing patterns and how they fit into the framework of Irish Trad. If you have the money, get both. However, neither book is designed for an absolute beginner. Best to learn some basics of playing violin/fiddle before jumping into those books. I highly recommend a teacher, if only for a few lessons. Ask around at sessions. You'll find a teacher pretty quick.
Not really a good idea buying a fiddle over the internet. Best to buy locally, if possible. Too many cheapies out there that will only frustrate you. Best to have an experienced fiddler accompany you to try some out. Renting is a good way to start for someone on a budget. $400 is a good low end price point if you're set on buying. Plus accessories. But really, at that level it is all about setup. Strings, bridge, fingerboard, nut, soundpost, etc. A $200 fiddle well-setup will perform better than a $2000 fiddle with a bad setup.
Not really a good idea buying a fiddle over the internet. Best to buy locally, if possible. Too many cheapies out there that will only frustrate you. Best to have an experienced fiddler accompany you to try some out. Renting is a good way to start for someone on a budget. $400 is a good low end price point if you're set on buying. Plus accessories. But really, at that level it is all about setup. Strings, bridge, fingerboard, nut, soundpost, etc. A $200 fiddle well-setup will perform better than a $2000 fiddle with a bad setup.