Fiddlers roll call

ennistraveler · Post by **ennistraveler** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:48 pm

Yeah, Peter Cooper did learn Irish fiddle from someone else he met at some camp I think, he writes about that in his book. Many folks use his book because that's the most complete one. I like Paul McNevin and would prefer to use his book and CD especially since he also teaches fiddle for beginners, not just those who are beginners in Irish music. But, he doesn't say anything about bowing patterns, and if you look at the bowing directions he shows in the book they don't match with the recording.
Anyhow, what Peter Cooper says (at least at the beginning, in jigs, I haven't come very far yet) about bowing is just exactly what any Irish fiddle player I've asked says, for example to slur over the bars. Really, I'd like to learn from Kevin Burke's DVD but I can't afford it right now.
But I hear you, toasty, I'll keep my eyes open. I'm a member of several fiddle forums and I'll ask the Irish fiddlers there to hear what their opinions are. I've never heard of that Cranitch person and would prefer to get a book from someone I at least know about, like Kevin Burke.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 3:47 pm

[quote="mikk"][/quote]

Let me guess, ummm you are Mr Cooper in person or his toyboy?

Like the other fakers on the make this one is making quite a name for English a55h0les.

All he need do is write what he knows, English Fiddling. He knows absolutely nothing about Irish because he isn't Oirish!

Does that get it for ya!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 4:12 pm

ennistraveler wrote:Yeah, Peter Cooper did learn I've never heard of that Cranitch person and would prefer to get a book from someone I at least know about, like Kevin Burke.

To put this in perspective for you, prior to Matt Cranitch's work the only book ever to be compiled and written in Irtrad on this topic is 'The Roche Collection Of Irish Music' By John Roche ( Violinist and Pianist ) in 1912, and reprinted in 1982 by Ossian of Cork Ireland. This book is unique in noting down (Sliabh Luachra) bowings to many of the tunes. Nothing like that had ever been done before and until Matt wrote his book there was no other on the subject.

Matt Cranitch is the son of Irish Schoolteaching Parents and both of them play. He grew up IN Ireland and was taught there. He IS the No 1 Irtrad fiddle expert in the world today and began long long long before Mr Faker Cooper heard of Irish music let alone could screech on the fiddle!

His book, 'The Irish Fiddle Book' was first published in 1988 by Ossian Publications - P.O Box 84 Cork Ireland, - latest edition 2001 -and with it you can also get a CD of the tuition pages all costing here about $40, ( very well worth it ...without any shadow of a doubt it is better than the combined output of Melbay on this topic for the last 20 years )

Matt also recorded two CD's of the 101 free tunes in the back of the book, these BTW are not part of the tuition pages! I've one of these and it is the best Irish fiddling CD I own.

Bill Reeder · Post by **Bill Reeder** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:39 pm

toasty wrote:
Bill Reeder wrote:I used to play fiddle until the pipes came on the scene. I still get it out now and then just to keep my bowing arm from completely withering away.
Until?

When did you first hear the squalinpipes? maybe that should be when did you first hear the Chieftains?:0)

I meant to say that I played fiddle until I acquired a set of pipes. I put the fiddle away in order to focus on the pipes. I wasn't talented enough to keep up on both. Frankly, it took several years of listening to ITM before I began to appreciate Uilleann pipes much less think about playing them. I started listening to ITM in the late 70's, about the same time I started learning fiddle. I didn't get interested in pipes until early 90's.

Darwin · Post by **Darwin** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 8:05 pm

I used to play, but I have a very inaccurate ear, so I was never very good. About 30 years ago I ended up playing with a very good fiddler, so I pretty much dropped it.

I thought about getting back into it last year, but I found it physically painful--and my ear still hasnt improved. I'll stick with frets.

Since moving to Texas, I haven't seen my fiddle. I suspect it's in one of the boxes in the garage, which means it's been subjected to several months of temperatures well in excess of 100F, so it may have turned into a fiddle kit by now.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 3:43 pm

[quote="toastyPeter Cooper is an Englishman and the nearest he ever got to Irish music is a listening to Library CDs in Enlgland- he is a joke amoung the Irish who call him the 'Oirish Fuddler'-. It is very very very WRONG and you are acquiring some nasty habits from doing it that way.
.[/quote]

He's got some really terrific tunes in there though...

I play a bit of fiddle,but definitely no great shakes. For one thing, it KILLS my left elbow-- after about 1/2 hr of holding the fiddle it hurts like hell to straighten out my arm.. Maybe if I played more often it would get better. Lots of fun though.

mikey_r · Post by **mikey_r** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 4:09 pm

I started fooling around on the fiddle three or four weeks ago, about the same time I started fooling around on the tin whistle. I've had a violin for well over twenty years, but every time I pulled it out and tried to play it, both the wife and the cat made it clear that I should stick to piano and guitar. It takes a few days to get past the point where the violin sounds like a cat stuck in the vacuum cleaner all the time. I now wish I had put in the time to get past that point years ago - playing the fiddle is mega-fun.

I always loved IrTrad to listen to when I heard it, but have mostly played rock, blues, folk and jazz, mostly on keyboards, bass and guitar. I started branching out into early music (on recorder) about a year ago, and re-discovered IrTrad from there (don't ask me how I made the connection).

In any case, I had my first lesson on the fiddle last week (with Willie Kelly, if anyone's heard of him), and am very charged up. I figure I'll be ready for my first session in ten or twenty years or so

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 4:14 pm

brewerpaul wrote:[quote="toastyPeter Cooper is an Englishman and the nearest he ever got to Irish music is a listening to Library CDs in Enlgland- he is a joke amoung the Irish who call him the 'Oirish Fuddler'-. It is very very very WRONG and you are acquiring some nasty habits from doing it that way.
.

He's got some really terrific tunes in there though...

I play a bit of fiddle,but definitely no great shakes. For one thing, it KILLS my left elbow-- after about 1/2 hr of holding the fiddle it hurts like hell to straighten out my arm.. Maybe if I played more often it would get better. Lots of fun though.[/quote]

Try a real tutor such as Matt Cranitch which BTW assumes you have already taken a few lessons training you to correctly hold and use the fiddle and bow.

Jay-eye · Post by **Jay-eye** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 1:43 am

I laid down the uilleann pipes in July as being not for me, (had a brief relationship with an accordion I met on a blind date on ebay, but I'm embarassed to admit to that now) and I picked up the fiddle in the middle of August and haven't looked back since!

Wow! These fiddles are great stuff, man. It's great that you don't need all that messing with reeds and stuff. Just stick it under your chin and you're away. I love it. I think I'm becoming as obsessed with the fiddle as I was with the pipes. Correction: I AM as obsessed.

And I love the way I can play (with a big lump of metal mute applied) sitting at the kitchen table at 4am if I want to! Find me UP's you can do that with. OR a whistle for that matter.

ON A SAD NOTE, I got really fed up with the bitchin' and backbiting on the UP forum. Stopped visiting because I didn't want to get contaminated by the vitriol. From the above it looks like this strings forum's going to go the same way?

Very sad. Still, it encourages me to forum less and practice more.

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 5:02 am

Jay-eye wrote:I laid down the uilleann pipes in July as being not for me, (had a brief relationship with an accordion I met on a blind date on ebay, but I'm embarassed to admit to that now) and I picked up the fiddle in the middle of August and haven't looked back since!

There's a special place reserved in Hades for traitors like you.

Good luck with your four stringed friend, I've got to get mine out of moth balls again.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 7:18 am

There is me. I fiddle, in my own mediocre way.

Jay-eye · Post by **Jay-eye** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:13 am

Joseph E. Smith wrote:
There's a special place reserved in Hades for traitors like you.

_________________
Alea iacta est - The die has been cast. (Caesar)

Quo vadis, Josephus?

Fiddle - you know it makes sense!

Jay-eye · Post by **Jay-eye** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:15 am

I went to the Doctor because my guitar playing was so bad........

He said if I kept pickin' it would never get better!

Haven't dared tell him how much I'm enjoying fiddlin'! :roll:

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:16 am

Jay-eye wrote:
Quo vadis, Josephus?

Age. Fac ut gaudeam. - Clint Eastwood.

Jay-eye · Post by **Jay-eye** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:17 am

Donald Rumsfeld is giving President Bush his daily briefing.

He concludes by saying "Yesterday three Brazilian soldiers were killed in an accident in Baghdad."

"OH DEAR GOD NO!!!" George W exclaims. "That's terrible"

His staff sit stunned by this display of emotion, nervously watching as the
president sits, head in his hands.

Finally, the President, devastated, looks up and asks............

"How many is a brazillion???!!"